Tak Thok Monastery

Text and Photographs by Mr. Sachin Vaidya

During the past decade, I have developed a liking for visiting high altitude places – either on foot or by vehicular travel. I have visited many Buddhist monasteries in Himalayas – mainly Tibet, Nepal, and Indian state of Himachal Pradesh and union territory of Ladakh.

During ancient times, Buddhist monks used to stay in caves particularly during harsh winter months. In those days, winters covered more than half the days in an year. Access roads / pathways used to get blocked due to snow in Himalayan high altitude regions for more than six months in an year.

Some monasteries were originally in caves and during passage of time, they spread over in surrounding areas or at low lying places. In this blog, I introduce a few Buddhist cave monasteries.


Tak Thok Monastery


It is Ladakh’s oldest monastery and its only Nyingma monastery. It is built around a cave where Guru Padmasambhava is said to have mediated, hence the name Tak Thok which literally means ‘rock-roof’. Dating to the 16th century, Tak Thok monastery grew around the site above the village of Sakti. It is located 52 km South East of Leh. It is 3 + 1 km detour while travelling from Leh to Pangong Tso (lake) (3 km up to Sakti village plus 1 km above Sakti village). Its altitude is around 11,500 feet above sea level.



I visited the Monastery during June 2012.

From the Monastery, we get a good view of Ladakhi countryside.




The exteriors of the Monastery are a visual treat to those interested in traditional Ladakhi architecture.








A prayer flag in the courtyard is a must for a Buddhist monastery in Ladakh.


The Monastery is set amidst huge rocks.


A board put by the Monastery depicts history and religious importance of the place.


Some paintings show socio-religious culture of a bygone era.
 
 



An interesting painting depicts one animal on another!



Following paintings show Gautam Buddha:

 



Buddha statues' faces appeared to be gold plated displaying richness of the monastery.





A few other statues' faces appeared to be gold plated.





Buddhist mythology was visible on wood carvings.



Musical instruments were in prayer room.



Thangka is a Tibetan styled Buddhist painting on cotton or silk. A few Thangkas were on display.




Due to its far away distance from Leh and no other sightseeing in the vicinity, Tak Thok Monastery is less visited by tourists.






 

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