Ladakh is a land like no other. Bounded by two of
the world's mightiest mountain ranges, the Great Himalaya and the
Karakoram, it lies athwart two other, the Ladakh range and the Zanskar
range. Ladakh lies at altitudes ranging from about 9,000 feet (2750m)
at Kargil to 25,170 feet (7,672m) at Saser Kangri in the Karakoram.
Situated 45 kms East of Kargil on the road to Leh, Mulbek (3230 m) in an area
dominated by the Buddhists. It is situated along either banks of the Wakha River,
which originates. Many monuments of the early Buddhists era dot the landscape
and are accessible from the road.
Mulbek Chamba : The chief attraction of Mulbek is a 9 m high rock sculpture
in deep relief of Maitreya, the Future Buddha. Its excursion combines esoteric
Shaivite symbolism with early Buddhist art. Situated right on the highway, it
dates back to the period when Buddhists missionaries came travelling east of
the Himalayas.
Mulbek Gompa : Perched atop a rocky cliff, Mulbek Gompa (monastery) dominates
the valley. It is easy to see why in bygone times this site served as an outpost
to guard the caravan route. Like all Buddhists monasteries it is adorned by
frescoes and statues.
Shergol : Another picturesque village of the Wakha River valley, Shergol
is situated across the river, right of the Kargil-Leh road. The main attraction
is a cave monastery which is visible from a far as a white speck against the
vertically rising ochre hill from which it appears to hang out. Below this small
monastery is a larger Buddhist nunnery with about a dozen incumbents. The village
is accessible by the motorable road that branches off from the Kargil-Leh road,
about 5 km short of Mulbek. Shergol is a convenient base for an exciting 4-day
trek across the mountain range into the Suru valley. It is also the approach
base for visiting Urgyan-Dzong, a meditation retreat lying deep inside the mountains
surrounding the Wakha River valley.
Urgyan Dzong : This meditation retreat lies tucked away in an amazing
natural mountain fortress high up in Zanskar range. Concealed within is a circular
table land with a small monastic establishment at its centre. The surrounding
hillside reveals several caves where high-ranking Buddhists saints meditated
in seclusion. At least one such cave is associated with the visit of Padmasambhava,
the patron saint of Tibetan Buddhism. The main approach is to footpath laid
through the only gap available in the rocky ramparts.
Wakha Rgyal : Tucked away inside the picturesque upper part of the Wakha
Valley, upstreams of Mulbek, Rgyal gives the appearance of a medieval settlement
of cave dwellings transported in to the modern times with some improvements
and extensions. The houses, neatly white-washed and closely stacked, are dug
into the sheer face of a vertical cliff that rises high above the green valley
bottom. From a far the village looks like a colony of beehives hanging from
the ochre granite of the Cliffside.
Kargil, Ladakh Places of Interest
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