I am finding it very difficult to write in a single post about Ladakh. It is a land blessed with immense natural and spiritual beauty. So to make my job easier and in doing so spend more time with the topic, I have decided to break this journey into a series of articles.
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| Lamayuru |
On the third day of our trip, driving back to Leh after a night stay at Alchi, we made a detour to Lamayuru. This is a small Tibetan Buddhist monastery situated on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh road in the western part of Ladakh region. It is located at an altitude of about 3,510 meters.
As our car made our way into the vicinity of the Gompa the place seemed "touristy" but I had a feeling I was in for something special. A lot of building material was scattered around the narrow roads leading to the monastery. "Oye, that way", pointed a monk with a prayer wheel in his hand.
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| Murals on the Wall |
I made my way up the stairs leading to the entrance of the courtyard. It was decorated with the colourful mural about stories in Buddhism. The legend goes that a 11th century Buddhist scholar, Naropa, came to Lamayuru to meditate in a cave. The valley used to be a lake filled with snakes at that time.
Naropa drained the lakes using his mystical powers and build the first temple. Maybe Naropa had come here to create a place where monks can meditate with minimal interference from the outside world. However in this 21st century Lamayuru is well connected by the Srinagar-Leh highway.
Despite the influx of tourists in the region, I found Lamayuru to be quite pristine. There was still a bit of magic left in the place for souls looking for serenity. I could hear the chanting of mantra from inside the temple. It was prayer time for the few monks who are residents of the monastery.
The tourists began to softly settle around the sides of the Dukhang with their cameras. I too made my way in with feelings of veneration and "touristy" curiosity tussling inside my mind. I decided to sit down and watch as the monks recited mantras and artfully played the musical instruments.
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| Inside the Temple |
A head monk was presiding over the whole ceremony, seated slightly higher than the rest with bright yellow clothes enshrouding his old body. A stream of sunlight lit the brightly coloured draping that adorned the temple. At the center I could make out a framed picture of the 14th Dalai Lama in His youth.
The sound of monks chanting in bass voices and intermittent sound of musical instruments created an atmosphere of peace and humility. As I watched the monks I realized it was generous of them to let us "outsiders" take a peek into their lives of abstinence from materialism and indulgence into the spiritualism.
The lack of modern technology was turning into a boon. Suddenly the prayer ended and I found myself staring at the cave where Naropa meditated (of course I realized it later with a monk's help). I made my way further inside the temple where an old statue of Avalokitesvara stood in all its ancient glory.
As I came outside I ran into a monk who had just finished speaking to a group of western tourists. I couldn't stop from asking if he could tell me something about this place. "Hindi or English", I inquired. "Any way", he replied in a perfect accent. Thus began a ten minute long conversation with a monk.
He told us about the story of Naropa and how he built this monastery. He spoke about how everything in this world essentially has a good and a bad part to it. If only we can take the goodness and say a "kind" goodbye to the bad we would be happy.
He pointed out how tourists from all around the world visit this place for tranquility. Some of them go around hiking and trekking in Lamayuru, arduously climbing mountains. Dead-tired at the end of the day, they go in a deep peaceful sleep. "They mistake that for peace", the monk said with a slight smile on his face.
"Where are you from?” asked the now the piqued monk. "Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh", was my reply (I'm a regular software professional, guilty!). "Oh, you know Buddhism has a deep connection with the state", replied the monk. It was a strange surprise to know about this Andhra connection!
He told about the Indian sage Nagarjuna, although born in a Brahmin family in southern India, he is considered one of the most important Buddhist saints who expounded the teachings of Buddha. So little is known about him but most of the reference put him somewhere in the Andhra/Vidarbha region.
The ancient Buddhist village of Nagarjunakonda used to be where Nagarjuna Sagar Dam now exists. The creation of dam submerged the village and historical artifacts were discovered during the construction of the dam. A modern facility of Nagarjuna University exists where a Buddhist university perhaps existed in ancient times.
Ancient Tibetan scriptures tell a story about a boy born in Brahmin family with a prophecy to die at the age of seven. His parents sent him to a Buddhist monastery where he became a monk. Nagarjuna lived for decades and wrote some of the most important pieces of literature. He is referred in the autobiography of Dalai Lama as well.
Dalai Lama writes that his day begins with a recitation of a prayer of salutation written by the great Indian sage Nagarjuna. He further quotes a saying by Nagarjuna, "when you have an itch, you scratch yourself. But not having an itch at all is better than scratching yourself for a long time". (Quotes from Dalai Lama's autobiography)
I've lived in Hyderabad for over three years and never heard about this connection between two parts of India which are separated by not only hundreds of kilometers but seemingly different culture and language. India is a land of diversity, but may I add that the diversity is somehow magically connected!
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| Story of Lamayuru |
"Now I'll excuse myself", said the monk as he shook hands with us. The simplicity and humility of the monk touched me. As I made my way out of the temple my eyes caught a monk with long hairs and beard. Someone later told me he has finished his three months, three days long trans-like meditation.
It was almost time to make our way back to Leh as well as cater to the need for food! Just outside the temple is a restaurant serving Indian, Tibetan and Chinese dishes. As I ate, the monks gathered outside for a break underneath a huge prayer wheel. I murmured, "Bye, Lamayuru".
While writing this post I have referred to the following books; The Wisdom of Nagarjuna - Dr Peter Santina, Nagarjuna's Madhyamaka - Jan Westerhoff, My Spiritual Autobiography - Dalai Lama and of course a lot of Google & Wikipedia.
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