Sindhu Darshan - Shinghe Khababs festival in Leh

Ladakh – the moonland of Monasteries

(Singhe Khabab’s Festival)

 

The famed Sindhu River banks near Shey

Despite being delayed by a day, we were able to attend the closing ceremonies of the famed Sindhu Festival or Singhe Khababs Festival, as it is now known (since 2006).   The literal meaning of which translates as ‘Singhe’ meaning ‘Lion’, ‘Khab’ means ‘Snow’ and ‘Ab’ means ‘Water’ and the mighty Sindhu River is known by this name in Ladakh, which translates roughly to ‘The Lion of Snow Water fed Rivers’ or the other translation is ‘out of Lions mouth’.  The mighty Sindhu (Indus) river symbolizes the power and permanence of the ancient Indian civilization which evolved over a period of thousands of years.  This great Trans-Himalayan river has an astonishing length of 2900 km. It rises in south-western Tibet near Mansarovar lake at an altitude of 16000 ft., enters India near Demchok in Ladakh (Jammu & Kashmir) and is soon joined on its left by its first tributary, Zanskar.  Further down, other streams like Shyok, Shigar, Hunza and Gilgit join the Sindhu bringing water from glaciers east of Nanga Parbat. Sindhu finally flows west, crosses the Kashmir border near Batalik and enters Pakistan.  The river has total drainage area of about 4,50,000 square miles, of which 1,75,000 square miles, lie in the Himalayan mountains and foothills. 

 

On the banks of Sindhu River at Choglamsar

The headquarters of the Drukpa Council

The ancient epic ‘Ramayana’ gives the title ‘Mahanadi’ to Sindhu, to denote ‘the mighty river’. In the ‘Mahabharata’, the Sindhu is reverentially mentioned along with the other two holy rivers, the Ganga and Saraswati. References to the Sindhu are also seen in many ancient literary works such as Kalidasa’s ‘Raghuvamsa’. The Rig Veda, has various descriptions of this mighty river. The sound of the rapidly cascading Sindhu is said to reverberate to the skies and the river is compared to a thundering bull. The river’s name comes from Sanskrit word ‘Sindhu’. It is mentioned in the Rig Veda, the earliest (c. 1500 BC) chronicles and hymns of the Aryan people of ancient India, and is the source of the country’s name. Words like Hindu, Hindustan and India have been derived from Sindhus and ‘Indus’, the name given to Sindhu by foreigners.

Evening view of Leh, as the birds head home for roosting for the night

Sindhu Darshan Festival is a festival of India held every year on full moon day (on Guru Purnima) in month of June in Leh, Ladakh.  It stretches for three days. The spirit and the message of the Sindu Darshan Festival was construed to project the Indus as a symbol of India’s unity and communal harmony and is also a symbolic salute to its brave soldiers. Mr. Lal Krishna Advani, re-discovered the Sindhu/Indus River flowing though Ladakh, when he visited Leh in 1995. Since then it has been a pilgrimage for Hindu Sindhis, who in pre-partition days, used to worship her (in Sindh District), now in Pakistan . For, the purpose that, people of India, know the importance of Sindhu River, Shri L.K. Advani (of BJP), in 1996, himself a Sindhi, visited Choglamsar (8 km from Leh ) and started Sindhu Darshan Abhiyan, with handful of Sindhis.  The first time this event was held in form of Sindhu Darshan Festival was in October, 1997.  When held for the first time, this Festival was organized in October 1997, over seventy people from all over India had traveled to Leh for a Darshan and Puja of the River Sindhu (Indus) which originates from the Mansarovar in Tibet. 

 

Stamp depicting Sindhu Darshan Festival (taken from the internet)

The Postal Department of Government of India issued a Postage Stamp depicting Sindhu Darshan Festival on 28 July 1999.  The project ‘Sindhu Darshan’, was started to focus attention on the heritage of the ancient Indian Civilization and Culture that ‘Sindhu’ symbolizes. It aims to celebrate the Sindhu as a symbol of this country’s ethnic diversity and to promote communal harmony. Further, attention is sought to be focused on cultural and topographical beauty of the landscape of Ladakh. These aspects are sought to be blended in the design of the First Day Cover, which also carries inscription of the hymn or 'mantra', chanted by Buddhists in the area, a prayer in praise of God. The stamp depicts a landscape in the upper reaches of the Sindhu with an inset of the famous ‘Vrishabha’ (bull) the famed seal of the 'Indus Valley Civilization and a hymn, from the ' Rig Veda', describing the Sindhu.  The movement also aims at promoting tourism in this far flung region thereby contributing towards the economic well-being of its people. 

