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The geographical backbone of
Central Ladakh, the Indus Valley,
particularly from Upshi down to Khalatse, is also the region's
historic heartland. All the major sites connected with the
former kingdom's dynastic history are here, starting with Leh,
the capital city since the early 17th century when Sengge
Namgyal built its nine-storey palace. A few kilometers up the
Indus is Shey, the most ancient capital, with its palace and
temples, their vibrantly coloured murals cleaned and restored
in the mid 1980. Basgo, situated down the river and right on
the road and Tingmosgang, a short way up a side-valley, served
as capital cities when the country was temporarily divided
into two parts in the 15th century, and both have the remains
of forts and temples dating from the period of their brief
glory. Stok, just across the river from Leh, is the village
with which the deposed royal family was compensated for the
loss of its throne. Its palace houses a museum of artifacts
associated with the dynasty, and there is also a small Gompa.
Partly as a result of royal patronage, the central area of
Ladakh has the greatest concentration of major gompas. Of the
twelve situated on or near the Indus, the Lamayuru is believed
to have been a sacred site for the pre-Buddhist religion known
as Bon. Phyang, Hemis and Chemrey were all founded under the
direct partonage of members of the ruling Namgyal dynasty.
Phyang represents an act of penance by the 16th century King
Tashi Namgyal for the violence and treachery by which he
reached the throne. Hemis, together with Hanle near the
Tibetan border, was founded at the instance of King Sengge
Namgyal, and Chemrey by his widow as a posthumous act of merit
for him. Stakna, dating from a slightly earlier period, was
endowed by the Namgyal kings at various times. All these
belong to the red-hat Kar-gyut-pa sect of Tibetan monasticism.
The reformist Ge-lugs-pa (Yellow-hat) sect is also well
represented in central Ladakh by Thikse, Likir, Ridzong and
Spituk, the last of which has daughter houses at Stok, Sabu
and Sankar. Ridzong, the only gompa which is not yet
approachable by a motorable road, is situated a few kilometers
up a side-valley at Uley-Tokpo. It was founded only a century
and a quarter ago by a devout layman-turned-lama, with the
purpose of giving full expression to the strict monastic rule
of the Ge-lugs-pa. While the paintings and images in its
temples may, to some extent, lack the aesthetic and
antiquarian interest of those in the older establishments.
This gompa nevertheless has an indefinable atmosphere of peace
and dedication which reflects faithfully the inwardness of the
Buddhist Way.
The smaller but much older Bying-ma-pa and Saskya-pa monastic
sects are represented respectively by Tak-thok and Matho
gompas. Takthok, at the foot of the Chang-la, incorporates one
of the many caves in the Himalaya where the Indian Buddhist
apostle Padmasambhava is said to have rested and meditated on
his journey to Tibet. Matho Gompa has a slightly rundown
structure, but a vibrant religious community. It is famous for
its festival of the oracles which takes place early in the
year, usually in the first half of March.
But the jewel among central Lakakh's religious sites is Alchi.
Abandoned centuries ago as a place of regular worship, it has
been lovingly maintained by the monks of Likir, the nearest
functioning gompa. Known as Chos-kor, or religious enclave, it
comprises of five temples, the Du-khang (assembly hall) and
the three storey Sum-tsek. Its murals, paintings dating from
the 11th and 12th centuries, pre-date the Tibetan style of
painting that is present in all the other gompas. Some of them
are reminiscent of the paintings of the far-off Ajanta Caves
and are presumed to be almost the sole survivors (along with
some in Phugtal Gompa in Zanskar, and Tabo in Spiti) of the
Buddhist style current in Kashmir during the first millennium
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