Mulbekh Monastery
| Mulbekh Monastery | |
|---|---|
Drukpa and Gelug | |
| Location | |
| Location | Kargil, Ladakh, India |
  Location in Ladakh, India | |
| Geographic coordinates | 34°23′0″N 76°22′0″E / 34.38333°N 76.36667°E |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Tibetan Architecture |
| Part of a series on |
| Tibetan Buddhism |
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Mulbekh Monastery or Mulbekh Gompa, at 11,495 ft from sea level and 656 ft uphill from road level, consists of 9 m (30 ft) tall
Description
The double gompas are dramatically situated at the very top of a crag 200 metres (656 ft) above the road. They were connected with the nearby palace of Rajah kalon of Mulbekh below.[2] They may be reached by a steep footpath winding up from behind.[3]
The altitude of the town at the foot of the crag is given as 3,304 m. (10,839 ft), which makes the altitude of the gompas 3,504 m. (11,495 ft). Its population is given as 5,730.[4]
Mulbekh Chamba: Rock-cut cliff-face statue of Buddha
It is one of the three tallest rock cut relief statue of Buddha in Ladakh, which are collectively also known as the "Bamyan Buddhas of Ladakh".
Around 45 kilometre east of Kargil town on NH-1 heading toward Leh, is the famous rock cut Chamba Statue in Mulbekh village, a striking enormous figure carved into the rock face on the right hand side of the road. It is a 9 m (30 ft) tall
Rock inscription of King Bhum Ide
Nearby are some ancient rock inscriptions or edict written in
Every year at least once or twice in each village the heart was torn out of a living goat in front of an altar. King Lde had the following inscription carved:
Oh Lama (
Tsongkapa [1378-1441 CE]), take notice of this! The king of faith, Bum lde, having seen the fruits of works in the future life, gives orders to the men of Mulbe to abolish, above all, the living sacrifices, and greets the Lama. The living sacrifices are abolished."[12]
The people of Mulbekh found this too onerous to follow, for beside King Lde's edict, on the same rock, is an inscription saying the order was too hard to be executed. "For what would the local deity say, if the goat were withheld from him?"[13]
See also
Footnotes
- ^ Mulbekh Monastery and its 30 ft tall Buddha statue, Ladakh’s unexplored gem, 8 June 2023.
- ^ Schettler (1981), p. 97.
- ^ Rizvi (1986), p. 251.
- ^ "Alphabetical listing of Places in Jammu and Kashmir that start with Mu".
- ^ Ladakh and the three maitriyas, asianartnewspaper, 30 July 2021.
- ^ Bamiyan-like Buddhas found in Ladakh, India Today, 11 January 2010.
- ^ Schettler (21981), p. 98.
- ^ Rizvi (1996), p. 10.
- ^ Schettler (1981), p. 98.
- ^ Schettler (1981), p. 98.
- ^ Rajendra Nath, 2016, Strategic Ladakh: A Historical Narrative 1951-53 and a Military Perspective.
- ^ Francke (1977), p. 101.
- ^ Francke (1977), p. 101.
References
- http://jktourism.org/index.php/mulbekh-chamba
- Francke, A. H. (1977). A History of Ladakh. First edition 1907. 1977 reprint with Critical Introduction and Annotations by S. S. Gergan & F. M. Hassnain. Sterling Publishers, New Delhi.
- Rizvi, Janet. (1996). Ladakh: Crossroads of High Asia. Second Edition. Oxford India Paperbacks. 3rd Impression 2001. ISBN 0-19-564546-4.
- Schettler, Margret & Rolf (1981). Kashmir, Ladakh & Zanskar. Lonely Planet. South Yarra, Victoria, Australia.
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