Sightseeing of Leh
Leh Travel Packages - The village of Spituk lies 10 kms short of Leh and is dominated by the hilltop Spituk Monastery. Rising up in tiers with steep staircases and courtyards, the monastery's’s oldest structures date nearly a thousand years back while the major part was built in the 15th century. Of special interest are the ancient sculptures, and mini-chortens decorating the altar. The gompa has a collection of scary Jelbagh masks, coins and arms said to have come from Lhasa’s Potala Palace - India Travel Packages.
Travel Packages of India - The Main Bazaar Street runs from north to south through the heart of the town. Once lined with shops trading in wool, tea, salt and semi-precious stones, it now has rows of Ladakhi women selling fruits and vegetables. Chatting and smoking, the women add colour to this street. Kashmiri shopkeepers sell their goods on the streets, to the northwest of the main road - Indin Travel Packages.
Indian Travel Packages Asia - The most prominent feature of Leh is the towering Leh Palace, with a commanding view of the town and the landscape around. The nine-storeyed building with typical Tibetan architecture has sloping buttresses and projecting wooden balconies. In pitiful shambles today, the building is dark and has gaping holes in the floors. Be sure to carry a torch before venturing in. The palace has a small Museum spread over several rooms connected with narrow passages. A collection of old thangka paintings and royal arms are displayed here. The Dukhar temple on the fourth floor has the terrifying image of the 1000-armed goddess Tara, a collection of ancient masks, weapons and musical instruments. Go up to the terrace and you will be rewarded with a grand view of the surrounding landscape with houses in the old town, terraced fields and the magnificent snow peaks of the Stok Kangri (6,120 metres) - Travel Packages to Leh.
Leh Travel Packages - Going further up from the main palace is an older ruin of a palace and remnants of the Leh Gompa. It has a large statue of the Buddha, painted scrolls and old manuscripts. Behind the Leh Palace is the Namgyal Tsemo Gompa or Red Gompa built in the 15th century by Tashi Namgyal. The first building in the complex has a giant two-storey statue of Maitreya (the future Buddha) flanked by Bodhisattvas. A portrait of Tashi Namgyal is displayed at the entrance - Travel Packages of Leh.
India Travel Packages - The gompa belongs to the predominant Gelugpa (Yellow hat) sect, whose founder is also represented in one of the paintings. In the old village is a relatively new monastery, the Soma Gompa, built in 1957 to commemorate the 2,500th birth anniversary of Buddha - Travel Packages of India.
Indin Travel Packages - Near Tsemo La Hotel is a unique local self-help group running the Ecological Centre. Set up in 1984 by the Ladakh Ecological Development Group or LEDeG, the centre runs a craft shop besides organising workshops and teaching sessions for awareness about environmental issues in Ladakh. The centre displays various environment friendly techniques including solar powered gadgets and has a library on Ladakhi culture and Buddhism - Indian Travel Packages Asia.
Travel Packages to Leh - The Leh Mosque, within the Main Bazaar, is a Sunni prayer house built in the 1660s. It is believed that King Deldan Namgyal, whose grandmother was a Muslim, donated the land for the mosque. 3 kms west of the main bazaar and up from Changspa village sits the Shanti Stupa or Peace Pagoda. Perched on a hillock, this milk white stupa was built by the Peace Sect of Japan in the 80s. You can either go up the flight of 500 steps or reach the top by jeep. The sides of the stupa are decorated with panels depicting stories from the life of the Buddha. Strings of prayer flags flutter around the temple, and you get a good panoramic view of Leh while sipping a hot cup in the tearoom on top - Leh Travel Packages.
Travel Packages of Leh - The Sankar Gompa of the Gelugpa sect dates to the 17th – 18th centuries. To reach it, take a car or walk about 3 kms past the Himalayan Hotel through lovely agricultural fields. Home to twenty lamas, the monastery is surrounded by a high mud wall and several chortens (memorials). A central courtyard is surrounded by monks’ quarters and at the top of the main building is the house of the Kushak. The residence is marked out by a golden spire and the dharma chakra with two deer flanking it. The main prayer hall or Du-khang is reached by a flight of steps. A large 11-headed, 1000-armed statue of Avalokitesvara dominates, while there are more gold statues, wall paintings and sculptures in the hall - India Travel Packages.
Travel Packages of India - A characteristic landmark of Leh as well as other places in Ladakh are the mani walls. These are long stone walls with prayers engraved on them, a form of Buddhist ritual worship. In Leh, a 500 metre mani wall running from the radio station dates to 1635 and was built as a memorial by King Dalden Namgyal for his mother. Another smaller wall was laid in 1785 by King Tsetan Namgyal for his father - Indin Travel Packages.
