Spiti - Ladakh with Phyang Festival (2009): July 08 to 28 July

08 July: Reach Delhi
Reach Reach Delhi from your place and on arrival you will be welcomed by our office representative and further he will take you to hotel Le Meridian or similar (5 star deluxe hotels) by air conditioned car.

09 July: Delhi - Nalagarh
Morning we will escort you to railway station which is about 10 minutes drive from the hotel and you board the fastest and comfortable train Shatawdi Express to Chandigarh. The train departs at 0740 in the morning and takes 03 hours and 10 minutes to cover the journey of 290 Kms. Snacks and tea/coffee is served on board and you meet with your tour guide at Chandigarh railway station around 1100 hours. The new ac Toyota Qualis jeeps will be waiting for you and by 1130 you start driving towards Chandigarh city. This city is designed by French architecture, Le Corbusier and is the capital of two federal governments of Punjab and Haryana. A visit to Rock garden, Sukhna lake and government buildings is all set for you and you can have your lunch between 1330-1400 hours at a lake side restaurant after visiting Rock garden. After lunch you visit government houses and drive towards Pinjore Mughal Gardens which is on the way to Nalagarh Fort. We reach Nalagarh around 1700 hours; check in to the fort resort- a real heritage site in Himalayas. The resort has a good swimming pool and peaceful surroundings to spend a beautiful evening.

10 July: Nalagarh - Manali
You are here for full day and our effort is to take you to some important places of Manali which might include Tibetan Monastery, Lahoul Monastery, Chidyali monastery, Hadimba Temple (Hadimba is the devil turned into goddess and now she is the most powerful goddess of valley) She is about 5000 years old and Kullu Dushera only starts once she reaches there walking 42 Kms from Manali. Our prime attraction of the day will be one village which still has more than 20 houses of 100 to 200 years old. The architecture fascinates one simply when he watches the Himalayan house which has everything in itself like cattle house, honey bees, weaving machines, storage for wood, storage for oil, spinning, grinding of wheat and rice and the living rooms and guest rooms. Further we will show you the traditional costumes of Kullu people and the day will be closed either at Naggar Castle or the local market. Lunch has two options; one is at restaurant or second is at village house- the locally cooked food.

11 July: Manali
You are here for full day and our effort is to take you to some important places of Manali which might include Tibetan Monastery, Lahoul Monastery, Chidyali monastery, Hadimba Temple (Hadimba is the devil turned into goddess and now she is the most powerful goddess of valley) She is about 5000 years old and Kullu Dushera only starts once she reaches there walking 42 Kms from Manali. Our prime attraction of the day will be one village which still has more than 20 houses of 100 to 200 years old. The architecture fascinates one simply when he watches the Himalayan house which has everything in itself like cattle house, honey bees, weaving machines, storage for wood, storage for oil, spinning, grinding of wheat and rice and the living rooms and guest rooms. Further we will show you the traditional costumes of Kullu people and the day will be closed either at Naggar Castle or the local market. Lunch has two options; one is at restaurant or second is at village house- the locally cooked food.

12 July: Manali - Batal
Morning after heavy breakfast we will start driving towards Batal. It is 120 Kms from Manali over Rohtang Pass (13500 feet). We will start at 1000 hours and on the way we will stop at Kothi village, this is the last village of Kullu valley towards Lahoul- the forbidden land of Tribal people. We will reach Rohtang Top at 1300 hours and then will start driving down into Lahoul valley. The views at the top are majestic and once you gradually start getting down in Lahoul valley, the landscape changes at the same pace. The snow caped mountain ranges, high peaks, calmly flowing glorious Chandra River, narrow and silent roads, barren shining mountains, small terraced fields with no people working and rarely you can see any local man or women with almost covered faces to save it with cold winds. Altogether you find yourself in a different world. Around 1500 hours we reach Chatru (36 Kms short to Batal) where Mr. Lal Singh will serve you a hot cup of butter tea. He belongs to my village (Trekker's Village- Shaminala) and for last 15 years he is running a seasonal Dhaba here. Further road is little less maintained with good bumps so we drive slow and get good chance to peep out the extremely high peaks, Bara Shigri Glacier (biggest glaciers of Asia) and good views. We reach Batal around 1700 hours and check in to our first camp. Batal is just at the lap of Majestic Kunzam Pass. It is a quite campsite with good winds sometimes and apart from one tea shop, there is hardly anything. Camp on wheels: This is purely our creation where we have combined luxury in mobile camping. We are the pioneer in India who designed tents for jeep safaris which offer good size rooms, cots, comfortable beds, quilts, blankets, decorated inside, luggage racks, and toilets with running hot water showers, western style commodes and good range of toiletries. Besides this a good camp team is our main strength that serves you a delicious food at camps and takes care of all your needs.