 

Full blood action in the Polo match

The Ladakh Festival held in September is hosted at the same grounds

The head of the Drupka Council watching the Polo match

Later on in year 2000, on 7 June, Sindhu Darshan Festival was held with much pomp and show and was inaugurated by Sh. Atal Behari Vajpayee  the thenHonorable Prime Minister of India at Shey(15 km away from Leh).  The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the Sindhu Cultural Center and also inaugurated the new office complex of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council. The complex has an open air theater, an exhibition gallery, a small library and a music room.  Auditorium in the center of the complex can accommodate 500 people at a time. People attending the festival can also shop for exquisite Ladakh handicrafts available at the stalls within the premises.  The Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was overwhelmed after touching the waters of Sindhu River and he said and I quote –

“Some people queried about existence of Sindhu in India as described in our National Anthem but little did they know that it flows from our soil in Ladakh.”

He further added  - “Sindhu symbolised 5,000 years ethos of Indian civilization and its re-discovery will strengthen emotional integration of country.”

and quoted hymn from the Rig Veda – “Sindhu it might surpasses all the streams that flow - His roar is lifted up to heaven above the earth, he puts forth endless vigour with a flash of light, even as cow with milk rush to their calves, so other rivers roar in to Sindhu. As warrior king leads other warriors, so does Sindhu lead other rivers. Rich in good steed is Sindhu, rich in gold, nobly fashioned rich in ample wealth.”

The occasion was also marked by immersion of waters from the Bramhaputra Riverbrought by the then Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Sh.Mukut Mithi.  Brahmputra & Sindhu Rivers flow from same source i.e. Lake Mansarovar in Tibet.  In 2006, this popular spring festival of Ladakh was renamed ‘Ladakh Singhey Khabab Festival’ by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Tourism Ministry to bring in more Ladakhi flavor and local involvement.

 

Women selling their wares in Leh market

Panoramic view of Leh market 

The Leh Khar Palace - panoramic view 

The famed Shanti Stupa in Leh

On the first day of the three day Sindhu Darshan Festival a reception ceremony is held for the participants, organized on the banks of Sindhu at Shey. This reception ceremony is conducted by a joint association of committees of various religious groups like the Buddhist, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs etc. under the various banners namely, Ladakh Buddhist Association, Shia Majlis, Sunni Anjuman, Christian Moravian Church, Hindu Trust and Sikh Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee, to promote national integrity. As a part of the ritual, fifty senior monks/Lamas conduct a prayer on the banks of the river. A series of cultural programs is also presented by the artists from various states of the country. A sightseeing tour is organized for the participants and the day comes to an end with a bonfire at night. After the cultural programs and sightseeing trip, a Hindu Puja is organized on the second day of the Sindhu Darshan Festival. On the third day, the finals of the Polo match are organized at the ‘Polo grounds’ in Leh and after an evening of Cultural extravaganza, the participants get ready for the departure. Leh is jam packed with thousand of tourist, especially foreigners, who flock to the hill town to be a part of these grand celebrations.  

 

The banner displaying the Shinghe Khababs Festival

The rendering of the musical instruments during the opening of the evening cultural program

The famed headgear worn by women of Ladakh - Perak

As I was unable to attend the opening ceremony, due to cancellation of the flight, I have described the history and details of the same as taken from the pamphlet of the festival collected by me.  After returning back to the Hotel, having visited Thiksey Monastery, Shey Palace etc., as described in the earlier blog, we headed for the Polo ground at around 4.30 P.M. on 14^th June, 2013 to witness the final game being played on local ponies.  It turned out to be quite an intense affair with the locals thoroughly engrossed in the game.  Thereafter, as the cultural functions were scheduled to be held in the open air auditorium near the Shanti Stupa, we had some time in our hands to explore the Leh market and quickly explore the Leh Khar Palace.  After going around the market, we headed for the festival at around 7.00 P.M., as the cultural program was scheduled to start at around 7.30 P.M.  There was a huge congregation of people, with a substantial sprinkling of foreigners and as with all other Indian functions, it started only a little after 8.00 P.M.  As Leh was quite hot during the day, we did not expect the temperatures to fall so drastically and as we had failed to carry our pullovers, we were getting the jitters due to the cold winds that had started blowing.  Thus, we decided to head back after watching the opening of the function and some of the dances, the ones’ witnessed by me during the festivities were the –

