Captain's Corner: We Visited Leh – Part IV

Monday, October 31, 2011

We Visited Leh – Part IV – Last day in Leh

Last Day in Leh – 05 Oct 2011

Our first visit of the day was to Hemis Monastery. It existed before the 11th century and is the largest monastic institution in Ladakh. Hemis has more than 200 branch monasteries in the Himalayas and more than 1,000 monks under its care. It is an important living monument and heritage of Himalayas and its people.

As you begin the climb

A local - Her face resembling the contours of the Himalayas

View of the rooms

Hemis prayer wheel

A section of the monastery

Inside the court yard

At the Hemis

A complete view

A section of the monastery

Part of the museum

Maitreya Buddha - a two storey high statue

Statue of Buddha

Floral painting

Part of the museum

The next on the list was Thiksey Monastery. It is noted for its resemblance to the Potola Palace in Lhasa,Tibet and is the largest Gompa in central Ladakh. The monastery is located at an altitude of 3,600 metres (11,800 ft) in the Indus valley. It is a 12-storey complex and houses many items of Buddhist art such as stupas, statues, thangkas, wall paintings and swords. Here we met a doctor monk and bought some Ladhaki medicines

A view of Thiskey

With the Doctor monk

A distant view

The Stok Palace Museum is located about 14 kilometers away from Leh across the Choglamsar bridge. This was constructed in 1825 by King Tsespal Tondup Namgyal who was the last ruler of independent Ladakh. The current royal family lives in Stok Palace. The museum at this place has a huge collection of ornaments related to royal family, traditional clothing and a huge collection of thankas

Interiors of the palace

Rooms in the palace

The Shanti Stupa was built by both Japanese Buddhists and Ladakh Buddhists. The Shanti Stupa features the photograph of the current Dalai Lama with the relics of the Buddha at its base. The stupa is built as a two-level structure. The Shanti Stupa was built to promote world peace and prosperity and to commemorate 2500 years of Buddhism. It is considered a symbol of the ties between the people of Japan and Ladakh

The imposing dome of the Shanti Stupa

View of Leh from the Stupa

Inside the Stupa - wheel of Dharma

Birth of Buddha

Image of Buddha

Defeating the devils

Lovely view of the roof

Shey is a town in ladhak that has the old summer palace. It is located 15 km. from Leh towards Hemis. The palace was built more than 555 years ago by Lhachen Palgyigon, the king of Ladakh. The palace has the largest golden Buddha statue in Ladakh.