13 July: Batal - Pin Valley
Morning will have its own beauty. Tea, walks, solitude, meditation, photography, painting all is open for you. The camp manager will help you in taking your luggage out from your tents and then his team will start packing up. Now they will meet you at Guling in Pin valley. At 0830 you drive 11 Kms up through hairpin bends and reach Kunzam Pass (4550 meters) it is beautiful in deed with colorful chortens and prayer flags. You can visit the temple of goddess Kunzam too but you need to make a clockwise parikarma of this. 13 Kms of Batal is the moon lake- Chandertal, which can be explored some other time when you come for trekking in Himalayas. From the top of pass further 09 Kms is the second side base and then the jeeps take you towards Losar village through Takche. The mountains at this place change colors with the movement of sun and some flat portions of river bed gives you the feel of sandy beach in mountains. At 1200 hours we can reach Losar and then will reach Kaza by 1500 hours. Kaza is the headquarter of Spiti with a small market. We leave Kaza at 1530 and reach camp at around 1700 hours in Pin Valley. Pin is the green belt of Spiti and is popular for its 800 years old Kungri Monastery and snow leopards. The place is the beginning of trekking to Kafnu in Kinnaur and Pulga in Manikaran Valley of Kullu. A cultural program by local villagers can be organized optionally. We visit the monastery in the evening before we check in to our camp.

14 July: Pin Valley - Kaza
Let us show you few most important monasteries and civilization of Spiti today. Spiti is the land of Buddhism and it has seen lot of changes too in the past. Padamsambhava and Rinchen Zangpo has contributed the maximum to this religion and Spiti has the remarkable memories of both ages. We will try to let you know maximum about the Buddhism in Trans Himalayas too during the tour. Most of our escorts are Buddhists and they do belong to Spiti, Lahoul and Ladakh who have good knowledge of their religion and history. Dankhar Monastery, Lalung Monastery, Tabo Monastery, Kee Monastery and Kibber- the highest village are few monuments for the day where a calm religion speaks itself through age old Thankas and paintings. We stay at hotel Sakya Abode in Kaza.

15 July: Kaza - Keylong
This long day needs little early start from Kaza at about 0700 hours. We take the same route and reach Chatru at 1300 hours, good time to have something fresh at Lal Singh's place. At 1400 hours we can leave Chatru and reach Koksar at 1500 hours. Here we have to register ourselves and vehicles which will take 10 minutes to one jeep including its passengers. Tour leaders are requested to keep ready one copy of naming list with all passports so minimum time can be spent here. Now we are in Lahoul Valley which is famous for hardworking people, potato, green peas, highest per capita income and complete literacy. The place is unique in its religious practices where in one house Lord Buddha and Lord Shiva are equally worshiped. But at the same time this entire region is rarely explored and the rich history, culture and monuments are still untouched. At 1630 we reach at Gondhla Fort which is the only fort of Lahoul and we can take pictures of it. Time may not allow seeing it from inside and if it allows, you are always welcome. This village is dominated (old days) by Thakurs (the rulers of region) and the keys of fort lie with one of them. The village also has the house of Gulepas. We continue our journey towards Keylong but still we have something to see, the Tandi- where Chandra and Bhaga rivers meet with each other and further flows to Pakistan. The confluence is really eye catching and further 6 Kms is Keylong. We reach at Keylong by 1800 hours where Mr. Tashi (the owner of hotel Tashi Delek) will be found waiting for you.

