DAY 3: HEMIS & STAKNA GOMPA, Indus Valley, Ladakh, India

Famous for its annual festival celebrating the birth of Padmasambhava (8th-century Buddhist master who built the first monastery in Tibet), splendid architecture, and rich collections, Hemis Gompa is the biggest Tibetan monastery in Ladakh. We arrived at the wrong time as the monastery was almost closed for lunchtime. We had no choice but to skip the museum, and had a quick peek of the golden statues in the two main halls before wandering around the complex’s exterior and rooftop areas. As the most well known monastery in the region, Hemis certainly was the most popular destination in Ladakh in terms of number of tourists. Other than tourists, there were also local pilgrims who came for worship. There was an old couple with their children walked around the gompa, lay prostrate on the ground and prayed in front of different prayer halls. We found our way up to the rooftop of Hemis. On the roof, we followed a black dog wandering around from one flat roof to another. It was a pity that most rooms were locked while we wandered around the building. Situated in a rocky valley, the rooftop of Hemis offered good views of the surrounding rocky mountains. After a leisure stroll around the compound, we returned to the main courtyard where tourists were waiting for the museum and prayer halls to reopen their doors after lunch break. We, however, decided to move on to our next destination of the day.

All visitors including us arrived at a short staircase in front of Hemis.

The worshiping couple and their children at the main courtyard of Hemis.

The old couple took their time to pay respect at various locations at Hemis despite most doors were locked for lunchtime.

The rooftop of Hemis contained a series of walkways and sunken courts.

Similar to other Tibetan Buddhist buildings, high windows above the main prayer hall provide a source of natural light shining into the hall interior below.

Flags were flying high by the time we reached the top.

Birdeye view of the main courtyard from the rooftop.

Stupa and rock mountains across the valley from Hemis.

The female worshiper appeared on the roof paying respect to some of the residing monks.

We followed this dog while touring the rooftop of Hemis Gompa.

Tourists were hanging out at the main courtyard of Hemis, waiting for the doors to reopen.

***

After Hemis, our next stop was Stakna Gompa, another monastery of the Drukpa Buddhist sect. Atop a mount overlooking Indus River, Stakna is another Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Ladakh famous for its views. Around 30 monks reside at the gompa, but we hardly saw anyone there except a lama who unlocked some of the doors for us. Many murals and architectural decorations at Stakna were covered in a layer of fresh paint. The paint colours were vivid and glossy and we could hardly see the original religious art work, except at some of the back halls behind altars where old manuscripts, murals and timber statues could be found. After getting up at 6 and visiting four monasteries, we were already a little tired by the time we reached Stakna. Still we enjoyed our brief time at this small monastery, especially the open mountain views from its terraces.

Approaching Stakna Gompa from the parking lot.