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2003-07-15 - Leh - Tiksey - Leh - Alchi (Day 91)

As a guide to the time, I have the sun as I see the tops of the distant mountains becoming ever lighter. I am up early and must get to Tiksey monastery before the sun crosses the mountaintops as that is when the sacred conch shells will be blown to greet the sunrise and mark the start of morning prayers for the monks. I made a couple stops on the way as the moon was setting just in the spot where the first rays of the sunrise were hitting the mountains making for a very beautiful scene but still, I was at the monastery in time to spend 15 mins walking up and down the stars trying to find where the puja was to be held as most everyone was still asleep including those who tried to give me directions resulting in my getting lost.

It really is a beautiful sight watching the monks in the deep crimson robes standing on a rooftop looking out over the village and valley below with the first rays of the morning sun glinting off their caps and the copper encases shells. The sound booms out over the valley in the long wail of a boat horn telling everyone its time to get up.

The prayer room itself was long and in the style of the Buddhist monasteries rather dark with the walls having paintings on all sides depicting the Buddhist scriptures. Being there before everyone else, I was able to watch the monks wander in, for the most part all still sleepy-eyed and sit down at the long rows of cushions. Butter tea and bread was served to all and that seemed to help get everyone revived. The tea was a bit hard to down due to its taste and texture of being melted thick butter but taking a suggestion from Ladakh - Crossroads of High Asia and thinking of it not as tea but just a thick soup it went down much better.

One young monk brought out the long rectangles of the prayer sheets wrapped in yellow silk and unwrapped and distributed the sheets of Tibetan script to the monks, which joined in the chants as they finished the tea and bread. These chants seem to reflect the character of the monastery itself with a range between cacophony and a choir with Tiksey falling somewhere toward the middle. After about an hour, I was kicked out along with the younger monks as the more senior said their prayers and ended up in the kitchen with a group. The crazy monk I had met on my earlier trip to Tiksey was there and he was being his comic self which allowed me to get another picture I really like of him with a traditional Tibetan butter churn for the tea.

I was allowed back in to the main prayer room, which after a couple more chants, the monks turned to very secular items pertaining to the community. One of the monks started distributing money to all the monks with denominations ranging from 20 rupees to 150 rupees as far as I could see seemingly based on merit. I learned later this was because an old monk had died and they were distributing up what money was his. Afterwards there was an auction of his clothes and possessions outside the prayer room among the monks which was something I'd never thought of but which made sense even if a little morbid. Afterwards there was an auction of his clothes and possessions outside the prayer room among the monks which was something I'd never thought of but which made sense even if a little morbid.

The sun is fully up and I set out from Leh with the bittersweet feeling of being on the road again, happy to be out and seeing something new, but sad about leaving a place which had been very pleasant and I had come to know.

I reach the small village of Alchi in the late afternoon and already having seen the monastery take a walk through the village and watch the sun go down from a small stupa overlooking the few houses.

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