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Dzongkhul Monastery |
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Dzongkhul Monastery or Zongkhul Gompa is situated in the Stod
Valley of Zanskar in Jammu and Kashmir in northern India., It
belongs to the Drukpa school of Tibetan Buddhism like the Sani
Monastery. It lies at a distance of 190 kms from the capital
city of Srinagar. The Zongkhul Monastery is a significant
shrine for Buddhists and is located like a nest on the rock
facing the Ating Gorge.
The monastery is directly built on a rock wall with two caves
behind it and according to legend is associated with the
famous Indian Yogi, "Naropa'', who lectured in the Nalanda and
Vikramsila Universities and used it for solitary meditation.
The site also contains some majestically built temples and
shrines of many Buddhist monks.
Dzongkhul has traditionally been home to prominent yogins. It
is positioned near the foot of a wide valley which leads to
the pass known as the Umasi-la which joins Zanskar and
Kishtwar.
Dzongkhul is in a south-western side valley of the Bardur
River. It is constructed directly on a rock wall with two
caves behind. In front are about 10 stone houses which tend to
combine in with the surrounding rocks from a distance. About
10 minutes' walk from the gompa is a high viewing spot similar
to the one at Hemis Monastery with a stunning view from the
terrace. |
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History of
Dzongkhul Monastery |
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Its
establishment is attributed to Naropa (956-1041 CE), who was a
celebrated Indian Buddhist yogi, spiritualist and monk from the
famous Vikramshila University in Bihar. He is said to have
meditated in one of the two caves around which the gompa is
constructed and the monastery is devoted to him. His footprint
can be seen in the rock near the entrance to the lower cave.The
gompa contains images and thankas of well-known Drukpa lamas.
Zhadpa Dorje, a well-known painter and scholar created some of
the frescoes on the cave walls almost 300 years ago.
Impressions of Naropa's ritual dagger and staff are also said to
be in the rocks in his meditation cave which draws attention of
many pilgrims. Until about the 1960s there were some 20 resident
monks, but the numbers have fall sharply in more recent times.
It also contains a rich collection of valuable exhibits, such as
an ivory image of Samvara, a crystal stupa, and texts which
contains religious songs and biographies.
Dzongkhul became a prosperous Kagyu meditation centre under the
Zanskari yogi Ngawang Tsering (1717-1794). |
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Main Attractions
of
Dzongkhul Monastery |
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The major attraction of Zongkhul Monastery is the
existence of the good-looking frescoes on the cave walls.
These are said to be the original murals painted by Zhadpa
Dorje, the well-known scholar-painter of Zanskar who
visited the monastery some 300 years ago. Another
attraction is the existence of a footprint near the
ingress of the stone cave supposed to be of the Yogi
Naropa himself.
Zongkhul Monastery also boasts of magnificent collection
of valuable exhibits from ancient times and it contains
invaluable images of Samvara a fierce protective Buddhist
deity, Buddhist texts consisting of spiritual songs and
biographies composed by great Mahasiddha. |
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Festivals |
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The
Zongkhul Huchot festival takes place on the 16th and 17th days
of the fourth Tibetan month but there are no masked dances.The
Zanskar (Karsha Gustor) Festival, a popular Buddhist festival is
held during January and has a special dance known as Black Hat
Dance is performed. |
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Best time to visit and Timings |
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Zanskar has a surprisingly pleasurable, dry and warm climate in
the summers. Winter months extend from September to February and
are very harsh with heavy snowfalls and therefore should be
avoided as snowfall can cause a delay of up to many days. The
best time to visit Zanskar is during the months from July to
early November.The monastery is open on all days. |
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