15 August - Leh Trip. 08 August - 16 August 2024.
The day being the 15th of August, we celebrated our Independence Day before starting the journey. A small function was organised on the terrace where we all gathered, sang the National Anthem and unfurled the National Flag.
The halt and the main landmarks en route: Mulbekh Maitreya Buddha and Mulbekh Monastery, Namikala Pass, Fatu La Pass, Lamayuru Monastery, MoonLand, Lunch Apple Orchard and lastly Gurudwara Patther Sahib.
Mulbekh Maitreya Buddha.It is the 30 ft high standing Maitreya Buddha rock sculpture of the “Future Buddha” aka Mulbekh Chamba that catches the attention of the passersby. This statue is believed to have been carved in the 1st century BC Kushan era. The temple walls are decorated with very beautiful paintings and tapestries of extremely vivid colours and great details.
Namikala Pass and Fatu La Pass :- NH 1 or Leh- Srinagar Highway, in the journey of 220 km from Leh to Kargil, it climbs and dips and climbs and dips, as is likely to happen in a road built in the Ladakh mountain ranges.
In the process, it passes through two passes. Namely, Namika Pass ( Namika La) and Fatu Pass( Fatu La). These passes are not as famous nor as high as Khardungla or Changla.
Nevertheless, the Border Road Organisation, in its own way, has celebrated conquering these passes by making them attractive and also making them rest cum photo shoot points.
Lamayuru Village, Lamayuru monastery is the main attraction here. It is one of the most intriguing places to visit for sure; being one of the oldest and largest monasteries in Ladakh, it has many stories and legends associated with it. Its history dates back to the 11th century, when a scholar named Mahasiddhacharya Naropa laid the foundation stone of this monastery. It is believed that his prayers caused the drying up of a lake that fed an entire village, and because the water receded, the place started to get moonlike craters. Originally, the monastery had five buildings, though now only the central building exists. Even after losing much of its valour, it still remains a favourite jaunt for photographers and inquisitive travellers. This monastery houses around 150 Buddhist monks, though there used to be more than 400 earlier.
Moon Land. Near Lamayuru. Lamayuru is known for its monastery, and for its “lunar” landscape – quaintly promoted as a “Moonscape” for tourists. The landscape is certainly incredible with its spectacularly odd geological formations. It looks totally alien to the surrounding landscape.
The Alchi Choskhor (sacred enclave) complex is one of the earliest temple complexes found in Ladakh. Built in 11 A.D. by Lotsava Rinchen Zangpo, the complex of brick houses called Lhakhangs (temples) are the Vairocana Lhakhang, the Sumtsek Lhakhang, the Lotsava Lhakhang, the Jamyang Lhakhang and the Lhakhang Soma. The Sumtsek Lhakhang and the Vairocana Lhakhang at Alchi were built by Rinchen Zangpo along with Tholing and Khojarnath in western Tibet.
Gurudwara Shri Pathar Sahib is located about 25 Kms short of Leh on the Srinagar - Leh National Highway. During his travel journey (1515 to 1518), Guru Nanak Dev Ji arrived here in 1517. After his spiritual discourse at Sumer mountain, Guru Nanak Dev Ji arrived here along the route of Nepal, Sikkim, Tibet, Yarkhand and Leh. A wicked demon was staying on the mountain overlooking this place. He used to trouble the local populace, kill and eat them. On hearing about the demon, Guru Nanak Dev Ji arrived here and started meditating on the riverbank. Seeing Guru Ji, the local populace was happy and relieved. However, the demon got angry and upset. The demon hatched a plan to kill Guru Nank Dev ji.
One day, while Guru Ji was offering his prayers, the demon rolled down a massive boulder towards him to kill him. The boulder miraculously turned soft like it was on touching Guru Ji. The rear body of Guru Ji sank softly into the boulder, and his prayers continued undisturbed. Thinking that Guru Ji was dead, the demon came down to the site. He was astounded to see that Guru Ji was perfectly alright. He got annoyed and kicked the boulder with his right foot, which also sank into the boulder. Seeing this, the demon regretted his action and realised that Guru Ji was a holy disciple of God. He fell at Guru Ji's feet and pleaded mercy for his evil deed. Guru Nanak Dev Ji opened his eyes and advised the demon to devote the rest of his life to the service of people. The demon followed the advice and lived happily ever after. After some time, Guru Ji left this place for Kashmir via Kargil.
All devotees can see the Holy boulder inside the Gurudwara Complex.
After this, it was back to our Leh Hotel.
- 212 km
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