Performing the Drugpa Rches dance

Another view of the male & female dancer performing the Drugpa Rches dance

i)        Drugpa Rches - Drugpa Rches is a dance performed by the vegetarian dwellers of Dras and Gorkhan areas of Ladakh who are of Aryan origin and is named for the fact they were originally Drugpas or nomads. In this dance men and women adorned with silver ornaments & Peraks (the traditional headgears) and flowers dance to the sound of Damman - a pair of kettledrums named “Fo” and “Mo” (being the two genders) played with little sticks called “Damshing” and with, “Fo” having a hole in the base that permits the addition of water to lower the sound – and Surna: a wind instrument that produces a droned chord;

Performing the Jabro dance by the tribal of Changthang region

ii)      Jabro Dance - Jabro is popular folk dance of the Changpa tribe of Changthang region of Ladakh.

Here is the link to the video of the festival - 

Visiting Shey & Stok Palace/Monastery

Ladakh – the moonland of Monasteries

(Visiting Shey  & Stok Palace/Monastery)

After having spent about two hours exploring Thiksey, as narrated in my earlier blog, we headed for Shey Palace and it hardly took 10 minutes to reach the spot from Thiksey.  Shey Place  is also on Leh Manali road , located near the Thikse monastery on a hillock about 15 kms from Leh.  Although one reaches Shey Palace before reaching Thiksey Monastery, yet tourists prefer to visit the Monastery, before visiting Shey Palace.  It had started drizzling and since one has to trek up from the base and we were not carrying any Umbrellas, my wife & daughter preferred to stay back.  Rushing up the road and the stairs made me huff and puff, due to the low oxygen content in the air.  While traversing from Thiksey to Shey, we came across a large number of rock carvings, stupas and monasteries are on this road, it has also the biggest Chorten field with hundreds of various size of shrines scattered across the desert landscape. As per recorded history, Shey Palace and Gompa complex was built in around 1650 AD by the King Deldon Namgyal, who used it as a summer retreat and was used as same by the succeeding kings of Ladakh, however, after being abandoned, most parts of it is in ruins now.  The present day Shey Palace is more visited for the Monastery housed inside its precincts, which was built in the memory of his father Singay Namgyal by King Deldon Namgayal.  It is famous for the giant statue of Shakyamuni Budha, the second largest such statute in Ladakh, which is made of Copper with Gold plated.  Dogras of Jammu, who had invaded Leh in 1834, forced the Namgyal King to abandon the Shey Palace and shift to the Stok Palace, built across the Indus River, as their permanent residence.

Panoramic view of Shey Palace

The Bill Board on way to Shey Palace

The Chortens seen from Shey Palace

The famed Buddha statute inside Shey Monastery

The wall paintings inside Shey Monastery

The close-up of the eyes of Buddha in Shey Palace Monastery

The lamp in Shey Monastery

 On our way back  from Shey, we visited the Drukpa White Lotus School run by the Drukpa Trust, which is locally as known as the ‘Druk Padma Karpo School’ (‘Padma Karpo’ means ‘White Lotus’ in Bothi) and is named after Mipham Pema Karpo (1527-1592), who is revered as a great scholar.  This school has acquired fame all over India, because of the blockbuster ‘Three Idiots’ movie starring Amir Khan et al, the last part of the movie had been filmed in its precincts and has now become tourist spot of sorts.  Despite my resistance, my kids and wife were adamant to visit the School premises and I had to trudge along, although I did not go inside the School premises, as I feel that it is an unnecessary intrusion and disturbance for the students in the classrooms.

