Page 150 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - India

148  DELHI & THE NOR TH

8 Alchi Monastery

Founded in the early 12th century AD, the religious
enclave of Alchi is the jewel among Ladakh’s monasteries.
For reasons unknown, Alchi was abandoned as a site of
active worship, as early as the 16th century, and so the
12th- and 13th-century paintings in its temples have
remained remarkably well preserved, undimmed by
the soot from butter lamps and incense sticks. Of the Lhakhang Soma
five temples in the enclave, the finest murals are in This painting of a Guardian
the two oldest, the Dukhang and the Sumtsek. These Deity and his female
have been executed with great delicacy and skill by counterpart symbolizes
the union of opposites.
master painters who were probably from Kashmir.

KEY
1 Avalokitesvara is a gigantic
statue in the Sumtsek, whose legs
are covered with exquisite miniature
paintings of palaces and Buddhist
pilgrimage sites.
2 Chortens containing holy relics
are dotted around the complex.
They are often built in memory
of a great lama.
3 Lotsawa Lhakhang
4 Manjushri Lhakhang, one of the
five temples, contains a large image
of Manjushri (see p145).

Green Tara
There are several exquisite images
of this goddess, variously identified
as Green Tara, the Saviour, and
Prajnaparamita (the Perfection
of Wisdom) in the Sumtsek. Five of
them are to the left of the gigantic
Avalokitesvara statue, opposite his
leg. The Green Tara seems to have
held a special place in Alchi, since . Sumtsek
the goddess is not given such The carved wooden façade
Green Tara or Prajnaparamita importance in other monasteries. of this temple is in the style of
Kashmiri temple architecture.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp695–6 and p708

148-149_EW_India.indd 148 26/04/17 11:43 am
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Starsight template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.7)
Date 24th April 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm