Touring the Monasteries

Spent all Thursday and half the day Friday touring some of the gompas (monasteries) in Laddhak, some of them built as early as in the 17th century. The majorities of the gompas follow Tibetan buddhism, the wall paintings involving a whole lot of symbols. It would have been great to have somebody explaining this whole new world to us.

In some of the monasteries the wall paintings were many hundred years old, in some of them, they were more recent. Nevertheless, they were very impressive & pretty colourful, featuring buddha & other 'images of buddha' as well as showing religious life.

Most of the monasteries are up in the mountains, so you really get some spectacular views. This morning we went to one gompa as early as 6.30 to view a puja (religious ceremony/ offering performed by the monks of the gompa). The chanting of the young and old monks sounded really mystical in the surroundings and the landscape.


Prayer wheels at Likkir gompa



View from Likkir gompa


Local women in traditional clothes, Lamayuru village


Wallpaintings at Hemis gompa