Discover Ladakh - Changthang 4K
Leh Crowned by the mighty Royal Palace this once forbidden city is now Under Siege from tourists. But there must be something more to this land Beyond the famous high passes and lakes. To find out we had to leave the tourist trail. Our destination was the mysterious Changthang, stretching almost 1600 kilometers across Ladakh and Tibet. Chanthang takes its name from the Tibetan word meaning Northern plateau.
One could simply travel the entire length of Changthang before the British drew the boundaries of India. In fact much of the ancient silk route of Traders from Central Asia passed through these very lands into Tibet and China. As motorcycle adventurers our objective was simple. Ride across the Changthang to find how close we can get to the borders with Tibet.
But as travelers we were curious to experience the lives of the Chanthang nomads. Whose culture traditions and way of life remain unchanged for centuries. This will mean a journey of over 1000 kilometers crossing High passes glacial lakes rocky trails and deep river crossings in the most remote parts of the Himalayas. With no roads no mobile network and no backup crew calling for help will not get us an answer It's a dangerous journey in a land still lingering in the previous century Tibetan Buddhism is a central part of everyday life in Changthang.
And the signs are seen everywhere. As prayer flags atop houses and high passes or as old relics hidden away. But the most common sight is of people counting their prayer beads.
The monasteries or Gompas are painted in deep maroon and white. The austere colours of their religion The main feature inside these Gompas is a statue of Padmasambhava who introduced Buddhism to Tibet in the 7th century. Beautiful altars are placed with offerings to the Buddha and other Divine beings. Murals depicting the teachings adorn the walls And all thankas Tibetan Buddhist paintings on silk are carefully displayed A giant prayer wheel is placed outside these Gompas on which mantras are inscribed Spinning this sends blessings into the air to all living beings The nomads of Changthang were originally followers of Bon an old animistic religion from Tibet Today they are all practicing Buddhists A hundred years back these Lamas would arrive with yaks, horses and the customary umbrella But the 21st century Lama needs a 21st century transport For two days a year this quiet Village comes alive with monks pilgrims tourist and Changpa nomads for a very special festival Welcome to the Korzok Gustor held at the Korzok of Gompa with a history of over 300 years The word Gustor quite literally means sacrifice of the 29th day The central element of this Festival being the supernatural Cham dance The cham is a ritual performed by Monks and accompanied by music on traditional Tibetan instruments Consider a form of meditation and an offering to the gods the music is said to put the Monks into a trance when enacting these ritualistic dances The Monks dance in rhythm keeping time using cymbols Almost without warning figures of saints and demon-like beings emerge from the main temple and descend the long flight of stairs down to the courtyard their appearance is accompanied by thundering blasts of horns and their steps by the slow rhythm of drums There is no separate stage and the dances are performed right here in the main Courtyard of the monastery People are seated in the galleries many crowding all available seating on the ground and even the roof The different masks represent beings called Dharmapalas or Divine Guardian spirits The monks enact stories from Buddhist teachings every story concluded with the victory of good over evil One can almost witness Padmasambhava who unified the ancient Bon beliefs with tantric Buddhism through these dances The Mask themselves are all made by hand and probably hundreds of years old Considered important Buddhist relics these masks are passed on from Lama to Lama one generation of monks to the next continue the sacred dance We were told stories about a Buddhist Monk who had done the impossible Achieve immortality To find out more we must travel deeper into Changthang to a little known Village called Chumur Less a Village and more a border patrol outpost the route through the Changthang valley to Chumur has not changed in centuries Chumur is one of the few Villages that lie closest to the Tibetan border The only other visitors were Buddhist nuns making a pilgrimage The Immortal monk we wanted to meet seemed in no mood to talk he was mummified He is our Guruji, our Rinpoche there is a mask on his face he's here and nails are still growing His reincarnation the current Rinpoche will visit the monastery once in three to four years to cut his hair and nails The Lama had died in the 70s with a deep wish to continue living in this Monastery forever Next to the mummy is something even more startling This is a feat of an eight-year-old child The rest of his skin is hung upside down The story goes there was an epidemic in Chumur The Lama cast a protective spell against the disease through this dead child Thus saving the village Ancient Tibetan texts written on handmade paper older than the mummified Lama himself are stored away in a cave behind the monastery The old scrolls are rarely opened for the fear of them turning to dust Could the old Lama have used a spell from one of these texts For the Changpas evil spells and good spirits go hand in hand This is an annual Nomadic festival or a Mela The Changpas and their horses from all the villages in this Valley have come together for something special Evil spells which could signify bad weather or the loss of their herds are embodied in these little Idols made of yak butter They are placed on the ground and Changpa horsemen compete with each other to strike these Idols using a stone This symbolizes destroying the evil spells Everyone takes part At every round the winning horseman is presented with a Kathak a Tibetan religious scarf This goes on many times until all evil spells are released through the breaking of these idols Good spirits can also be summoned through pujas or Buddhist rituals Here this teenage girl was refusing to go back to school Instead of a counsellor the local Lama is invited to perform a Pooja Tormas or figures