Lamayuru Gompa

Lamayuru Gompa, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Built in the 10th Century by two practitioners of Tantric Buddhism it is located in the most fantastic geological folds and schist's rock surroundings and popularly called MOONSCAPE and it certainly looks like an alien planet..
Lamayuru also marks the meeting place of the Great Himalayan Wall & of the East Karakorum Ranges.

I've been through Lamayaru 5 times now but have never once seen the light or the color of the landscape remain same.. It is always different but never fails to makes you gasp in awe each time you pass through or decide to stay...
The gompa itself has been undergoing renovations for the last 2 years and now is restored completely
It is located in between Bodhkharbu and Kha-la-che, on a steep rock mountain. It lies at a distance of approximately 127 km to the west of Leh town. Lamayuru Monastery belongs to the Red-Hat sect of Buddhism and houses approximately 150 Buddhist monks. The monastery is made up of a number of shrines and also has a very rich collection of thankas and magnificent wall paintings. At the outset, the Lamayuru Monastery consisted of five buildings, out of which only the central one exists today.

Every year the Lamayuru Gompa plays host a masked dance, which takes place on the 17th and 18th day of the 5th month of Tibetan lunar calendar. The monks from the monasteries of the nearby areas also come to take part in the celebrations. There is an interesting legend associated with the Lamayuru Gompa of Leh Ladakh. It is said that the Lamayuru Valley used to be a clear lake, at the time of Sakhyamuni (the Historical Buddha). And, Nags (holy serpents) used to reside in the lake.

Bodhisattva Madhyantaka had once a prediction quite a long time back that the lake would eventually be dried, making way for the construction of a Buddhist monastery. The legend moves further to state that Mahasiddhacharya Naropa, an 11th century Indian Buddhist scholar, sat in meditation for a number of years in one of the caves in Dukhang. He was the one who caused a crack in the hillside surrounding the lake.

Through this crack, the lake started draining. When the lake dried out, the scholar found a dead lion lying inside it. On the same spot, where he found the tiger, he constructed the first temple of the area, known as the Singhe Ghang (Lion Mound). Another legend has it that the building of Lamayuru Monastery was constructed, as per the instructions of King of Ladakh, under the direction of Rinchen Zangpo, the Translator. After this, the monastery came under the administration of the Zhwa-mar-pa (Red Hats).

Later, Dharmaraja Jamyang Namgial offered the monastery to Chosje Danma. And this led to the observance of the rituals of the Digung Kargyud School, with the monastery being renamed as Yungdrung Tharpaling. Today, the Lamayuru Monastery is served by the successive reincarnations of Skyabsje Toldan Rinpoche.

Riders Of The Storm

Riders Of The Storm (Duststorm), originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

A sudden dust storm sends both riders and spectators packing from the Polo Ground.

Shiva

Om Namah Shivaye!!, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Shiva portrayed as the Mahayogi meditating, A statue in Rishikesh, the gateway to the "DEVBHUMI : The Land of the Gods" where amidst the soaring mountains of Garhwal & Kumoani Himal he is supposed to reside..

Frank Smythe in his now famous book : THE VALLEY OF FLOWERS quotes and old Indian sage who wrote:

Not in a hundred ages of the gods I could not tell thee of all the glories of the Himalaya where Shiva lived and where the Ganga falls from the foot of Vishnu like the slender thread of the lotus flower.

Bhagirathi - I (6512 mtrs)

Bhagirathi - I (6512 mtrs), originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Bhagirathi I is the farthest peak of the Bhagirathi Sisters group one of the many mountains which make up the Gangotri Group. Though many attempts and routes are tried on the formidable & difficult West Buttress of Bhagirathi III (The rib of the buttress can be seen in these 2 shots), Bhagirathi I has received scant attention.

Routes & Main Ascents:

It was only in 1990 that a Japanese Expedition using nearly 2000 mtrs of rope made the first ascent via its Southeast Ridge.

A small team of Alpinists from Britain made a fine Alpine Style ascent in 1983 via its West Ridge, which gave them some excellent granite but tricky snow climbing. Martin Moran , Charlie Heard & John Mothersdale made the summit in a fine effort without roping up the mountain or fancy ironmongery.. But sadly during the descent Heard fell to his death.
Since then there have been other attempts amongst them some Indian Teams.

Goecha peak (6127 mtrs) at Night

Goecha peak (6127 mtrs) at Night, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Goecha Peak (6127 metres) below the towering East Ridge of Kangchenjunga is about a 1000 m higher than the Goecha La Pass.. As of 2001 under the Places of Worship Act the Sikkim Government classified it as a Buddhist Sacred Peak along with
Kanchenjunga (main, south and west summits), Fork Peak, Gabur Gangtsen (Kabur Dome and north and south summits) Mt. Pandim, Paunhari,&; Simvu, Sinochlu, Narsingh and no expeditions are allowed to climb it now.