MOOL RAJ
Ladakh Range is located at an elevation of 7,650 mts from mean sea level (MSL). Situated between, 76 Latitude and 35o Longitude, Ladakah is known as the ‘Roof of the world’. Himis Gumpa interlaces the most striking element in the snow-capped landscape. Its interiors are paradisiacal with exquisite, the most sizzling amidst the rocky landscape. Ladakh is a remote paradise that glimpses a mighty matrix of massif renowned the world over. It is a treasure trove of unique art and craftsmanship.
The people of Ladakh are having their matrix with untiring glee and dew-eyed appearance. Lamas are unambiguously still silent to outsiders and look into their vignette and native art and their objectives owing to some superstitions and affiliations best known to them. Geographically speaking, Jammu and Kashmir as a whole is virtually divided into four prominent zones.
The river Sindh gushes out from Lake Mansarovar and encompasses Nanga Parbat amidst the pride Himalayas surrounded by glittering glaciers. Ladakh region from the east and through high mountainous meanders down through various glaciers.
The river Indus is the longest in the entire Indian sub-continent having a length of around 2900 km out of which 970 km passes through the state. The rest passes through Pakistan and finally drains down into the Arabian Sea. Amongst the most striking objects of Ladakh is the ‘d’ art of ‘Hemis Gumpa’ the biggest Monastery of Ladakh, some 40 km away from ‘ Leh,’ alongside Leh Manali road where numberless golden statues of ‘Buddha’ and ‘Stupas’ embedded and studded with precious stones and pearls are lying. This monastery has twin routes of entrance to holy worship. The walls of the monastery have been decorated wonderfully with its unique paintings and that is why this monastery has an unutterable regard.
These paintings are of the most revered deity by the name “Bhavachakras” and are also called as wheel of life to whom they pay utmost obeisance and obtain blessings on all ritualistic occasions by all and sundry of Ladakh region. Amongst all these, the most enchanting paintings are of Bhava-Chakras (Wheel of Life). The wheel is held by a dragon- a demon having hideousness of clinging to life. The center of the wheel is having a monogram of cock, snake, and pig indicating thereby three virtuous sins of lust, anger, ignorance, and the dark side (half) of the circle boarding these symbols have the relevance of a dark down path which signifies that all the three images bring to the downside of life. The rim of the Bhava Chakra has five sections or segments indicative of five routes of existence of every individual’s life, whereas the lower half of the chakra signifies the gate of hell. The left region indicates all forms of misery and punishment, birth and death, young and old age reincarnation, etc. Whereas the outer circle is divided into as many as 12 parts indicating the sequence of events leading to every human’s life span in the chronicles of Buddhism.
So far as Hemis monastery is concerned, it was constructed some 450 years back and is home to the main image of the great ” Guru Pekargayapoh” who is believed to have come from ‘Lahsa’ some 540 years back. Apart from this mage, there are countless statues of Guru Namg Lehotrum Grolma, and the step of worship is deeply rootedly embedded with brass, precious stones, and pearls and is painted with protective deities of utmost prominence amongst Buddhists.
Some of the Buddhists have with the passage of time migrated to China on one hand and Paddar-Gulab garh (Kishtwar) on the other hand where there is a huge assemblage of the Buddhists and their Monasteries which can be most conveniently seen while waiting to Chandi Mata Ji at Machail during yatra in August every year. Alachi Monastery is another prominent one in Ladakh that is wondrous of fresco art. This monastery is situated around 75 km from Leh itself on the other side of Sindhu. In almost all monasteries, there is a whizmaleerie of objects ‘d’ which are de facto, small as well as large.
One is wonderstruck and bewildered upon having a glimpse of the wide-arrayed artistic wealth one can ever imagine in the Himalayas. The group of monasteries at Mulbect has their charming beauty. As a corollary, therefore, it is being concluded that pre-Buddhist hymns, such as ballads in praise of Kesar, the legendary hero are sung to the complement of music and dance during the Kesar festival. General Zorawar Singh, the prominent warrior is Legendry in Ladakhi folklore and he died during an expedition against Tibet. The Ladakhies still admire the general in their mind and heart and sing a song of Zorawar’s wife who accompanied him to Ladakh which reads: A Lama Can’t help taking his fee and a wolf cannot help eating lamb. The fire is in front of you, and the sun is in the distance. The poor friend near you is better than a relation far away.
The author is a regular columnist and freelance writer.