After my initial trip to India a couple of years ago I thought I knew what to expect. However choosing to head to the far Northern Jammu & Kashmir region, specifically an area called Ladakh is not like visiting other parts of India.
The area is also known as Little Tibet as it is where many of the Tibetan people settled after fleeing the Chinese invasion. As a result it has its own very distinct culture and a large Buddhist community.
Its remote location, in the foothills of the Western end of the Himalayas, makes the landscape and scenery stunning although the altitude does mean you have to take things easy for a few days when you first arrive!
This monk is stood inside the main temple at Hemis.
Items arranged on a table inside one of the Buddhist Monasteries.
A typically guady indian truck parked as Upshi.
A stone carved with Sanskrit, resting against a Stupa in Jispa
When chanting in the main assembly room, the monks cannot wear coats. Instead they wrap these cloaks around their shoulders to keep warm. When no in use they are left curled into these cones inside the room.
A massive waterfall cascades down a mountain cliff, just below the cloud layer.
These were the head monks who throught the entire ceremony chanted, and kept time with the drum and cymbals.
A typical Ladakh landscape with mountains, fertile fields where the river indus runs through the lower valley, and a monastery perched on a hilltop.
I’ve been working through some post-processing tutorials so thought I’d post a reworked version of this shot.
It was a bit cloudy this day and the shadows and light on the mountains as we went over the high passes was extraordinary. Trust me it looked far better than this!
A young monk sits by a wall in Rizong Monastery.
A buddhist mahakala mask hung on a wall. These are usually worn as part of a particular ceremony
A monk dressed in ceremonial costume performs a dance as part of the Phyang Festival
Everyone working at the Temple is a volunteer. As per any Sikh temple in the world they provide food and drink for free and serve meals to 10,000 a day. The silver platters on the right are the school-dinner style plates that are handed out to those wanting to eat.