LIKIR
Likir
gompa was established in the 15th century and early in its history became
responsible for the oversight of Alchi gompa, to which it has posted lamas
up to the present day. The gompa is set on an isolated ridge a few
kilometers north of Saspol. The road approaching the gompa makes a wide
semi-circle around its base, affording beautiful views of the gompa from
different vantage points.
Likir belongs to the yellow-hat sect of
Buddhism and currently houses about 120 lamas. The head lama, the younger
bother of the Dalai Lama, has married (against the rule of the sect) and is
permanently absent from the gompa.
The gompa school has some
thirty pupils who learn three languages besides Ladakhi, Hindi and English,
as these are the national languages of India, and Tibetan for religious
purposes. The pupils, some of who will be selected as lamas, live part of
the time in the gompa and part of the time with their parents.
Climb up to Likir's central courtyard and immediately on the right is the
main Dukhang or main assembly hall. The entrance verandah is painted with
the Guardians of the Four Directions on either side of the entry door. On
the right verandah wall is a wheel of life mandala held by Yama, the
divinity that decides a person's future fate after death. In the main
Dukhang, there are six rows of seats for the lamas. This is where the day's
prayers take place and also where the lamas take their meals. Numerous
thankas hang from the columns and walls in the Dukhang.
At the
front on the left are two large chortens. Inside the chorten on the left is
a statue of Avalokitesvara, a Bodhisattva whose name means "Lord of All
He Surveys" and who is believed to be incarnated in the Dalai Lama. The
chorten on the right contains a statue of Amitabha the Buddha of the West.
In the center at the front of the hall are three large statues:
in the left and central position are statues of Sakyamuni (the Historical
Buddha) and to the right is Maitreya (the Future Buddha or Buddha of
Compassion). To the right of this are statues of Tsong-kha-pa, founder of
the yellow-hat sect with his two disciples. The throne seat in the centre of
the hall is reserved for Likir's head lama and visiting head lamas from
other gompas. The walls on both sides of the Dukhang are lined with
glass-fronted bookcases containing the Kandshur and the Thandshur. The
entrance walls are painted with various guardian divinities.
Near
the entrance, by looking up, one can see two large, rolled-up thankas
hanging from the beams. These thankas are displayed only during the winter
festival. One depicts Sakyamuni and the other Likir's guardian divinity.
Exiting the Dukhang, diagonally across from the courtyard's
entrance is the "New" Dukhang, about 200 years old. Interestingly,
the entrance verandah is not painted with the Guardians of the Four
Directions, as is the usual practice. Instead, the wall on the left depicts
the different ways a lama may wear his robes while the right wall shows the
correct way lamas should behave. The Guardians of the Four Directions appear
on the right entrance wall inside the New Dukhang.
The main image
in this Dukhang is Avalokitesvara with 1000 arms and 11 heads. On either
side of this image are bookcases, filled mostly with volumes of the Sumbum,
a narrative of the life of Tsong-kha-pa. The left side wall is painted with
the 35 Confessional Buddhas.
The right side wall depicts the 16
Arhats (worthy ones who have achieved Nirvana) on either side of a central
image of Sakyamuni flanked by his two chief disciples.
After
leaving the New Dukhang, turn left and go up a ladder one flight of steps.
Step through the doorway to the left into a courtyard. On the far left side
is an entry door into the Zinchun, the head lama's room, where the Dalai
Lama stays when he visits Likir. The room is hung with numerous thankas and
contains images of various lamas. Of particular interest are the images of
the 21 Manifestations of the White Tara (the Saviouress and consort of
Avalokitesvara). Each image is decorated with brocaded fabric and the entire
effect of these images arranged around the room is very striking.
Leave the courtyard outside the head lama's room, turn left and go down a
few steps. On the left is the new Gonkhang, devoted to guardian divinities.
Work on this temple began in 1983 and was completed a year later. The
artistry of this temple vividly demonstrates the continuing vitality of
Buddhism in this region. The left side wall depicts guardian divinities
while the right side wall shows Sakyamuni, his disciples and various lamas.
The right front wall depicts Tsong-kha-pa. The glass-fronted room at the
front of the Gonkhang contains images of the gompa's guardian divinities.
These images are covered by cloth all year and are displayed only during the
gompa's festival.
Nandadevi 
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