16 July: Keylong - Sarchu
We can afford a late start. Morning after breakfast we can walk up to Kardang Monastery and then drive towards Sarchu. The highly revered Kardang Gompa is five Kms from Keylong and has a large library of Buddhist Kangyur and Tangyur scriptures. It is believed to be built in 12th century. Kardang village was once the capital of Lahoul. Kardang is the largest Gompa popular throughout the region. It was in ruins up till 1912 when 'Lama Norbu' of Kardang renovated it. With colorful frescoes and murals, it has an enormous prayer drum containing strips of paper upon which the sacred mantra 'Om Mani Padme Hum' is inscribed a million times. Nuns and Lamas enjoy equality. Lamas can marry and generally they stay with their families during summer and work in fields only to return in winter. The store here has large collection of musical instruments, dresses, Thankas and other articles. Clay images of various Buddhist lamas can be seen arranged in almirahs. We leave the Gompa and back in our jeeps at 1100 hours and drive for our day's destination. On the way we can stop at Jespa village and if possible can meet the Tibetan Lady Doctors who runs a small hospital with Tibetan Medicines here. It is 25 Kms from Keylong and after 5 Kms we reach Darcha, the last village on road towards Sarchu. From here we can start trek to Padum and Lamayaro. The Indian Government is constructing a road from here to Nimu in Ladakh over Shingo La pass. Once it is ready it would be the shortest road to Leh with only one high pass, Shingo La. We need to deposit one copy of group's naming list here and register again ourselves. We can have fresh but simple lunch here in any of way side Dhaba and leave Darcha at 1300 hours. Further is Patseo Ground- the place which used to be the meeting place of ancient traders till 1966. History sleeps here and with out disturbing it we start gradually climbing the Baralacha La Pass. Just before the pas we see a huge lake Suraj Tal which is the origin of Bhaga River. The zig zag road takes us up to Baralacha La which has witnessed the kings moving towards Spiti and Lahoul ages back both for marriages and aggressive reasons. You can still find the old trek routes and finally we climb down to Sarchu by around 1800 hours, we check into our camp- Camp Sarchu Heights.

Camp Sarchu Heights: This is the first luxurious resort on world's highest motorable roads set by Adventure India. You will have Swiss cottages here with separate restaurant of 30 covers, attached toilets and hot water showers. and hot water showers.

From Baralacha and Sarchu there are many trekking routes commence to Spiti and to Zanskar. Sarchu is based at a flat ground which gets good winds during morning hours. The altitude is 3900 meters and it is the final stop in Himachal on the way to Ladakh.

17 July: Sarchu to Tsokar:
Morning we leave the camp at 0800 hours and drive to Tsokar - the meaning of Tsokar is Salt lake. The drive after Sarchu is extremely different where we see the shining high mountain peaks of different colors, barren areas and it takes us to another high pass Lachung La of 5056 meters. After few Kms of Sarchu we reach Brandy Nallah and ahead of it, start the region of Gata lopes. There are 21 hairpin road bends and we will find trucks loaded and awaiting a second breadth. The road from the top of the Gata lopes till Lachung la pass is generally mettaled with a few unmetalled tracks in between. We proceed further to the Double humped Pass called Lachung La (5060M) where your escort will serve you a hot bowl of soup in the running vehicle. From here it is all down hill with un metalled road and scree rocks till we hit Pang (4630m). You will see some awe-inspiring scenery today. Pang is located in a gorge like feature with habitation of army cantonment and some tent offering meals, tea and beds. Ascend uphill to proceed further & we get out of the gorge of pang & than it is a drive into the plateau area of Morey Plains- a straight road of 45 Kms. Just short of Dibring, at Mangzul; we proceed on the southeastern axis and reach in the heart of famous Ruphsu valley known for Tso Kar and Tso Moriri. In olden times the salt lake was responsible for the supply of salt to the inhabited Ladakh valley. Our camp team will be waiting at Tsokar where we join them at about 1500 hours. Rest of the day is free to explore surroundings. Tsokar: It is 120 Kms from Sarchu and 76 Kms before Tsemoriri Lake. It has a small Gompa in the village of Thukse- a collection of solid stone huts set up for dramatic winters.

