Jammu & Kashmir Thiksey Monastery
Thiksey Monastery is one of the very famous monasteries in the region of Ladakh in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated about 18 kms from the city of Leh, the capital of Ladakh, which is considered to be little Tibet, because of the large Tibetan influence in the region. This monastery is also one of the famous Tibetan monasteries in India, which is having a picturesque surrounding as it is situated above 3600 mts on a rocky hill and the beautiful Indus river flows alongside this hill. Various mountain ranges and the beautiful Indus Valley can be visualised while walking towards the monastery on the steep hill. Thiksey Monastery belongs to the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism and is well known for the architecture and its Buddhist paintings as well as many Thangkas and holy scriptures. Due to the scenic landscapes and the beautiful monastery, a number of movies and shootings have been done. It is also known as Mini Potala, in accordance with the similarity to the Potala Palace in Lhasa.
History
Lots of interesting tales surround the formation of the Thiksey monastery. In the 15th century beginning, the Gelupga school of Buddhism founder, Tsongkhapa sent some of this followers to different regions around Tibet to establish Buddhism. Sherab Sangpo was one of them, who was given a gift for the king of Ladakh, who encouraged the building of a monastery in the north side of Indus River. In 1433, a small monastery named Lhakhang Serpo was set up in the village of Stagmo. Then in the later part of 15th century, Palden Sangpo, the student of Sherab Sangpo continued his efforts to popularise Buddhism. During one of the rituals, he along with a disciple were about to throw down a ritual cake into the Indus river, when crows flew in and snatched the cake and then went away. In their search to find the cake, they came to the other side of the hill near River Indus and found the cake to be placed over a rock in a neat condition. Finding this as an auspicious sign, they established the present day Thiksey monastery in the region in a huge proportion by support of the king of Ladakh. Gradually, the monastery grew in fame and had administrative control over many other monasteries on this side of the Indus valley. After many years, there were some destruction of the monastery and its maintenance was taken up by Archeological Survey of India. there were plenty of restoration works, with granite in place of stone and mud.
Architecture
Thiksey Monastery architecture is the largest of its kinds in the entire district of Ladakh. It is built in a very unique manner with quarters starting from the base and ascending about 12 stories up, with hierarchical occupancy of the floors, the topmost being the official residence of the chief lama. The color of the walls of the monastery is in white, ochre and red and there are about 60 monks residing in the monastery. There are a number of nunneries inside the complex. It has been built in the patterns of fort monastery and from most of the places, there are views of the Indus Valley.
A remarkable feature of this monastery is the 14 feet high statue of Maitreya Buddha, with golden painted face and blue eyes in the standing position, going away from the usual sitting position. It took four years for master craftsmen from Ladakh to build this statue.
Assembly hall in the Thiksey monastery is also quite well known. On entering into the assembly hall, one can find the murals of Bhavha Chakra and Tibetan Calendar. The primary prayer hall has lots of handwritten as well as painted books. These are famous Buddhist scriptures which date back to many centuries. There is also an image of the 11 headed Avalokiteswara and padmasambhava. In the centre of the assembly halls, there are a few seats, the centre one being for the Dalai Lama. In this main hall, there are also images and murals of various deities. About 225 volumes of Kangyur are stored inside the main hall, wrapped in silk.
Tara Temple is another important attraction inside the monastery complex. It is dedicated to Goddess Tara or kali and 21 images of the goddess are also placed inside cased made of glass. Various guardian deities of the monastery, considered to be the protectors are placed in a red building by the side of the assembly hall. Lamokhang temple is situated in the top most floor of the monastery, where the scriptures like Kangyur and Stangyur are preserved. This is an importance place of teaching also, where only men are allowed. A number of nunneries can also be found in this monastery.
Festivals
There is an annual festival by the name of Gustor Festival in the Thiksey Monastery, which is celebrated in the Tibetan Calendar ninth month, which is held from 17th to the 19th day. This is usually in the months of October or November. It is marked by Cham Dance or Masked Dance as well as a trade fair, which is conducted at the base of the monastery. Lots of people from all over the region of Leh and surrounding villages set up shops and barter and trade and socialize. Morning prayers in the monastery are festivals in themselves because of the huge attendance from the nearby villages. Due to the proximity to the city of Leh, people usually arrive here from the city in the morning and drive back in the night. But in the modern day scenario, a number of restaurants, hotels, scenic beautiful structures have come up for the large number of tourists arriving to look at the beautiful landscapes and enjoy the monastery peace and architecture.
Getting There
Thiksey Monastery is situated about 18 kms from the city of leh, which can be travelled by bus or taxi. Leh is possible to be reached from Delhi or nearby north Indian airports as Leh is the highest airport in the country, although with less number of flights. Taking a road trip from hill stations like Manali is also possible but only from May till October, after which it is filled up with snow.
Photo Gallery