Adventure in the Himalayas

Previous Day Prev P

Next Day Next N

Wednesday, 21 August 2019 - Up early for sunrise on the roof of the hotel with Himalayan views, then drove through the Indus Valley stopping at the confluence of the Indus and Zanskar rivers with dramatic landscapes, experienced the "Magnetic Hill" phenomenon where the car rolled uphill in neutral, and visited Likir Monastery perched on a hill above the valley with colorful prayer wheels, ancient assembly halls, and vibrant monastery art before continuing toward Alchi village for lunch and market photography.

india2019 — These are the Himalayas at sunrise.

india2019 — This is Stok Kangri which is the highest point in the Stok Range of the Himalayas.

india2019 — After breakfast we began our tour of the Indus Valley. This is the confluence of the Indus River and the Zanakar River. The picture is looking up the Zanakar River Valley, and the muddy stream in the foreground is the Indus.

india2019 — A closer look at the meeting of two rivers - the Zanakar is on top - the clearer glacial water out of the Himalayas meeting the muddy water of the much larger Indus River. You can see a little raft of people on the Zanakar River.

We stopped on a high bluff overlooking the rivers - this was right after "Magnetic Hill" - which is a concentration of iron ore so large that we turned off the engine, the car in neutral, and the vehicle moved uphill!!

india2019 — The desert landscape reminded Virginia Ann and me of the Atacama Desert - no vegetation except around rivers and beautiful colors and formations in the landscape.

india2019 — Hard to imagine the forces which created the mountains in this region.

The driver must have tired of me asking him to stop the car so I could take a picture.

india2019 — As we approached Likir Gompa (Monastery) we stopped at a stupa to take this picture.

The monastery is picturesquely situated on a little hill in a small valley leading into the mountains. Below the monastery is a Likir village.

india2019 — Likir Monastery with the mountains in the background. You can see the giant buddha to the left of the monastery.

Likir is mentioned in the Ladakhi chronicles as having been erected by King Lhachen Gyalpo around 1065.

india2019 — The bell at the big prayer wheel at the Likir Monastery entrance - always fun to turn the giant wheels.

india2019 — The monastery has two assembly halls, known as Dukhangs. This is the entrance to the older of the two halls.

As I would learn, our experience at Likir was different from most monasteries - the rule typically was "no shoes, no cameras". But here I was able to use my camera inside.

india2019 — A fierce lion

india2019 — A dragon fresco - many fierce creatures on the walls.

india2019 — The older assembly hall has six rows of seats for the lamas and a throne for the Head Lama of Likir.

This was a small room but very colorful - again I was so happy to use my camera.

india2019 — The Dukhang contains glass-fronted bookcases holding the buddhist sacred texts

india2019 — Detail on a book in the assembly hall.

india2019 — We then moved to the newer (only 200-year-old) Dukhang (assembly hall). The walls were covered in colorful and frightening paintings.

india2019 — In one corner of the room was an area for offerings - there are candles and very intricate offerings of molded butter - we were to learn that the combination of fire and butter led to many monastery fires.

india2019 — As we were walking through and photographing the assembly hall we noticed a few monks at their seats. Our guide asked what was going on, and they informed him that a ceremony was to begin momentarily. We were told we could stay - just out of the way.

We sat down on the wall but the small space filled up quickly. I offered to move as some local people came in - Virginia Ann stayed next to our guide. Here she is seated behind a local woman, in traditional hat and dress, observing the ceremony.

india2019 — Currently the monastery has approximately 120 Buddhist monks and a school, in which almost thirty students study.

There were not 120 monks in the room but it was full. Much chanting and "singing".

india2019 — Then the visiting head of the region participated in the ceremony. When he was done he gave a "sermon" for a short time. Then sat down - all the monks had food and drink. At the end of the ceremony all the local people (and Virginia Ann) gave blessing sashes to the head of the region.

We were very lucky to be "caught" inside - most of the tourists were forced to listen from the outside courtyard.

india2019 — Sitting next to the monastery is a 75-foot high gilded gold statue of Maitreya (the future) Buddha. It was completed in 1999.

india2019 — We then were back on the road to the Alchi Monastery. We were early so we had a local meal in the town of Alchi. Sitting on the second story patio, I took a shot of some prayer flags - these are placed on as high a point as possible and are left never to be taken down - they simply wear away - spreading the word in the wind.

A couple who had been studying buddhism at Dharamshala and were now riding a motorcycle around Ladakh, gave us some suggestions for lunch. She was from New Jersey and he was from St Petersburg, Russia.

india2019 — In the small town market in Alchi a prayer wheel with very tiny prayer flags covering the top.

india2019 — The artistic and spiritual details of both Buddhism and the Hindu kings of that time in Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh are reflected in the wall paintings in the monastery. These are some of the oldest surviving paintings in Ladakh.

india2019 — The monastery complex has three major shrines: the Dukhang (Assembly hall), the Sumtsek, and the Temple of Manjushri, all dating from between the early 12th and early 13th centuries.

A long row of prayer wheels along a path between the shrines

india2019 — I was not allowed to photograph inside any of the shrines. This is a carving over the door into one of the shrines.

india2019 — A bridge over the Indus River covered in prayer flags - every water crossing - no matter how small - had prayer flags or a small shrine.

india2019 — On our way back to the hotel we stopped at an overlook to a village, monastery, and river. This is the town of Basgo along a small river feeding the Indus.

india2019 — On a hill over the town is Basgo Monastery built for the Namgyal rulers in 1680. There are three temples in the monastery complex.

Previous Day Prev P

Next Day Next N

Top

Top

Cal and VA | Adventures | Northern India

© Cal and Virginia Ann Holman
All Rights Reserved 2000-2025 Do not use without permission.
Privacy Policy - Terms

Modified last on 2025-12-26