18 July: Tsokar to Tsemoriri Lake:
Morning Morning we drive for 04 hours covering 76 Kms, and reach one corner of Tsemoriri lake. The full day at Tsemoriri Lake. Despite its barrenness Rupshu's hills support a sparse population of wildlife, and the animal most likely to be spotted is the Kyang, the wild ass of the Ladakh and Tibetan plateau. More plentiful are marmots (ubiquitous to mountain slopes all over Ladakh), hares, and an unusual tail-less rat. The lakes are breeding grounds for numerous species of birds. Chief among them is the bar-headed goose, found in great numbers on the Tso-moriri, the great crested grebe, the Brahmini duck and the bar-headed gull. This beautiful lake is about 28 Kms long and 8 Kms wide and 4000 meters above sea level surrounded by barren hills and backed by snow covered mountains.
Karzok: This is the only settlement near the lake with one- storey stone buildings, many with a solar panel on the roof. The visit of 350 years old Karzok monastery which has about 33 resident monks is a wonderful event of the day. This monastery was built in around 1850 by Lama Kunga Lodos Sningbo; replacing one was destroyed in a Dogra Invasion. The original name of the monastery was Thupstan Sningpo Druprgout Standar Chosling. The monastery mainly has the statues of Sakyamuni Buddha, Guru Snangsret Zilnon, statue of first incarnation of Stagsang Nawang Gyatso and copper guilt statue is there to see. The beautiful building down by the lakeshore is the house of Lama. At the entrance of the village is the check post where you have to show your permits.
Permits: To enter in this region, you need to obtain restricted area permits which are made in Leh. We advise you to kindly send us your passport size photographs (04 copies), Xerox copies of passport and visa well in advance. Our seasonal office in Leh will make these permits or you and drop at our camp Sarchu Heights, once you reach at Sarchu, you can collect the same from Camp manager.

19 July: Tsemoriri - Leh
The drive from Tsemoriri to Leh is amazingly wonderful, the changing colors of mountains, the small villages which come after hours on your way, the fascinating Ladakhi landscape which most of the times would not allow you to close your eyes to relax in the jeep. The distance is good enough so we start early in the morning at 0800. For this we need to get up at 0700 hours and after breakfast we will leave for Leh. Till Puga Sumdo, we take the same route and from here we turn to Mahe after crossing the bridge. Sumdo is the small village and Mahe Gompa was restricted to visit few years back. Here we need to show our permits again and then we take a remarkably good road along the River Indus. Now the drive simply moves on the banks of Indus River till Upshi. We stop at Chumathang for tea and snacks and start further drive. Before Kyungnyam we open our lunch boxes and enjoy the food at about 1400 hours at a picturesque spot. We reach Kyungnyam at 1500 hours and reach Upshi by 1650 hours through Liktsey. We spend few minutes here and then drive towards Karu where we are on Manali Leh highway which takes us to Leh- the magnificent hill town. Though it is a long distance but most of the drive has good roads and more of it I believe that the scenery would never let you feel the distance.

