Ladakh – Himachal Pradesh
Ladakh, a vast region of arid tracts and bare mountain ridges, lies to the east of the Kashmir Valley at a height of 9,000 to 18,000 feet above the sea leve. It is bounded by Sinkiang, Tibet and Gilgit, now under occupation of Pakstan. Leh, the district headquarters of Ladaks, is now linked with Srinagar by a well metalled road (434 Kilometres) which passed through the Zozi-la pass and the Fotela pass, at a height of 13,400 feet. Leh is also linked by air with Delhi, Sringar and Chandigarh. Buddhism seems to have entered this forbidden land before the beginning of the Chostian era and has been a living religion there through the ages.
Today, the whole of Ladakh is dotted with monasteries, known as gompas or the monasteries at or around Leh. The most important ones are: the Lakhang monastery at Leh; Sankar gompa, just 3 kilometres from Leh; Hemis gompa, the largest and the most sacred monastery of the Red Order founded by Padmasambhava in AD. 8th century, 45 kilometres from Leh, on the Ladakh-Tibet road and Thiksey and Shey gompas, on the way to Hemis gompa. The monastery of Lama-Yuru, 96 kilometres from Leh on the leh-Kargil Road, contains a 16 th century statue of Avalokititevara with eleven heads and thousand hands. The Alchi monastery, beyond Lama-Yuru, and about 10 kilometres off the highway, has beautiful paintings on its walls of the period from AD. 9th century to AD. 12th century.
Other important monasteries in Ladakh are: Likir, Spituk, Nimaun, Skara, Phoing, Stagna, Rizong, Chimre, Mathoo and Sakte.
Today, the whole of Ladakh is dotted with monasteries, known as gompas or the monasteries at or around Leh. The most important ones are: the Lakhang monastery at Leh; Sankar gompa, just 3 kilometres from Leh; Hemis gompa, the largest and the most sacred monastery of the Red Order founded by Padmasambhava in AD. 8th century, 45 kilometres from Leh, on the Ladakh-Tibet road and Thiksey and Shey gompas, on the way to Hemis gompa. The monastery of Lama-Yuru, 96 kilometres from Leh on the leh-Kargil Road, contains a 16 th century statue of Avalokititevara with eleven heads and thousand hands. The Alchi monastery, beyond Lama-Yuru, and about 10 kilometres off the highway, has beautiful paintings on its walls of the period from AD. 9th century to AD. 12th century.
Other important monasteries in Ladakh are: Likir, Spituk, Nimaun, Skara, Phoing, Stagna, Rizong, Chimre, Mathoo and Sakte.