Jammu & Kashmir Monastero Likir
Belonging to Buddhism, there is the Monastero Likir in Ladakh in northern India. The town is a picturesque location on a hill, margined by the Leh valley, with the Indus River flowing below the valley. The Monastero Likir belongs to the Buddhist sect of Gelugpa, established in Tibet by Lama Duwang Chosje in the year 1065, on the command of Lhachen Gyalpo, who was the fifth king of Ladakh. In the past days, Likir was a major passage for the traders to Leh from Tibetan region. For a lot of tourists, Monastero Likir has a special attraction for its scenic beauty surrounding the structures and the picturesque villages and greenery surrounding it.
History
Likir in Ladakhi language means the Naga encircled, which means that two serpent bodies are encircled that of Nanda and Taksako. The monastery was set up by Lhachen Gyalpo. Over the centuries, there were a lot of damages and many rulers of the Tibetan region, re-established these structures. In the present day, the Monastero Likir is well known for the large frescos and the images of various lamas. In the monastery, there are presently 120 Buddhists in residence, while 30 students of Buddhism are found occupying the school inside the monastery. The school is run by Central Institute of Buddhist Studies. A famous festival is presently organised where dance and offerings are common and it goes by the name of Dosmochey, which is held specifically in the 12th month of Tibetan Calendar, on the 27th till the 29th day. This monastery is presently headed by the Ngari Rinpoche, who is the younger brother of Dalai Lama, who visits the places regularly during important pujas.
Architecture
There are two assembly halls in the monastery, Dukhangs, one of which is located at the central courtyard, where seats for the students are kept with a throne of Head Lama of Likir. Inside the dukhangs are a number of bodhistavas, sculptures of Sakyamuni, Maitreya and Tsong Khapa and various other revered religious leaders. In the courtyard is a large Jupiter tree, which is one of its kinds. Thangka paintings adorn the walls of the courtyard and there are glass fronted book cases with plenty of religious scriptures. This monastery is well known for the large collections of scriptures, old manuscripts, old costumes and earthen pots. On the roof of the monastery is a large statue of Maitreya, who is considered to be the Buddha statue. A newer Dukhang has been constructed, near to the entrance of the courtyard, which is about 200 years old, having a statue of Avalokitesvara, which has 11 heads and 1000 arms. Inside this Dukhag also, there are plenty of books inside the bookcases. On reaching the courtyard, one can see the Head Lama’s room and the Gonkhang room, where the guardian divinities are housed. Besides the architecture of the monastery, there are other structures as residential quarters, kitchen, etc. Over the years, there have been renovations in the monasteries, giving a present location for a fortified structure.
Monastero Likir is more like a fort monastery, because from the period 15th century, there were struggles for land control and strategic locations by the neighbouring areas. To provide protection from attacks, these were converted into fort like structures, with the actually monastery buildings built inside the forts.
Festivals
Throughout the year, there are some functions which are constantly going on in the monastery complex. Mostly processions by the residing monks are taken out from behind the main temple and open court behind the stupa. After passing through different areas of the monastery, the process reaches the main temple building. During these festivals, there is usually a large gathering.
Getting There
The Monastero Likir is located in Ladakh, which is situated about 52 kms from Leh, towards the western side. From village of Saspol, it is about 9.5 kms. This is accessible towards north from the Srinagar and Leh Highway. Since roads are the most common means of transportation, tourists can arrive in Monastero Likir through private cars and jeeps, which will have to manoeuvre their ways through undulating roads.
Photo Gallery
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