Spiti - A travel story of heaven (part 5)

Guys! Where are you from?

“Germany”, answered Ema while having lunch at the hotel. She along with her fiancée was staying in India for a month. Her dad married an Indian and stayed in Manali since 1978.

Where are you reading now?

“We are going to see the caves now”.

In the meantime my lunch was ready. While having a conversation with the couple, I offered them Thukpa, which they gladly accepted.

After lunch, they left for the cave and we headed towards Tabo monastery. It was established in 996 A.D, known as “Ajanta of the Himalayas”, founded by Buddhist King Yeshe O’d. It was constructed as a Buddhist learning center where Indian and Tibetan cultures met.

Situated in a barren, cold desert it has 9 temples, 23 chortens. Photography is not allowed inside. The main temple has an assembly hall containing paintings depicting the life of Shakyamuni and various Bodhisattvas. The paintings are all around the walls, some of which date back to the 10th–11th century. If one compares the different representations of historical personages, the change in the style and composition of the images is easily noticed. Temples and Gompas made from mud still stands strong.

There are many stupas on the campus.

The monastery has fort-like walls. Archaeological Survey of India maintains the campus with restoration work regularly going on. There are small shops and a new prayer hall outside the campus.

The monastery currently runs the Serkong School which was established in 1999. A hostel for the boarders is situated behind the new prayer hall. The monastery also has a guest house.

It was getting dark, so we headed back to the hotel. After dinner, we went to the terrace to see the Milky Way. The sky was clear and looked so beautiful with millions of stars twinkling. It was difficult to stay for as long as it was too chilly.

Stay tuned