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Sumda Chun Monastery
About Sumda Chun Monastery

The Sumda Chun Monastery symbolizes the cultural influences of Tibetan Buddhism in the Himalayan area and is of enormous regional and international importance. Sumda Chun was a part of the long and strenuous pilgrimage route which is connected with the two other temples of this period, Mangyu and Alchi.

The Sumda Chun Monastery once covered the entire hill but today, only the assembly hall, main shrine, two Bodhisattva chapels, a prayer wall and a few stupas remain. Conservation programmes have been started to preserve the architecture, sculptures, paintings and artwork of Sumda Chun Monastery and the temple in Sumda Chun. There are elaborative sculptures and paintings in the main hall of the monastery.

Established in the 12th century, the complex of the monastery and the temple were originally built for parched climate but the unexpected amount of rainfall over the years has caused severe damage to the structures and the art forms.

The temple at Sumda Chun is said to be one of three temples that Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo founded one night. The other temples are at Alchi and Mangyu. Sumda Chun is the starting point of the significant Sumda-Mangyu-Alchi Buddhist pilgrimage which pilgrims try to finish in one day.

 
Location of Sumda Chun Monastery

Sumda Chun Monastery is situated at 12,700 feet above sea level in the remote part of the Himalayas, the village of Sumda Chun is reachable only by a 3- to 4-hour trek up a steep and winding river valley track. The monastery there is one of the most significant surviving early Tibetan Buddhist temples of the Ladakh region of northern India. Its remoteness has both helped and hindered its preservation.Once a extensive complex covering an entire hill, today the assembly hall, main shrine, two adjacent Bodhisattva chapels, a prayer wall, and several stupas are among the structures still standing.

Sumda Chun Monastery is around 65kms to the southwest of Leh, which is linked by a motorable road, upto Sumdo. The track begins ascending to the west, through a gorge from the left bank of the stream. At one point, the track crosses to the right bank and climb becomes little more difficult. One or two houses come in the way before another gorge appears on the right which leads to the Sumda chon Monastery and towards the left leads to Sumda Chenmo. This track goes along the stream with plantations of Willow. After walking for an hour the monastery appears above the village houses. There is one more short track from Alchi Village through Stakspila, the climb from Alchi is more difficult and long compare to Sumda side. The pass is open only in summer. The Sumda Chon Monastery was probably founded during the period of Lotsava Rinchen Zangpo with Mangu Monastery and Alchi Choskor. The monastery consists of three temples. The assembly hall has the image of four headed Vairocana, as the central or main image which is nicely ornamented better than Mangu and Alchi Monasteries. The wall has murals of Buddhas i.e. Ratnasambhava, Akshokhya, Amitabha, Amogasiddhi and Vairocana.

 
Restoration of Sumda Chun Monastery 

NIRLAC, in conjunction with World Monuments Fund (WMF), has recently completed a four-year renovation of Sumda Chun. The program starts with the preparation of a site survey; conditions mapping of the temple structure, wall paintings, and sculptures; provisional repairs to the leaking mud roof; and the preparation of a conservation plan to guide all future work.

In 2008 the renovation of the roof and repairs of the vertical breaks in the exterior walls rendered the building watertight and structurally sound; test cleaning of the attractive features and pre consolidation of severely deteriorated areas of painted surfaces was also accomplished.

In 2009 work continued on the interior and exterior features of the temple and adjoining structures including the provisional stabilization of the painted stupa. Materials testing of the wall paintings continued and microclimate data was composed from data-loggers installed in 2008.

In the summer of 2011 the project at Sumda won a UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for superiority in cultural heritage conservation. The award cited the "combined world-class scientific methods with vernacular building know-how," and observed that the "art conservation is particularly prominent for its complexity." still standing.

The Site and the Building

Situated in the Zanskar ranges of Ladakh, the monastic complex of Sumda Chun comprises one of the very few surviving early period Buddhist temples, ornamented in the interiors with beautiful wall paintings and stucco sculptures in the style of Western Tibetan art. At Sumda Chun, the famous white temple perched on the hillside, dominating a small settlement of a few houses and fields below is all that remains of the original monastic complex which is believed to have once expanded over the entire hill.

The temple building is particularly divided over an entrance veranda, assembly hall and two ancillary chambers. In keeping with traditional construction techniques, the structure has been constructed with stone and mud mortar and finished with mud plaster. Flanking the temple are the two small auxiliary chambers that can be entered from low doorways directly from the courtyard.

Paintings and Sculptures

All the walls in the interior of the assembly hall are ornately ornamented with wall paintings, the oldest of which are believed to date to the 12th century AD. Around half the original wall paintings have been lost or painted over and now stand replaced with newer ones, the latter famous by their appearance, stylistic technique and limited signs of surface deterioration. The most prominent ornamentation is however the shrine, a strange assemblage of thirty seven stucco figures set in the walls of the niched chamber. The smaller auxiliary chambers to the north-east and south-west of the assembly hall are found to house monumental four-armed stucco statues of Bodhisattvas.

The heroic rescue of the Sumda Chun Gonpa has brought back to life one of the oldest monasteries in a remote area of Ladakh. The reinstallation of the historically significant but severely dilapidated structure was carried out in a systematic and responsive manner guided by careful research. Conservation interventions combined world-class scientific methods with vernacular building know-how. The art conservation is particularly prominent for its complexity. The excellent project was realized through the steadfast commitment of the local community and the monastic order, in cooperation with international partners and cultural foundations.

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit Sumda Chun is between the months of May and September.The weather during these months is warm unlike the hostile cold weather of the winter months. Trekking and hiking can be done in the close by regions during these months but all trekking trails are closed or blocked due to heavy snowfall in November.

The trek from Sumdo to Sumda Chun goes through steep hilly land and gorges. Another way to reach Sumda Chun is trekking from Alchi village which goes through Stakspila but the gradient of the slope going down is very steep making it a very time consuming trip.

The Sumda Chung Monastery is listed as one of the 100 most endangered sites in the World Monument Funds 2006 Watch List. The abbot of the Hemis Monastery appoints monks who take care of the daily traditions and all major events in the temple. The village has a total population of 16 people who actively contribute to the rituals and activities of the temple.

 

 


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