made of yak butter are elaborately made by hand and an altar is set up The Lama proceeds to chant prayers beckoning the good spirits The young girl quite reluctantly takes part in the Puja Once the rituals are complete the tormas are offered to the good spirits in the four cardinal directions surrounding their home We later heard that she still refused to return to school High mountains flank the natural borders between Tibet and India with the Indus River flowing through the Changthang valley Your mind is set free by the vastness of these landscapes Every scene you chance on seems like a painting Far away from the Comforts of our couch we knew these lands were tough and you would have to be a very special kind of being to survive here Like the Kiang The Kiang or the Tibetan wild ass roam freely without threat in these Wide Open Spaces Larger than donkeys but smaller than horses they are shy creatures and run away at the slightest alarm and as we found out they can run at almost 60 kilometers an hour In any distance land the best way to understand a culture is to go to their wedding As nomadic people the wedding is a simple Affair with tents pitched to accomodate guests Oral traditions in remote regions like the Changthang continue to play a vital role in preserving their culture A Changpa wedding is incomplete without a Lurspon or a wedding Singer There are many Bagston glu or wedding songs to be sung during the ceremonies Today the Lurspon are a rarity with most youngsters happier to be DJs playing electronic music Towards the end of the ceremonies blessings are sought from the high Lamas through their portraits And copious of Chang are drunk together to celebrate Chang is fermented Barley beer An alcoholic beverage with roots from the Tibetan plateau Traditional toasts in ceremonial yak butter pots follow and there is no e scape Every drink must be consumed to the bottom Changthang is a vast expansive land of the Changpa nomads Though always on the move the nomads return to their village for a few months in a year This was one such Village vacated by its residents during summer You can identify a Changpa village by the unique stone enclosures which house goats and yaks Their houses are typically built of mud and stone sourced from the mountains that surround them packed well together to form strong walls The roof is stacked with grass which when dry is fodder for the sheep in winter The Changpas store vast quantity of sheep manure and yak dung throughout the year baking it in the sun Back in the days the yaks were the favored mode of transport in these rugged lands It's easy to see why Yaks are tough animals a true representative of the Himalayan mountains Heavily built with sturdy legs the dense fur insulates them perfectly in Winters Crossing frigid glacial Rivers is no problem at all When not in camps the yaks are out grazing in the mountains Unlike horses yaks do not eat grain and need to be taken to fresh grass every day Herding yak is difficult work with these stubborn animals having a mind of their own Rurzee's or herders use a traditional catapult called Urdho to sling stones at any Yak which lingers too long Male yaks can be quite aggressive and have ways to show off their dominance oh yeah he's getting ready to charge one way they do this is to scrape the ground with their horns and throw mud into the air The pits they dig can be up to three feet deep Weighing over half a ton If you see one make sure you stay away Few wild Yak remain with most being domesticated These yaks area being reared in ways unchanged for over 2000 years Using yak's fur we can make sweaters carpets and also rebu tents which we live in The hair comes right off and when tied together can be rather strong So you don't need tie downs you just have this and this is quite strong The Yaks have predators too The Himalayan wolf or jungli Kutta The other more famous herder one usually finds in these parts of the Himalayas are the pashmina goat shepherds Each of these herds numbered hundreds Pashmina Shepherds have a name They are the changpas To find them we had to travel to their oldest camps on the borders with Tibet And like in Oasis in the desert we find our elusive Changpa camp We were invited for tea I have been a Changpa here for over 20 years I am 34 years old now and started herding as a teenager helping my parents My daughter's name is tsering and she is two years old The changpas lives revolve around these pashmina goats Here in Changthang these goats are called Changra From a herd of about a 100 goats we get between five and six kilos of pashmina a year And every kilo of wool Fetches us between five and six thousand rupees I don't know how much wool is used to make a shawl we don't know how to make them here Yes it is quite less considering how hard we work for a whole year But this is what we receive This new born is 15 days old The Changpas herds are always on the move up and down these mountains We visit Demchok village then we come here and later we climb up to Umlingla Their tent called a rebu is a simple home Our kitchen is on one side and we have beds on the other In the center is our stove which keeps us warm with a tall chimney to keep smoke out We are Buddhists and carry our Gods everywhere with us My parents are in another tent close by There are many Champa families living in their tents near us Today I am resting and taking care of my daughter My wife has gone to work with the GREF All of us have our own goats And my sister has taken them out to graze We take turns with the herds The work the Changpas do is hard And their way of life is to carry their tent and keep moving constantly With more changpas moving to cities for education and work the ways of their life are slowly fading away Yes our traditions are dying slowly and I feel sad about it But I want to educate my children it is important Riding our motorcycles through Changthang was not easy The high passes can be punishing Half way to Keyla a relatively little known pass An avalanche blocks our way There is nobody around to help We fought our way through over a thousand kilometers of this desolate and hostile landscape People here have long confronted the elements and forces of nature alone This is changthang The home of the Changpas
2023-06-22 03:44
