Inside Story - Tso Moriri and its legends

Here is my inside story mutilated by the hindu today...I would recommend that you dont read it in the papers, but  here

If you ever meet a  group of tourists, travelers, backpackers and photographers who have just returned from Ladakh, try asking them the question � � So which lake did you like  - Pangong Tso or Tso Moriri ? � You would have probably touched upon one of the most high voltage debates ever. As decibels level rise , you realize that that these two high altitude lakes in Ladakh  have loyal fan clubs .

I visited Tso Moriri towards the last leg of my Ladakh tour after camping a night out at Pangong Tso. I was so overwhelmed by the raving reviews from friends that I decided to leave Leh rather early in the day . It started raining just as we left. .Following the Indus and her course upstream, this was my first brush with the rains in the mountains and suddenly, the Ladakh that I knew - the cold, dry desert was transformed into a green plateau.

We  were in Changthang plateau , high up above 14000 feet, in the land of the nomadic Chungpas, who brave these harsh terrains, moving settlements , finding temporary shelters, travelling around with their yaks and goats, extracting salt from lakes and exchanging salt and pashmina wool for food . Their settlements were scattered around the pastures ; we saw a few yaks and goats grazing, while a few boys looked on. 

Dorjee ,my driver spoke to a few of them who offered to show us around the rebo or the tents made of yak skin. They would probably leave when the summer ends and follow their age old trails, trying to sustain their lives and livelihoods.

However Dorjee said that some of them are now living in permanent structures, and their lifestyles have changed.  �They even have bank accounts madam, � he exclaimed as we reached Korzok at 15000 feet near Tsomoriri. A remote village with about fifty houses and a 300 year old monastery, I caught it amidst the flurry of the tourist season. The monastery was getting ready for its festival as a few lamas were practicing their cham dance without masks or costumes though. Dorjee explained that the festival largely interpreted the victory of good over evil and the establishment of Buddhism in Ladakh. The legend goes back to the 9th century when a Buddhist monk killed king Lang dar ma who tried to uproot Buddhism in the region.

Dorjee was in a mood for more legends. But the lake was calling. Locals revered it as a sacred gift of the living planet. The azure waters sparkled liked a sea of emerald as the colours shifted from an indigo blue to sea green . The mountains formed a formidable backdrop, as the peaks  glistened with a coat of ice and snow.  

The waters seemed placid , but they had a tragic tale to tell. A young girl from Korzok , Tsomo was herding her yaks ,when one of them ran into the lake . Tsomo rushed towards the lake, yelling � Ri Ri Ri �calling out to the yak. But as she stepped on to the ice, the waters swallowed both of them .

A sudden sand storm blew over us as we stood on the banks of the lake ,listening to the folklore. Dorjee threw a few pebbles into the lake as we watched the circles of ripples . The sun was setting and the temperature suddenly dropped and it well below 0*C . Dorjee laughed as we quivered in our jackets , � This is summer madam, but wait for a couple of months, it will be - 30 *C . .� I walked to our tent and flapped the covers down . 

Months later, as I reminisce my Ladakh diary  , here is my verdict on the lakes . Personally I feel that they are incomparable and yes,  Tsomoriri is beautiful but my favourite will always be Pangong Tso .


Coming up soon - the experience of camping at Pangong Tso 

Inside Story - Shey

Standing amidst the countless chortens or stupas that are scattered around Shey, I heard a foreign tourist narrate a story to her reluctant daughter, who was refusing to climb up the steps leading to the ruined palace of the Ladakhi kings.

And that�s where I heard about the Epic of king Gesar or Kesar as Ladakhis refer to the legendary Tibetan hero sent by the Gods to defeat demons. The mythical gLing ruled by Kesar could possibly be Shey, the capital of the ancient Ladakh kingdom. Even today there are a few artistes around Ladakh and Tibet who can sing their own versions of the 1000 year old ballad.

Located about 14 kms from Leh, Shey ,situated at a height of 11000 feet is now a small village on the banks of the Indus. Tourists flock by here to see the ancient fortifications, palace and the monastery that houses an imposing idol of Sakyamuni, the form of Buddha worshipped by the Sakya clan of saints.

Glittering in copper and gilded gold, this is one of the largest statues in Ladakh built by the king Senggee Namgyal. The lama here tells us that four craftsmen were specially brought from Nepal by Gyal Katun,the king�s mother to create this deity here . �As they had married locally, they were not allowed entry into Nepal, and so even today, their descendants live in a small village called Chiling ,� he says.

The sun is merciless and I collect my breath after having climbed the hillock where the monastery is housed. A row of prayer wheels, mani walls and chortens fill the landscape as I look down .Several dynasties have ruled Shey besides the mythical hero Kesar and his descendants. However historically, Ladakh came under Tibetan rule around the 10th century when Nyima Gon , established his empire here and built probably a few chortens in Shey.

It is ironic, said the lama I was chatting with ,that Tibet itself was in a turmoil after Nyima Gon�s grandfather, king Lang Darma was murdered by a seer for apparently persecuting Buddhists .

The flags flutter in the breeze while the shutterbugs are busy taking pictures of the valley below. I am told the monastery here was built much later by the Namgyal rulers. The lama tells me that somewhere in the middle of 16th century, Ladakh was a divided kingdom ruled from both Shey and Basgo. The king from Basgo , Bhagan deposed the Shey ruler and titled himself Namgyal or Victorious. It was during this dynasty�s reign that power slowly shifted from Shey to Leh, with a palace being built in Leh. And like any erstwhile capital, town, Shey slowly lost its strategic significance .

�When the Nangyals finally lost power to the Kashmir kings and to Mughals, Shey was abandoned .� There was a ring of finality in his tone .I see the tourists rotating the prayer wheel as they climb up. Shey is now just another must see in their sightseeing list .

Published in my column, Inside Story in the Metro Plus, The Hindu

A morning in Shimla

 

 

 

 

 

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A morning in Ladakh

We were doing the monastery circuit on the outskirts of Leh and the views of the mountains are unparalleled.There is beauty in the barrenness , a sense of timelessness about them.


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A good start

Its a great feeling to start a new year and here is wishing all my readers a happy new year. Ive just been caught up in some niggling health issues and in a flurry of activities, but I believe 2010 will be a dramatic year of sorts. I have no clue where it will take me, but am sure I will get somewhere. Join me as we go on this unplanned trip together..hope you would enjoy it as well

Say it with flowers - Happy Deepavali

" I cannot see what flowers are at my feet,
Nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs..."

- John Keats

Wish you all a very Happy Deepavali. Enjoy the beauty of these Himalayan flowers which filled the landscape with a lot of colour and cheer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colours of dawn at Mashobra

The Himalayas beckon..

I am off to Leh-Ladakh for about ten days. Its been rather chaotic planning and finalising the itinerary and finally with the help of Satya and Arun, Sharath and I are leaving in a couple of days..I will see you all in some time..do have a great week.