Adventure in the Himalayas

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Thursday, 22 August 2019 - Up early to drive to Thikse Monastery for sunrise conch shell blowing and morning prayers, explored the multi-story monastery's shrines, assembly hall, and rooftop Himalayan views over the Indus Valley, then continued to Hemis Monastery with its 11th-century chapels and high mountain setting before ending the day photographing ancient chortens, prayer flags, and courtyard scenes.

india2019 — We arrived at Thikse Monastery prior to sun rise - it sits over the town of Thikse on a small hill. It is a twelve-story complex with the shrines/temples on top and living quarters down the hill.

india2019 — Another lion dog or a foo dog.

india2019 — A balcony off a tiny shrine - the balcony was almost as big as the interior of the shrine.

india2019 — Inside the shrine a monk said prayers in a very smoke-filled room. It was challenging not to cough. It was too dark, and we were trying to be quiet to take great pictures.

india2019 — From the shrine we climbed to the top of the monastery to a rooftop patio which looked out over the Indus valley. This is the view northwest toward Leh.

india2019 — And this is the view southeast into the Himalayas.

india2019 — The morning prayers at 0700, with synchronized chanting of sutras at this monastery, attract many worshipers and tourists to observe the services.

Here two monks welcome the sunrise by blowing conch shells.

india2019 — The lower courtyard from the roof of the monastery.

india2019 — A monk headed to the assembly hall through the lower courtyard.

india2019 — The assembly hall was surprisingly open on the use of cameras as they went through their morning prayer session. This may be because they attract tourists and promote their sessions. There were as many tourists as there were monks - so many that the tourists were really in the way.

Here a little lama delivers tea to a monk playing a horn type of instrument.

india2019 — Little lamas study their texts for the morning.

india2019 — Monks working on a sand mandala in one corner of the assembly hall. It was a very detailed creation.

india2019 — Behind the back of the assembly hall is a small inner sanctum of Gautama Buddha with several other statues. This was one of the statues which had good light.

india2019 — Maitreya (future Buddha) Temple erected to commemorate a visit of the 14th Dalai Lama to this monastery in 1970. It contains a 49-foot-high statue of Maitreya Buddha, the largest such statue in Ladakh. He is unusually portrayed as seated in the lotus position rather than his usual representations as standing or in a sitting posture on a high throne. It took four years to build

india2019 — Virginia Ann standing in front of the entrance to Maitreya Temple.

india2019 — A statue in the Maitreya Temple.

india2019 — Ornate decoration in the Maitreya Temple.

india2019 — The Himalayas in the full sunlight from the roof of the monastery.

india2019 — As we left Thikse Monastery we passed the large prayer wheel and an older monk was there praying.

india2019 — Three stupa outside the Thikse Monastery.

india2019 — The desert to the north of the Thikse Monastery - from the green Indus valley only a few miles away it is desert.

india2019 — A stupa with the moon in the background.

india2019 — Thikse Monastery in daylight. We had lunch where this picture was taken.

india2019 — We noticed this outside several temples - rocks with inscriptions piled up - usually near stupas.

india2019 — Stakna Monastery, founded during the reign of King Jamyang Namgyal in 1580.

We did not enter the monastery, but I took several pictures of it as we traveled the Indus valley. It sits on a hill next to the Indus River.

india2019 — Next was Hemis Monastery, which was built behind a mountain such that invading armies missed it when sacking the various temples.

Hemis Monastery was built in the 11th century.

india2019 — A monastery building way up on the mountainside at the very top you can just barely see stupa tops.

india2019 — The Hemis Monastery has two assembly halls - neither of which I was allowed to photograph. This is the entrance to one of them.

india2019 — Detail of a painting of the Bhavacakra - or the circle of life. This depicts a small section of hell.

india2019 — I thought this was an interesting scene.

india2019 — High over Hemis Monastery is a large sitting Buddha statue. It is made small by the large landscape.

india2019 — In the hidden valley where the Hemis Monastery resides - you can barely see the small buildings in white against the Himalayas.

india2019 — Stakna Monastery again - this time from a road on the opposite side of the Indus river looking into the Ladakh Mountain Range.

india2019 — Shey Palace and Shea Monastery are mostly in ruins. Built in 1655 the palace and a temple have been restored - but not much.

Virginia Ann was getting a little tired of the monasteries by now and elected to shop at an open-air market at the base of the hill. I hiked up to the palace.

india2019 — The view from Shea Palace beautiful green pasture for cows with the mountains in the background.

india2019 — Shea Palace front door - you could not venture into the rooms you see here.

india2019 — Decoration near the temple in the center of the palace complex.

india2019 — Over the place the hill continued to climb to a series of abandoned buildings. I am not sure if they were part of the palace, but there were plenty of prayer flags.

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