Buddhist Gompas

The most attractive feature of the landscape of India are the Buddhist gompas. These aesthetically pleasing and architecturally interesting gompas provide the focus for the faith of the highly religious Buddhist people. They are the places of worship, isolated meditation and religious instructions for the young. Beautiful paintings of the Buddha, Boddhisatvas, Dishapals, Dharmchakras and Mandals adorn the walls and the inner chambers of these exclusive gompas.

Basgo Gompa	Chemre Gompa	Hemis Gompa
Lamayuru Gompa	Likir Gompa	Matho Gompa
Phyang Gompa	Sankar Gompa	Shey Gompa
Spituk Gompa	Stakna Gompa	Stok Gompa
Tak Thok Gompa	Thiksey Gompa

Stakna Gompa
Stakna meaning "Tiger's Nose" is built some 500 years ago on the summit of a high rock in the middle of the Indus Valley. This is a small monastery housing some 35 lamas o f the red-hat sect of Buddhism. Although small, it has several sister monasteries, including three in the Zanskar valley. The gompa consists of the head lama's private apartment, a Dukhang (main temple and assembly hall) and the rooms of the lamas and their attendants. Entering the central courtyard, one sees a small stuffed Lhasa Apso, the favorite pet of the previous head lama. Directly ahead and up a flight of steps is the Dukhang or main assembly hall, which contains a silver gilted chorten, seven feet high, erected by the present head lama in the 1950s. The chorten contains a statue of the Buddha and various Buddhist texts. On the left wall and beginning on the left are three new paintings: the Tsephakmad (a Buddhist deity), Sakyamni (the Historical Buddha) and Smchi (the Medical Buddha). On the wall facing the entrance of the Dukhang are three more new paintings. Again, starting from the left, the paintings depict a Bodhisattva, Padme Sambhava, the 8th century Indian Buddhist scholar and translator of Buddhist texts into Tibetan and Tshong-san-gompo, am early king of Tibet.

On the right of the Dukhang are three statues: of the Past (Sakyamuni, Present anhd Future Maitreya Buddhas. On either side are Buddhist canonical volumes. In the center on the left side of the Dukhang is the head lama's throne. In the room behind the Dukhang on the right side is a large statue of the lama founder of Stakna, Zaptung Nawangial, who was from Bhutan. He is flanked by statues of other head lamas of Stakna. In the room behind the Dukhang on the left, a wooden cupboard contains a large standing figure of Dorje Phakma, a Bodhisattva, beside eight Sashan Gyat (the 8 positions of Buddha). On the right is a small central statue of Avalokitesvara (analogous to the Hindu god Shiva and easily recognizable by his eleven heads and one thousand arms).
On the next level up are the head lama's private apartments, newly decorated in colorful Tibetan style. There are numerous small statues of Buddhist deities and historical personages in the glass fronted cupboards. The library room connected to the apartments is one of the most beautiful in Ladakh. Colorfully painted, it contains a gilded statue of the previous Rimpoche of Stakna.

Stok Gompa
Stok gompa is a subsidiary of Spituk and both were founded by the same lama, Nawang Lotus, during the reign of King Takpa Bumbde. The oldest parts of the gompa are some 550 years old though the main Dukhang is only about fifty years old. Stok belongs to the yellow-hat sect of Buddhism and has about 20 lamas living there.Entering the central courtyard with its tall prayer flag pole, the main Dukhang is up a short flight of steps. The entrance verandah has new and colorful mural paintings of the Guardians of the Four Directions. Inside, the Dukhang has been recently repainted and the room is decorated with numerous banners and thankas. The entrance wall on either side of the door depicts various guardian dividities. On the left side wall the central image is of Vajrapani (Vajra-in-Hand), while the image on the left is that of Avalokitesvara (also known as the "Lord of All He Surveys", believed to be reincarnated in the Dalai Lama and the throneto the right is for the head lama of Stok.

On the right is an impressive image of Yamadhaka, a guardian divinity. There is a small chapel behind the Dukhang, entered through doors by the side of the throne seats. This chapel is the oldest part of the gompa. Its central image is of Tsong-kha-pa, the founder of the yellow-hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism. To the right of this two-storey high image are three small statues: a yellow-hat lama and two of Sakyamuni. To the left of the central image is another yellow-hat lama, Avalokitesvara in his four-armed manifestation and Maityreya, the Future Buddha or Buddha of Compassion. By the wall on the right is an image of the founder, Nawang Lotus.

Leave the Dukhang and go immediately to the right through a low door. On the right is a small chapel with a row of Buddha images that depict the eight hand gestures of Buddha. Unfortunately, the Buddhas are covered with cloth so most of the gestures are not visible. Masks used during Stok's January festival are seen hanging from the pillars in this room. Leaving this chapel, go up the stairs in front of it for two flight of steps, emerging on a small upper courtyard. Straight across the courtyard area is a door leading to the head lama's apartment. This room is decorated with several thankas but is mostly notable for the intricate woodcarving on the two low tables in front of the seat. A door on the left side of the courtyard opens onto the gompa's library. This room has a complete set of the Kandshur, the 108 volumes of the Buddha's teachings. The central image in this library is of Sakyamuni (the Historical Buddha). Return to the main courtyard and to the left of the Dukhang is a new temple dedicated to Avalokitesvara. This temple has a new and large image of Avalokitesvara with his 1,000 arms (to demonstrate his enormous strength) and 11 heads. On either side of this image are numerous small stucco images of lamas and Buddas.