Diksit Monastery

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Sight Address : Diskit monastery is situated on the hill, just above the flood plains of the Shyok River, on its right bank in the Diskit village in Nubra Valley. Edit

Detail InformationEdit

Diksit Monastery is one of the oldest & largest Buddhist monasteries in the Nubra Valley, the Diksit Monastery or Diksit Gompa was founded by Changzem Tserab Zangpo, a disciple of Tsong Khapa in the 14th century. The Diksit Monastery is a sub-gompa of the Thikse Gompa. At the heart of this monastery is an elevated coupla adorned with beautiful fresco’s that illustrates the the Tashilhunpo Gompa of Tibet. Several shrines are found within this monastery like Kangyu-lang, Tsangyu-lang & many more. Several hundreds of Mongolian & Tibetan texts are kept in the temple storehouse. Legend has it that a Mongol demon who once lived here was a sworn in enemy of Buddhism. It is believed that even after he was destroyed near the monastery his body kept coming back, & it is said that even today his wrinkled head & hand lie in the temple of the monastery, which is filled with images of fierce Gods & Goddesses.

Diskit MonasteryDiskit Monastery, Ladakh

HistoryEdit

Diskit Monastery was founded by Changzem Tserab Zangpo in the 14th century. The history of the Nubra Valley and the monastery could thus be traced from 14th century onwards. Ladakh was then ruled by King Grags-pa-‘bum-lde (1400–1440) and his brother, who unsuccessfully attempted to usurp Nubra Valley, which was under a local ruler named Nyig-ma-grags-pa. The local ruler assisted a Gelugpa order advocate to build the monastery at Diskit and deify the idol of Tsong Khapa, the founder of the Gelugpa sect, in the monastery. During the rule of King Blogros-chog-idan (1440–1470) who had even controlled western Tibet, Panchen Lha-btsun – a resident of Nubra Valley by birth – studied in Tibet and later became a regent to the founder of Tashilhunpo Monastery and finally during his last stage of life returned to Nubra. His remains have been preserved in Charas. In 1500, Ladakh was ruled by Bkra-shis-rnam-rgyal, who fought the invader Mirza Haider of Central Asia, in Nubra and close to Leh, finally defeated the latter and thus bringing Nubra under Ladakh King’s rule. Even then, the local chieftains still yielded power in Diskit and Hundar. Shia Muslims started settling in Nubra after this war. Bkra-shis-rnam-rgyal’ son, Tshedbang-rnam-rgyal ruled Ladakh from 1530 and expanded his kingdom. At that time, Nubra people prevailed on him and preventing him from invading Hor in Xinjiang, as trade with Yarkand was considered crucial to Nubra. During the reign of Jams-dbang-rnam-rgyal, historical records indicate that a regular tribute payment was made by the Nubra people to the king. The King Bde-‘Idanrnam-rgyal (1620–45) successfully defeated Baltistan and the Mughals. Rgyal kings were very religious and built mani walls throughout their kingdom. Monks were specially engaged to recite hymns of Mani-tung chur in Nubra Valley and in other surrounding areas. In mid eighteenth century, Tshe-dbang-rnam-rgyal gave away the control of Diskit monastery to the Rinpoche of Thikse Monastery and this arrangement has been perpetuated to this day. Since then, Diskit is considered a sub-gompa of Thikse.

Must SeeEdit

Popular

Visiting TimeEdit

N.A.

Closed OnEdit

N.A.

Best Season to VisitEdit

June to October.

Best Time To VisitEdit

Morning , Afternoon, Evening.

Time Required for SightseeingEdit

4-5 hours.

Ticket Required : Yes Edit

Individual National Adult Rs. : Rs.20/-

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Individual Foreigner Adult Rs. : Rs.20/-

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Still Photo Camera Rs. : N.A.

Video Camera Rs. : N.A.

Guide Required : No Edit

Approximate cost: N.A.

Dress Code (If Any) : N.A. Edit

Dress Require: No

Restaurants NearbyAdd / Edit

Lhasthang Guest House & Restaurant ; old diskit, numbra valley,leh-ladakh. ; Ph/M – 220165, 9469176104 ; Food Serve – N.A.

How to ReachEdit

Taxi : From Leh you can take bus or taxi to Nubra valley which is about 125 km from Leh.You can also opt for shared a taxi which charges anything between 1000 to 1500 rupees depending up the choice of seat and other conditions.

BUS : There is a regular bus service run by J&K SRTC from Leh and Kargil for Padum with stops at various point in Suru and Zanskar Valley.Leh-Kargil-Padum buses run approximately thrice weekly, supposedly departing Kargil bus station around 1am but timetables are infamously idiosyncratic. Consider gathering a group and hiring a jeep to
Padum (Rs10,000, 14 hours): start before dawn or consider overnighting at Rangdum. Doublecheck that your driver has Zanskar-endorsed permits from the drivers’ cooperative.

Train : The closest railway station is Jammu, there are regular train services from Delhi and many other cities to Jammu railway station, from Jammu you can take buses or taxi ride to Srinagar and then to Leh. From Leh you can take bus or taxi to to Nubra valley which is about 125 km from Leh. If you are for more adventures you can also rent bikes, available on rent in Leh and will cost you anywhere between rupees 600 a day for an Enfield to rupees 300 for others. The road to Nubra valley takes you over the Khardong La which is the world highest motorable road, Khardong La Pass which is at a height of 18380 ft above sea level and is about 50 kms from Leh.

Air : Nearest Airport is Leh Airport .The following airlines (Kingfisher, Jet Airways, and Air India) operate regular flights to Leh from Delhi, Jammu and Srinagar. The duration of Delhi-Leh flight is just an hour long. Better booked the air-tickets before 2 or 3 months in advance because during May to October tickets prices are very high due to heavy tourist influx. From Leh you can take bus or taxi to Nubra valley which is about 125 km from Leh. If you are for more adventures you can also rent bikes, available on rent in Leh and will cost you anywhere between rupees 600 a day for an Enfield to rupees 300 for others. The road to Nubra valley takes you over the Khardong La which is the world highest motorable road, Khardong La Pass which is at a height of 18380 ft above sea level and is about 50 kms from Leh.

Others : Truck : Trucks often stop for hitchhikers, who are usually expected to pay half the bus fare, bargaining may be necessary. They are slower than the buses and sometimes stop for long periods to unload cargo.

Things to CarryEdit

Carry woolan cloths, camera etc.

Safety / WarningEdit

Ladakh is one of the safest parts of India, and the most basic precautions are enough to keep you and your possessions safe. Most of the region is dotted with military cantonments every 50-80 kms, but mainly because of its strategic position on international border between India and China. The army plays major part in rescue and aid efforts and that is why you will require to produce identification documents or written permission from local authorities before entering some remote places.