20 July: Full day at Phyang Festival

21 July: Full day at Phyang Festival and evening drive to Leh Phyang Festival:
Phyang Monastery, 17km. west of Leh is remarkably built on the hilltop, similar to the Likir monastery. This monastery belongs to the Degungpa Order. It was the first monastery, which introduced the Degungpa teaching of 'Skyob Jigsten Gonbo' in Ladakh that was founded by Chosje Danma Kunga, during the reign of King Jamyang Namgyal in the 16th Century A.D. It has about 50 monks in residence. Phyang also has a festival called 'Phyang Tseruk' on the 2nd & 3rd of the 6th month of Tibetan Calendar. Phyang Tsedup takes place in July / August. Like other monasteries, monks wearing colorful brocade robes and Mask in the form of different god and goddesses perform mask dances. The huge Thanka of Skyoba Giksten Gonbo is hung in the courtyard during the festival.

22 July: Leh - Uletopko
The distance from Leh to Uletopko is just 68 Kms and so we have liberty to little relax and start at 0900 hours after breakfast. On the way we visit Likir, Chulichen nunnery and Rizong monasteries. The route gives us the nice view of Zanskar and Indus River confluence. We reach Likir Gompa at about 1100 hours and can spend one hour here.

Likir Gompa is situated on an isolated ridge a few Kms north to Saspol which is on our way. Likir was established around the 15th century and early in its history, became responsible for the oversight of Alchi Gompa, to which it has posted lamas up to the present day. Likir belongs to the yellow-hat sect and currently houses about 120 lamas. There is a school too inside of the Gompa with 30-40 students who learn Buddhism with languages like Hindi and English and spend most of time in the monastery if they become lamas.
Once we climb up to monastery, it is a wonderful sight indeed, we reach into the central courtyard and immediately on the right is the main Dukhang or assembly hall. On the right veranda wall is a Wheel of Life mandala held by Yama- the divinity that decides a person's future fate after death.

Chulichen nunnery/Gompa
This Gompa is in fact a nunnery, and it's located about 2 kilometers before Rizong gompa. The nuns here are really friendly - they will show you their gompa and invited you for tea, I guess not for the large groups this tea can be generally offered. All over the monastery you may find apricots laid out under the sun to dry, while in other parts they have stocked almonds which they pressed to obtain massage oil.

Rizong gompa is located on the left bank of the Indus River, about 75 kilometers west of Leh. To get there take the right turn after Uletopko. This gompa was built in the 19th century by Tsulrim Nyima, a monk from nearby Saspol. There's a chorten with his ashes somewhere in the monastery. About 50 Gelugpa monks live in the complex, and they are very friendly - if you can, ask them to see their kitchen: it's truly spectacular - a jump back in time.

Special attraction of the day:
We delightedly wish if you spend 1-2 hours of this evening with one Buddhist monk at Uletopko this day who will describe the various important features of Buddhism and you are welcome to interact with him. But we need to know your interest much in advance so the good level master can be approached in time. It can be taken as optional because the availability of the Lama is very important.

23 July: Uletopko to Lamayaro and back Uletopko:
The day will start at 0900 hours after the breakfast; we don't need to pack up as we will be coming back to same rooms in the evening. Only the day sac is required including your camera and film rolls. The drive from our resort to Lamayaro is 55 Kms and same distance we drive back in the evening. We reach Lamayaro at 1130 hours and explore a land with wonderful monastery and civilization.

Lamayaro Monastery:
The Gompa is situated 15 Kms east of the FOTU LA on the Srinagar- Leh highway in a medieval village at rocky hillside. The monastery belongs to red-hat sect of Buddhism and in past it housed for about 400 lamas. Presently there are about 50 lamas in the main Gompa and rest perform their duties in various other monasteries of same line but in nearby villages.

