Buddhist Gompas

Shey Gompa
Shey palace was built in 1645 by Deldon Namgyal as a summer residence for the kings of Ladakh. It is the oldest palace in Ladakh and above the palace is an even older ruined fortress. From the palace one can get the views of the ranges in the south to the Thiksey gompa and in the west to the Zanskar moutain ranges. Hundreds of chortens of all shapes and sizes stand below the palace and gompa. These chortens demonstrate the interest taken by the Ladakhi kings and queens who succeeded Shey's builder. In 1655, in memory of his father, this same king built the two-storey Shey gompa adjacent to the palace. In this gompa he installed a two-storey high image of the seated Buddha. Presently, there are only two caretaker lamas in residence. After entering the central courtyard located on the second storey of the gompa, a large seated Buddha is found in the room to one's right. The seated Buddha is 12 meters high and worked of copper sheets gilded with gold. This Buddha is the biggest metal statue in the region and was the largest Buddha statue of any type in Ladakh until Thiksey gompa installed a 15 meter tall Buddha made of clay in 1970.

Shey's Buddha statue was made in 1655 by a Nepalese sculptor who was assisted by three Ladakhi craftsmen. The castings of the statue were made in Leh while copper was collected in Zanskar and hammered into plates on big rocks. More than five kilos of gold were then used to plate the copper. The statue was built in parts in the Zanstil Palace (Zans means copper and til means "to hammer") in Leh and then transported to Shey where it was assembled and installed. Sacrificial offerings such as grain, jewels, holy signs and mantras are contained inside the figure.
The most important moment in the construction of the Buddha figure is when the eyes are painted on, for this is the moment when the statue can "see". For this reason, the artist or monk will paint in a Buddha's pupils over his shoulder, with his back to the idol, for none would dare to look the Buddha in the eye. The upper storey contains munerous murals on the walls. When facing the Buddha, the wall on the left is painted black and decorated with skulls. The wallson both sides depict the 16 Arhats (Worthy Ones who have achieved Nirvana), 8 on each side. The wall behind the Buddha has images of his two chief disciples, Sariputra and Maudgalyayana of Padme Sambhava, an 8th century Indian translator of Buddhist texts into Tibetan and Tsong-kha-pa, founder of the yellow-hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism. To the right of the Buddha are statues of Padme Sambhava in the center, Dogzang Guru Limbune on either side and two chortens. Directly in front of the Buddha, to the right, is a statue of a blue horseman, Paldon Lamo and to the left is a statue of the red horseman of Chakmen, representing the king of Ladakh. Also in front of the Buddha is a large bowl of wax with a central flame that burns for one year before being replaced. This flame represents divinity and purity and is present in front of all Buddha statues in the Ladakh region. The lower storey of the gompa has a large library of old books. The walls are painted with murals of Buddha figures with the various hand gestures - that of preaching, teaching, blessing and "earth witness".

Spituk Gompa
Spituk gompa was built about 550 years ago by Gyalpo Bumide, although one temple, dedicated to Mahakala was built about 900 years ago. The Spitok is probably derived from the Central Tibetan language and means "Effective as an Example", referring to the fact that this was the Tibetans' first monastery in Ladakh. Spituk gompa contains both old temples and those built in the 1970s. Ancient thankas are preserved here, some having been taken from the Potala Palace and Lhasa after the Chinese invaded. Some 125 yellow-hat sect lamas are considered Spituk lamas, but at least half of them live and pray at Spitok's dependent monasteries at Sankar, Stok and Sabu. All the lamas gather together for a major festival. The head lama of Spituk is also the head Lama for Ladakh and represents Ladakh has been India's serving ambassador to Mongolia and was also a member of Parliament. After ascending and descending several flights of stair, one is in the main courtyard. It is here that Spitok's main festival, the Spitok Gurstor, is celebrated in mid-winter. Masked dances take place here, ending with the sacrificial destruction of a cake. Hence, the festival is known as the Spitok Festival of the Sacrifice of the 29th Day. The festival takes place on the 28th and 29th days of the 11th month of the Tibetan calendar. The monastery also has a statue of Kali whose face is covered throughout the year but displayed to the public for one day during the festival. Steep steps leading from the main courtyard lead to the Dukhang or main temple. The walls both inside and outside the entryway have pictures of fierce protecting deities. Inside the Dukhang are five rows of low seats for the lamas and a high throne at the far end, reserved for the Dalai Lama, although he has only made one visit here since leaving Tibet in 1959. Behind the throne are manifestations of Lord Buddha. On both side walls of the Dukhang are Buddhist canonical texts.

Beside the central throne are doors leading to a low dark chapel behind. In a central position are images of Tsong-kha-pa, founder of the yellow-hat sect of Buddhism and his two chief disciples as well as an image of the Buddha. On the left is an image of Tara the Saviouress and consort of Avalokitesvara, and on the right are statues of previous head lamas. From the main courtyard one can reach another smaller courtyard that is in front of the Chikhang temple, another assembly hall similar to the Dukhang. This temple was built around 1960 and contains beautiful murals on all the walls. The room is dominated by a statue of Sakyamuni, the Historical Buddha. To the right is a statue of the 11 headed Avalokitesvara, the "Lord of All He Surveys" and analogous to the Hindu god Shiva. A small room behind the Buddha statue is dedicated to a guardian divinity whose image remains covered all year, except for one day during Spituk's winter festival. The new Chokhang temple is several levels above the Dukhang courtyard. It is here that funeral ceremonies take place. The central large statue is of Sakyamuni. To the left of the Buddha is a statue of Padme Sambhava, an 8th century Indian Buddhist scholar who translated the Buddhist texts into Tibetan from their original languages of Pali and Sanskrit. To the right is a statue of the goddess Tara. The temple also contains many exquisite thankas, some quite new. Diagonally opposite the Chokhang and on the same level is a small temple called Dolma Lokhang which is devoted to Tara (Dolma in Ladakh). In this temple are 21 beautiful statues of Tara, representing her different forms. The gilded clay figure on a horse represents the King of Ladakh, Shukdan. Next to the temple is the head lama's private apartment.

The largest temple, standing above the other temples near the crest of the rocks is the Gonkhang. Although another name for this temple is Kali Mata, the temple is not dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali, but rather to Mahakala, the fiercest Buddhist guardian divinity. Together with the image of Mahakala are the images of other fierce guardians: the "Six-Armed One"a form of Mahakala, the White Guardian, the Brother and Sister, Khyitra on his dog and the Goddess on her horse. The last one is derived from the Hindu goddess Kali who entered the Buddhist pantheon of gods in a minor capacity. The images of Mahakala and the six-armed form of Mahakala are carved from black stone and are very old. In order to clearly see the images in this dimly lit temple, it is necessary to bring a very strong flashlight.