The reception & introduction at Dukpa White Lotus School 

The school building of Drukpa White Lotus School

Visiting Stok Palace

Situated at a distance of 15 Kms. south of Leh, across the Indus/Sindhu River, on the West bank of the River, is the Stok Palace i.e. the Royal residence of the erstwhile Rules of Ladakh and their successors now.  This Royal Palace was built in 1825 AD by King Tsespal Tondup Namgyal, after the invading Dogra forces from Jammu had deposed the King of Ladakh and he was forced to shift his base here from Shey Palace.  The building is an awe inspiring monument housing about 80 odd rooms spread across several storey. The palace is reachable by jeeps or through shared taxis and has an entry fee of Rs.50/- per person.  The Royal Palace Museum is worth visiting and showcases the royal thangkas, King’s crown, battle dresses, coins of bygone era, peraks encrusted with turquoise and lapis lazuri alongwith religious objects & statutes all housed separately.  One of the room’s even houses the utensils etc. that were used by the Royalty during the past.  However, nothing can be shared with readers as photography is strictly prohibited.

Panoramic view of Stok Palace

Panoramic view of Leh Valley from Stok Palace

 Spituk Monastery is a nearby attraction which can be visited too, but as I had return back to Hotel, with context to the evening visit scheduled for watching the closing events of the ‘Sindhu Festival’ or as it is now known as ‘The Shinghey Khababs Festival’, I did not visit this Monastery.

Panoramic view of Spituk Monastery

Here is the video for the destination -

Visiting Thiksey Monastery

Ladakh – the moonland of Monasteries

(Visiting Thiksey Monastery)

Almost reached Leh - view from plane

            As I have already narrated the incident regarding delay of one day in reaching Leh due to bad weather & wrong choice of Airlines.  After we reached Leh, we had rejig our itinerary and accordingly, as advised by most of the sites, we rested for the day at the Hotel itself, enjoying the beautiful snow clad mountain tops sprinkled all around and soaked in the ever changing colours & hues of the clear blue sky, with the ascent & descent of the Sun, coupled with the play of the clouds, a mesmerizing scene that eludes most of the city dwellers.    The driver suggested that on the next day i.e. 14^th June, 2013 we go and have a look at the Thiksey Monastery, Shey Palace and Sindhu Ghat during the day and enjoy the concluding day of Sindhu festival during the evening.

On way to Thiksey - Manali Leh Highway

 Accordingly, after partaking our B’fast we proceeded for the first destination of the day i.e. Thiksey Monastery.  The journey itself was mesmerizing as the hamlets near Leh passed by and the clear blue sky speckled with clouds enhanced the contrast between the green, barren and the blue sky.  We passed by the headquarters of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Council, an impressive and unusual building.  Thiksey Monastery, is a picturesque Buddhist monastery located 18 km east of Leh (about 30-40 mins drive from the Leh city) on the Leh-Manali Road. Astride on top of a hillock, the monastery is a imposing 12 storied building complex, which exudes an all encompassing aura over the valley below.  It is said that the monastery resembles to the Patola Palace in Lhasa, Tibet and is the biggest Gompa/Monastery in central Ladakh.  Thiksey (thiksok Nambar tak pe ling) is a monastery of the Yellow Hat (Gelugpa) sect.

Panoramic view of Thiksey Monastery

 As per historians, during the early 15th century, Tsongkhapa, the founder of the reformed Gelugpa School (the Yellow hat sect), sent six of his disciples to remote regions of Tibet to spread the teachings of the new school. Tsongkhapa gave one of his disciples, Sherab Sangpo, a small statue of Amitayus (Chepakmet), the Buddha of longevity who is invoked for long life, health and happiness. It contained bone powder and a drop of Tsongkhapa's own blood. Tsongkhapa directed him to meet the King of Ladakh with a message seeking his help in the propagation of Buddhist religion. The King, greatly liked the gift of the statue. After this meeting, the King directed his minister to help Sherab Sangpo to establish a monastery of the Gelugpa order in Ladakh. As a result, in 1433, Sangpo founded a small village monastery called Lhakhang Serpo (meaning Yellow temple) in the village of Stagmo, to the north of the Indus/Sindhu River.  In spite of his best efforts, initially there were very few lamas who embraced the Gelugpa order.