There is an interesting legend about this monastery according to which, at the time of Sakyamuni- The historic Buddha, Lamayaro was a clear lake area with NAGS -the holy serpents which lie in the neck of Lord Shiva. It was foretold that the lake will disappear one day and a monastery will come up in its place. In 11th century NAROPA -renowned Indian Buddhist scholar reached here and started meditating near the Lake in a cave which still can be seen in the Dukhang. Naropa then found a split in the surrounding hillside and the lake started getting empty through this opening. In the empty place Naropa found a dead lion and afterwards at the same place he built the first temple -the SINGHE GHANG. (Lion mound)

There is one another story saying that in 1oth century, King of Ladakh ordered making of Lamayaro and asked Rinchen Zangpo for its supervision. In 16th century when the King of that period Jimyang Namgyal, was cured by a Lama from Tibet, he presented the Lamayaro Gompa as a gesture of gratitude to this Lama and ordered not to collect any tax from this area. Surrounding area of the monastery was declared as sanctuary where none could be arrested. That's the reason Lamayaro is also known as "Tharpa Ling- the place of freedom."

In the wall on the right side of the Dukhang is a small cave known as Naropa's cave, where he is supposed to have meditated for several years. This cave contains a statue of Naropa as well as statues of Marpa (Naropa's student who became a translator of religious texts and famous poet) and Mila Re-pa (Marpa's student and a spiritual head of the red-hat sect of Buddhism, famous for his asceticism). After spending the day at Lamayaro including our lunch time, we turn back to Uletopko and check in back to our resort by 1800 hours.

24 July: Uletopko - Leh via Alchi:
The drive from Uletopko to Leh is now familiar to you, only we take a diversion to Alchi Monastery which is a new route. The distance increases only by 20 Kms with both sides from diversion to and from Alchi. We start at 1000 hours and reach Alchi at 1045 as it is only 12 Kms from our resort. Alchi monastery is one of the oldest and most amazing site in the history of Buddhism; let's know here few things about it and rest you explore with our guides in Ladakh.

The place Alchi is one of the larger villages in Lower Ladakh and is located on the southern bank of the River Indus at an altitude of 3,250 meters and from Leh it is 70 Kms of distance. Consisting of four separate hamlets, the village contains numerous historic monuments of different ages and in various states of repair, the oldest and most famous of which is a monastic compound today under the jurisdiction of Likir monastery. It is this complex which the term 'Alchi monastery' refers to. The monastic compound (chos-'khor) of Alchi accommodates some of the most fascinating Buddhist monuments in the Himalayas.

Alchi monastery: Of the legendary 108 monasteries made by King Yeshe and Rinchen Zangpo during the second diffusion of Buddhism, the best preserved is Alchi in Ladakh. The three-storeyed temple of Alchi is a classic Kashmiri structure, which was made by Kashmiri artists who were invited there. Alchi is an oasis of beauty and colour in the midst of the vast and barren landscape of Ladakh. Inside the temple, the worshipper stands close to the grand statues of the Bodhisattvas that are over 14 feet tall. The dhoti of the Avalokitesvara statue has some of the most gorgeous paintings.

We see here the only surviving visual representations of the culture and architecture of ancient Kashmir. These paintings are especially valuable, as the paintings of Kashmir of that period have been lost. The walls of Alchi are resplendent with figures made in the most luminous colours painted anywhere. It speaks for the development of the ancient techniques and materials that these colours still appear fresh, a thousand years after they were painted.

One of the masterpieces of the Alchi paintings is the Green Tara. We are reminded of Ajanta in the manner of shading with a gradual lightening and deepening of colour, which creates a sense of volume and roundedness of form. The painting also follows pan-Indian medieval norms of art, such as the protruding farther eye, which extends beyond the line of the face. This is a convention in Indian painting, which is seen particularly in the Jain paintings of Western India.

We take our lunch at Alchi and drive back completely mesmerized with the history and present of Alchi Monastery and reach Leh around 1600 hours. Plenty of time to have a round in the local market for necessary things.

25 July: Leh
This day we start little early so we can reach Thikse Monastery and join the Lamas in Morning Prayer. The exact time of this prayer will be informed to you on previous evening. This monastery lies on a hill top and provokes the memories of Potala in Lhasa, though it is very small in comparison.

Thikse Monastery:

This Gompa was built some 600 years ago and consists of 12 levels ascending a hillside, culminating in an Incarnate Lama's private apartments at the summit. The Gompa contains 10 temples; below the monastery itself are chapels and "houses" of monks stretching down the hillside. There are about 100 monks of the yellow-hat sect of Buddhism living here.

