A
Priceless Himalayan Heritage
Art historians rave about the site because its earliest murals are
the finest surviving examples of a style that flourished in
Kashmir during the "Second Spreading". Barely a handful of the
monasteries founded during this era escaped the Muslim
depredations of the fourteenth century. Of them all, Alchi is the
most impressive, the least remote and the only place where one
doesn't need a special permit to visit. Nestled beside a bend in
the milky blue river Indus, amid some dramatic scenery, it's also
a serene spot and the perfect place to break a long journey to or
from the Ladakhi capital.
The Chos-khor consists of five separate temples, various
residential buildings and a scattering of large Chortens,
surrounded by a mud and stonewall and a curtain of tall poplar
trees. If one is pushed for time, concentrate on the two oldest
buildings, the Du-khang and the Sumtsek, both in the middle of the
enclosure. Entrance tickets are issued by a caretaker lama from
nearby Likkir Gompa, who will unlock the doors for the visitors.
To make the most of the paintings vibrant colours, one will need a
strong flashlight; but don't use a camera flash as it will damage
the murals, last restored in the 16th century.
The Du-Khang
An
inscription records that Alchi's oldest structure, the Du-Khang,
was erected late in the 11th century by Kaldan Shesrab, a graduate
of the now ruined Nyarma Gompa near Tikse, itself founded by the
"Great Translator" Rinchen Zangpo. Approached via a walled
courtyard and a path that runs under a hollow Chorten, the square
temple's wooden doorway is richly carved with meditating
Bodhisattvas.
Once one's eyes adjust to the gloom inside, check out the niche in
the rear wall where Vairocana, the "Buddha Resplendent", is
flanked by the four main Buddha manifestations that appear all
over Alchi's temple walls, always presented in their associated
colours: Akshobya ("Unshakable"; Blue), Ratnasambhava (""Jewel
Born"; Yellow), Amitabha ("Boundless Radiance"; Red) and
Amoghasiddhi ("Unfailing Success"; Green). The other walls are
decorated with six elaborate Mandalas, interspersed with intricate
friezes.
The Sumtsek
Standing to the left of the Du-khang, the Sumtsek is Alchi's most
celebrated temple, and the highest achievement of early medieval
Indian Buddhist art. Its woodcarvings and paintings, dominated by
rich reds and blues, are almost as fresh and vibrant today as they
were 900 years ago, when the squat triple storeyed structure was
built. The resident lama leads visitors under a delicate wooden
façade to the interior of the shrine, shrouded in a womb like
darkness broken only by flickering butter lamps. Scan the walls
with a flashlight and you'll see why scholars have filled volumes
on this chamber alone. Surrounded by a swirling mass of 'Mandalas',
Buddhas, Demi Gods and sundry other celestials, a colossal statue
of Maitreya, the Buddha-to-come, fills a niche on the ground
floor, his head shielded from sight high in the second storey.
Accompanying him are two equally grand Bodhisattvas, their heads
peering heads peering serenely down through gaps in the ceiling.
Each of these stucco statues wears a figure clinging Dhoti,
adorned with different, meticulously detailed motifs. Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion, has pilgrimage
sites, court vignettes, palaces and pre-Muslim style Stupas on his
robe, while that of Maitreya is decorated with episodes from the
life of Gautama Buddha. The robe of Manjushri, destroyer of
falsehood, to the right, shows the 84 masters of Tantra, the
Mahasiddhas, adopting complex yogic poses in a maze of bold square
patterns.
Beautiful Frescoes Of Deities
Among exquisite murals, some repaired in the 16th century, is the
famous six-armed green Goddess Prajnaparamita, the "Perfection of
Wisdom" central to Mahayana thought, and closely associated with
Tara. Heavily bejewelled, she sits on a lotus by Avalokitesvara's
gigantic left leg. Amazingly, this, and the multitude of other
images that plaster the interior of the Sumtsek, resolve, when
viewed from the centre of the shrine, into a harmonious whole.
Other Temples
The Chos-khor's three other temples all date from the 12th and
13th centuries, but are nowhere near as impressive as their
predecessors. Tucked away at the far river end of the enclosure,
the Manjushri La-khang is noteworthy only for its relatively
recent "Thousand Buddha" paintings and gilded four-faced icon of
Manjushri that fills almost the whole temple.
Next door the Lotsawa La-khang, with its central image and mural
of Shakyamuni, is one of a handful of temples dedicated to Rinchen
Zangpo, the "Great Translator". Whose missionary work inspired the
foundation of Alchi; his small droopy-eared image sits on the
right of Shakyamuni. The Lama may need to be cajoled into
unlocking the La-khang Soma, the small square shrine south of the
Sumtsek, which is decorated with three large Mandalas and various
figures including an accomplished Yab Yum: the Tantric image of
the copulating deities symbolizes the union of opposites on a
material and spiritual level.
HOW TO GET THERE
Road:
One bus per day leaves Leh for Alchi in summer, taking three
hours to cover the 70-km and returning early the next day. Other
buses heading in that direction leave
Leh at 6.30 am (for Kargil) and 9.00 am (for Dah-Hanoo) - one
can catch one of these get off at Saspol, and walk the remaining
2.5-km via the motorable suspension bridge west of the village.
WHERE TO STAY
There is a
small selection of basic guesthouses in Alchi, or try the four
roomed J&KTDC Tourist Bungalow at Saspol, at the top of the lane
that leads from the main road past the army depot. Alternatively,
accommodation can be booked in Leh .
Click
Here For Hotels & Restaurants in Leh
plendid Isolation 