The land of White, Brown and Blue
 |
| Tibetan Prayer Flags |
Ladakh had always been a dream destination for me. Partly because of its very distinct landscape and beauty but mostly because Ladakh held this strange aura, this unexplained fascination for me. It was the land of monasteries, Tibetan prayer flags, where Buddhism and Silk Route had crossed parts and a culture which was so different from anything I had seen had survived through the centuries. Ladakh had a very unique combination of historical importance and cultural uniqueness, which was the main reason I had been wanting to visit that place.
It had taken me three years and four attempts to finally be able get a trip to Ladakh going (which was, very ironically, corroborated by my hotel manager as "It's not a question of when you want to visit Ladakh, it's about when Ladakh calls you). Not having enough time to make the road trip from Manali, we decided to fly to Leh from Delhi. Now a word of caution for anyone flying from Delhi: taking adequate precaution against AMS (acute Mountain Sickness) can help. Infact, you would most likely be recommended to rest completely for 1-2 days so that the body gets used to the high altitude.
 |
| A Ladakh Monastery |
There were three things that I mainly wanted to see in Ladakh: the monasteries, the vast open expanse and the lakes. There are three main monasteries near Leh: Thiksey, Stakna and Hemmis which can be covered in a half days time. While Thiksey and Stakna, overlook the Indus, Hemmis is nestled a little bit inside the mountains. Most of the monasteries is in Ladakh are at least 300-400 years old. The influence of Tibetan art forms in monasteries are clearly visible, with the images of Padma-Sambhava as common as those of the Buddha.The white of the monasteries appears as a strange radiance juxtaposed against the brown ruggedness of the mountains; signifying the light of true understanding that monks must have sought in the rugged simplicity of Ladakhi mountains.
 |
| Pangong Tso |
Pangong Tso (Tso: lake in Ladakhi) is a lake at the altitude of 15000 ft which could be famous for any number of reasons: it being at India's border with China, one of the highest altitude lakes in the world and simply for being very beautiful. But what it is purportedly famous for now is the location where 3 Idiots was shot! Reaching Pangong takes about 6-7 hours of drive through the vast open expanse of Ladakh. Although the drive is a tad tiring, it is one of the most scenic I have been through: along the Indus for some distance and passing through the third highest motorable pass in the world: Chang la (17,586 ft). Seeing Pangong for the first time is a little surreal an experience, yet again bringing out the strange play of colors which happens so often in Ladakh, maybe because of the stark images you see: a deep blue set against the brown which is just a sight to behold.
Pangong deserves at the minimum an overnight stay. Not the least because it's too far to do a decent trip in one day but i'd say mostly because of the chance to see the night sky. For the light pollution ravaged city folks and for the stars loving me it was absolutely magical.
Ladakh's beauty is primal, untouched. Driving through the vast expanse of Ladakh, visiting the monasteries and Ladakh's mountains (which Kerouac would refer to as Buddha Mountains) got me thinking about Buddha and attachment and loss. Loss can be debilitating. How does one deal with loss? Loss whether it's of a small object we hold important to us or that of a deeper kind which shakes our beliefs to the very core. I was searching for some answers in the white, brown and blue of Ladakh; in its antiquity, in its expanse and its purity. All i found was a perspective, a deep sense of humility which the expanse instills in you as your smallness makes you realize that as yet you don't have all the answers. It's only time that can heal and answer. Every travel is an experience and there's one thing this one taught me: that at times in life, its important
Just.To.Be.In.Motion.