A 15 meters tall Buddha was constructed in 1970 to commemorate a visit to Thikse by the Dalai Lama. This statue is the largest Buddha figure in Ladakh and took four years to construct. It is made of clay and covered with gold paint. Inside, the statue is filled with holy books; the translated word of Buddha, called the Kangyur and the translated commentary compiled by the religious teacher Bu-Stun (1290-1364 AD), called the Tangyur - a 225-volume commentary on the Kangyur . The statue was made entirely by local craftsmen and represents Maitreya, ("compassion" in Sanskrit) - the Buddha of the Future. It is believed that the world will be undergoing such chaos that the Future Buddha will teach compassion to the people. Located directly above is a small narrow room used as a schoolroom for local boys. Here the lamas instruct the children and some are later selected to become lamas. Traditionally, Ladakhi families donated one son to become a lama. The wheel of life unfolds the reality of life in wonderful manor.

There are many hand-written or painted books inside the Gompa. Recent editions are done by block printing, as was previously done in Tibet. This procedure is still used for printing the holy books. Wooden painting plates are made for each page and pressed by hand. Older and more important editions are not printed with black ink on white paper, as is usual, but with gold ink on black lacquered paper which is then decorated with Buddha figures.

Shey palace & Gompa :

The palace was built in 1645 by King Deldan Namgyal as a summer residence for the kings of Ladakh. It is the oldest palace in Ladakh and above the palace is an even older ruined fortress. From the palace the view ranges in the south to the Thikse Gompa and in the west to the Zanskar range. Hundreds of chortens of all shapes and sizes stand below the palace and Gompa. These chortens demonstrate the interest taken in Shey by the Ladakhi kings and queens who succeeded Shey's builder.

In 1655, in memory of his father, this same king built the two-storey Gompa adjacent to the palace. He installed a two-storey high image of the seated Buddha. After entering the central courtyard located on the second storey of the Gompa, the 12-meter high image of the Buddha is found in the room to one's right. The Buddha is worked of copper sheets gilded with gold. This is the biggest metal statue in the region and was the largest Buddha statue of any type in Ladakh until Thikse installed a 15-meter tall Buddha made of clay in 1970.

Shey's Buddha statue was made in 1655 by a Nepalese sculptor who was assisted by three Ladakhi craftsmen. The castings of the statue were made in Leh while the statue's copper was collected in Zanskar and hammered into plates on big rocks. More than five kilos of gold were then used to plate the copper. The statue was built in parts in the Zanstil Palace ("Zans" means copper and "til" means to hammer) in Leh and then transported to Shey where it was assembled and installed. Sacrificial offerings such as grain or jewels, holy signs and mantras are contained inside the figure. The most important moment in the construction of the Buddha figure is when the eyes are painted on, for this is the moment when the statue can "see". For this reason, the artist or monk will paint in a Buddha's pupils over his shoulder, with his back to the idol, for none would dare to look the Buddha in the eye.

In front of the statue of Buddha, to the right, is a statue of a blue horseman, Paldan Lamo and to the left is a statue of the red horseman of Chakmen, representing the king of Ladakh. Also in front of the Buddha is a large bowl of wax with a central flame that burns for one year before being replaced. This flame represents divinity and purity and is present in front of all Buddha statues in the Ladakh region.

26 July : Leh
This day is also devoted to exploring few of the best sites in Leh region. We start at 0900 after breakfast from our hotel and lead to Spituk- a 550 years old Gompa at the distance of 15 Kms from the main Leh bazaar.

Spituk Gompa:

This Gompa was built about 550 years ago by Gyalpo Bumlde, although one temple, dedicated to Mahakala was built about 900 years ago. Spitok Gompa contains both old temples and those built in the 1970s. Ancient Thankhas are preserved here, some having been taken from the Potala Palace and Lhasa after the Chinese invaded.