Panoramic view of the valley below Thiksey Monastery - the Chortens below

 The legends say two stories about the construction of this Monastery, as per the first Palden Sangpo, one of the prominent disciples of Sherab Sangpo decided to build a larger monastery here that was dictated by an unusual event that occurred while choosing the site for the monastery. Legends narrate that Tsongkhapa had predicted that his doctrine would prosper on the right bank of the Indus/Sindhu River. This prediction came true when the Thiksey monastery was established first. This was followed by others such as the Spituk & Likir monasteries (about which I will narrate in separate blogs), which are also situated on the right bank of the Indus/Sindhu. According, to another legend, Sherab Sangpo and Palden Sangpo were performing some sacred rituals near the Sangmo Lakhang. The ritual offerings (known in local language as torma (ritual cakes) made from sattu or chickpea flour) were then taken to a rock outcrop to be thrown down to the valley. As they were about to throw the torma into the valley, two crows appeared suddenly from somewhere and carried away the ceremonial plate with the offering of torma. They then placed the torma at a location on the other side of the hill. When Palden Sangpo and his disciples began looking for the torma, they reached Thiksey, where they found that the crow had placed the torma on a stone in perfect order and in an undisturbed condition. Palden took this finding as a divine directive to build the monastery here.

Tsong khapa behind a prayer wheel, located on the steps leading to the Monastery

 The new Thiksey monastery is located a few miles (kilometres) away from Stagmo, located on a sacred hill above a village of the same name. The present day monastery houses the picture of Tsong khapa behind a prayer wheel, located on the steps leading to the main part of Tikshey monastery.  The monastery precinct at the foot of the hill has a courtyard from where a flight of steps leads to the main monastery (one of the 10 temples here), which is 12-stories in height. It has two main chambers. The monastery is painted in red, ochre and it was built as a fort monastery as per the Central Tibetan pattern. There are excellent views across the Indus/Sindhu Valley flood plain both east and westbound from it, from which the gompa at Maltho (to the east), the royal palace at Stok (across the valley to the south) and the former royal palace at Shey (to the west) are clearly visible.  The yellow building has the assembly hall. The red building has the guardian deity shrine.

The Central courtyard mural depicts Tsong Khapa, the Buddha,  Padmasamhava, Palden Lahmo and Mahakala

A wall at the entrance to the assembly hall or main prayer hall depicts murals of the Tibetan calendar with the Bhavachakra  –the Wheel of Life. This wheel has insignia images of a snake, a bird and a pig that signify ignorance, attachment, and aversion. The purpose of this depiction is meant to remind that these earthly ties need to be overcome in order to get enlightenment in life and to prevent the cycle of death and rebirth.  The main prayer room next to this wall has many handwritten and painted books. Behind this prayer hall is the small inner sanctum of Lord Buddha flanked by Bodhisattvas,  Manjushri to the right and Maitreya to the left.  The assembly hall also has an image of the 11 headed Avalokitesvara with Padmasambhava. The centre of the assembly hall has a seat for the Dalai Lama and to its right, for the head lama and to its left, another deity is pictured. The hall also has murals of the deities Mahakala & Dukar.  Volumes of the text Tibetan prayers & writings 'Tangyur' , wrapped in silk - are stored in wooden shelves in the hall.  A temple is also dedicated to goddess Tara with her 21 images placed in glass-covered wooden shelves. Also, small shrines devoted to several guardian divinities including Cham-spring - the protector deity of Thikse - can also be seen between the main courtyard and the staircase. The Chi-khang has an image of the Buddha with two of his disciples and the deity Yamantaka.  The courtyard mural depicts Tsong Khapa, the Buddha,  Padmasamhava, Palden Lahmo and Mahakala.

Statute of Lord Buddha in main Prayer hall of Thiksey Monastery

Statute of Padmasambhava in main Prayer hall of Thiksey Monastery

Statue of Yamantaka diety in main Prayer hall of Thiksey Monastery

Statute of Tara in  Thiksey Monastery

The monastery is a teaching school for young monks and also houses a Nunnery in its precincts.  Facilities such as medical clinic, hotel & restaurant, souvenir shops and so forth are available at Thiksey and it remains open from 7.00 A.M. in the morning till 6.30 P.M. in evening and an entry fee of Rs.20/- per person is charged for visiting the Monastery.  The annual festival of Thiksey is held in the monastery precincts is known as the Gustor ritual, which is held from the 17th to 19th day of the ninth month of the Tibetan Calender (October–November). Sacred dances such as the mask dance or Cham Dance  are performed as a part of this ritual.  Another special feature is the trade fair held at the base of the monastery, in which villagers from all over Ladakh assemble to barter and trade items and socialize.

Here is the video of the destination -