Himachal Pradesh Guru Ghantal Monastery
Guru Ghantal Monastery is a Buddhist establishment in Himachal Pradesh, situated in a small hill above Tunde village, in the district of Lahaul and Spiti. This Buddhist monastery has a speciality of having all wooden idols when all the other Gompas are equipped with only idols made of clay and mortar. The idols in the monastery include that of Guru Padma Sambhava and few other lamas like Brijeshwari Devi etc.
Buddhist Gompas are aesthetically well maintained places of worship for people with Buddhist faith, positioned in a serene atmosphere, with idols and images of divinity kept for Prayers and meditation. They are places for learning, awakening and reaching ecclesial achievements by constant efforts, continuous trials and approbations, which are established mostly in countries like Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and India. Gompas, also referred as lings, may also be stupas. They are constructed of varied designs according to region they are established, in some cases it can just be a hall for meditation.
Founded by
Guru GhantalBhuddistGompa was established by Padma Sambhava, before 800 years.
Padma Sambhava was a man wearing a tall elaborate hat and with eyes wide open always staring the space, who was Guru Rinpoche , the great 8th century sage of Vajrayana Buddhism. According to legend, this Rinpiche was a reincarnation of Lord Buddha blossomed as an eight year old child in the lotus flower of eight petals, beaming wisdom and insight in worldly matters, who was also considered a tantric in converting basic elements to great objects. He was the one who spread Buddhism in Bhutan.
This Monastery comes under the DrukpaKargyusect which belongs to Tibetan Buddhism, but its history precedes much before the formation of that sect. According to local tradition and also on the basis of some Tibetan terma texts, the site was associated with Padmasambhava, thisBuddhist establishment had existed even earlier than that. This theory is in vogue because of the fact that a copper goblet belonging to the 1st to 2nd century CE was found in this site in 1857 by one Major Hay, thereby giving a clue that Buddhist monks' cells must have inhabited a cave monastery here at that early time.
Description
The founder of the Monastery Padma Sambhava had installed a white marble head for Guru Ghantal, however, this piece is kept under lock and key, public not allowed to have access to it on security reasons. The Gompa has a Kali statue done in blackstone installed in the innermost chamber, which supports the claim that this venue was a Hindu temple once, like what it is with Triloknath temple in Udaipur.
Basically the workmanship of Guru Ghantal Monastery is excellent, with wall paintings here done in stone colours, however the maintenance part of the Gompa is slightly lacking because the caretakers give more focus on another Monastery at Tupchiling, because of convenience and proximity to those who attend to it.
Nearby Attractions
There are quite a few places to visit around Guru Ghantal monastery, which include
- Sha-shurGompa, which literally means blue pines and one can watch the blue pines surrounding the monastery, which was founded in 17th Century AD.
- Kardang Monastery, which is the biggest monastery in the area, this village being once the capital of Lahaul tehsil, with river Bhaga flowing above this village.
- TayulGompa, which houses the statue of Padma Sambhava, and also his Singhmukha and Vajravahimanifestations , besides an excellent library of Kangyur.
- Ghemur is another spot situated in 18 km from Keylong, where devil dance is conducted by lamas in the month of July.
How to Reach
Guru Ghantal Monastery can be reached by air by landing at Bhuntar airport and going to Lahaul from there by road. If one chooses rail as the mode of travel, then Shimla Railway Station and Pathankot Railway Station are the nearest ones.
Keylong has good road connections and a number of private bus operators run buses from Manali to Keylong in summers. Taxi services are also available for transport.
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