The Gompa also has a statue of Kali whose face is covered all year but displayed to the public for one day during Spitok's festival. Some 125 yellow-hat sect lamas are considered Spitok lamas, but at least half of them live and pray at Spitok's dependent Gompas at Sankar, Stok and Sabu. All the lamas gather at Spitok in midwinter, on the 28th and 29th days of the 11th month of the Tibetan calendar for a major festival - the Spitok Gurstor , - when masked dances take place, ending with the sacrificial destruction of a cake.

The name Spitok is probably derived from the Central Tibetan language and means "Effective as an Example", referring to the fact that this was the Tibetans' first monastery in Ladakh. The head lama of Spitok is also the head Lama for Ladakh and represents Ladakh as a Member of Parliament, spending much of his time in Delhi.

Stok:

We after lunch (at Leh) move towards Stok and reach there by 1400 hours. Stok is 14 Kms south-east of Leh and we turn from Choglamsar. Stok is the place where presently the royal family of Ladakh resides. The 03 days popular trek to Spitok and 08 days trek to Markha valley starts from here. Stok palace and museum was built in the year 1825 by King Tsespal Tondup Namgyal, after the Zorawar's annexation of Ladakh. The royal family resides here since Ladakh was lost to Zorawar Singh. At present you can see the royal dresses and King's crown in this palace. Gurphuk Gompa which is a branch of Spituk Gompa is little away from the palace which can be visited this afternoon.

We turn back to Leh by 1600 hour and spend the evening around market. The visit to oracle show, having a cultural evening with local dancers or visiting a local house for dinner and local wine will be subject to fix on your arrival in Leh after the discussion. If you show interest in these, we are there to organize for you.

27 July: Leh to Delhi fly
Morning drive to airport and then fly to Delhi. The flight reaches Delhi in the morning and by 0900 hours you will be outside of the airport. We request you to kindly make your air booking much in advance- as early as possible through us but even of it you can be requested by the aircraft staff to change your first flight to second or vice versa. On arrival at Delhi airport, we will meet you and take you to your hotel where you can relax for few hours and then take taxis to any part of Delhi of your interest. I on the behalf of our new office in Delhi must suggest you not to call taxi from your hotel which will be extremely costly but give a ring to us so we can send our cars for you. The telephone number of our office will be there with your tour leader. If needed, a guide too can be provided for half days tour in Delhi. Before your late departure from the hotel we would love to offer you few farewell cocktails in the hotels restaurant. Kindly do join us and visit India again. We will drop you to the airport and wish you a happy journey.

28 July: Reach home and tell other about your trip to Lahoul, Spiti and Ladakh.

Note for visitors to monasteries (Ladakh only)

The monasteries of Ladakh are the fountainhead of Buddhist religion and culture. They are also the repositories of the region's centuries old artistic and cultural heritage. Visitors are advised to respect their sanctity and appreciate their heritage importance. Shoes may have to be removed before entering some of the temples, (we will supply you the socks covers in the hotel itself) while ladies are not allowed to enter the Gon-Khang sometimes. But the ladies will be highly welcomed in the local houses till kitchens. Smoking is anathema to the monastic atmosphere, while loud action and improper dress may disturb the tranquil ambience characteristic of such places of worship.

Most of the region's principal monasteries are open throughout the day and a caretaker lama is there to show visitors around. Some of the less visited establishments have special opening hours as in the case of the Namgyal Tsemo, Shey Palace etc. Check the timings in the Tourist Office before proceeding to these places. Also, most monasteries charge a small entrance fee.

Group Price for the tour: 1140 USD per person
Single room supplement: 530 USD
Airfare supplement Leh- Delhi: as per the fare on date of booking.

 Price includes:

• All arrival/ departure transfer from/to airports/railway stations
• 3 star/ hotels with BF
• Camps with all meals
• Entrance charges
• English speaking guides
• AC transportation as per the itinerary
• All mentioned sight seeing
• Applicable permits

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