|
|
||||
|
Archaeology
People
Outdoors
Travel
Heritage
Lifestyle Wildlife
Music
|
|
|
||
|
the-south-asian.com October 2000 |
||||
|
Page 1 of 2
Spiti Valley recently witnessed the Kalachakra or the 'Wheel of Time' ceremony of the 1,000-year-old Ki Monastery. The Dalai Lama led the religious celebrations attended by over 15,000 devotees from India, Japan, America and the European countries who travelled deep into the Himalayas to witness the first kalachakra of the new millennium… by Jeyraj Chaudhuri in Ki Ki Monastery….1000-year-old repository of Buddhist art and literature-overlooking the village Ki.It almost seemed ordained that our spiritual journey should pass through Rohtang---which literally translated means " Land of death" (`Roh' dead corpses and "Tang" place). Luckily for us, we survived the dangerous pass as our jeep meandered through this breath-taking region at a height of 3,980 metres (around 13000 feet). In fact the only mention of death came when one co-traveller, taking a look at the stunning landscape commented, " I think we have all died and come to heaven. This is paradise!" We stopped at the one-pony village of Gramphoo, a few kilometres after Rohtang from where Manali-Kaza road leads to an equally picturesque Spiti Valley where his Holiness the Dalai Lama was to perform the Kalachakra or 'The Wheel of Time' ceremony at the Ki Monastery. Kalchakra is a religious celebration performed by the Dalai Lama every year. It is considered the most revered and secret spiritual practice of trans Himalayan Buddhism for the Moksha of all mankind. On a monastery's millennium year, the ceremony is considered all the more auspicious. Ki Monastery was 1,000 years old in August 2000 and thus became the natural venue for this tantric ceremony. Deep in the Spiti valley, Ki is accessible by a 12-kilometre dirt-track road from Kaza, around 210 kilometres from Manali. Kaza can also be accessed from south through the Kinnaur Valley which, this year was sealed off due to the devastating flash-floods. Our pilgrimage to the Ki Monastery started early morning from Manali in a 16-seater bus. After a break at Gramphoo the bus started rolling alongside the on-coming Chandra river in the Lahaul Valley with high snow peaks on either side feeding the river with numerous snow-fed streams. Travelling at an average height of 4,000 metres (around 13,000 feet) and driving through knee-deep streams, many of which cut across the dirt-tracks , was an awe-inspiring experience. The journey was interspersed with quaint little eateries and camp sites for trekkers at Chhatru, Chota Dhara and Batal--- the starting point of trek to Chandra Tal lake. But our destination this time was far more challenging than even the Chandra Tal Lake. From Batal we took a turn for the Kumzam La Pass at 4,080 metres (around 13.300 feet) which leads us from Lahaul to the Spiti valley, the predominantly Buddhist region in the Himalayas. God's Own Paradise Spiti is the last of the Shangrila land of which Rudyard Kipling wrote, "At last we entered a world within a world. Surely the Gods live in Spiti. This is no place for men. This is God's own country." Generally referred to as the middle land between India and Tibet, Spiti evokes reflective and emotive feelings with its serenely meandering Spiti river from Shiogri glacier caressing freckles of large green fields on either side along with the grandeur of lofty mountains and snow peaks. The Spiti terrain covering 7,500 square kilometres. has less than 10,000 inhabitants with a density of 1.2 per sq. km. It's significance is paramount because of its religious history. It has a strong sway over devotional matters as its culture revolves around monasteries some of which---such as Ki and Tabo---are 1,000 years old. The testimony of Spiti's exalted status can be gauged from the fact that the Dalai Lama has undertaken the last three Kalachakra ceremonies in this region. Buddhism has been rooted in Spiti since the seventh century and nourished by great masters like Padmasambhova [also known as the second Buddha], Santarakshita, Acharya Atisha, Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo and Milarepa.
|
||||
| Copyright © 2000 [the-south-asian.com]. Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. | ||||
| Home |
