ZANSKAR SIGHTSEEING

SURU VALLEY (THE JOURNEY TO ZANSKAR)

Never had a journey been so beautiful than the destination. A drive from Kargil to Padum takes you through some exquisite lush green valleys, landscapes, wild flora, snow capped mountains, melting glaciers & gushing streams.

A drive to the ZANSKAR valley located in the south east of KARGIL is one such experience. The 240 kms drive south east of Kargil to PADUM is a blend of good roads & off road stretches, a majority of them being off road. The first 40 kms stretch is all good tarred road from Kargil to SANKOO and takes you through lush green fields with the SURU river flowing on your left side. From Kargil, as you pass through Minjee village & proceed further, your first halt should be at Trespone village for a complete glimpse of the beautiful SURU valley. Ask for the TRESPONE Mosque which is on your right side of the road.

TRESPONE MOSQUE (SURU VALLEY VIEW POINT)

There is a Mosque on the right side a little after Trespone. Although, it is on the road itself, there is every possibility that you may go past it without noticing. Hence, please check at Trespone for the mosque. You will find a flight of stairs reaching the mosque. Looking at the mosque from its gate, you would not be able to imagine what it has to offer. But once you climb the stairs & reach the balcony, you would be dumbstruck with the enchanting view of the SURU Valley. The location of the mosque is such that you get a 270 degrees view of the SURU valley. The lush greenery, gigantic barren mountains, the SURU river flowing by its side. I spend about 20 minutes there taking photos from all angles. A MUST VISIT PLACE to experience why SURU valley is so well known for its beauty.

Proceeding further, you can see the Army camp at KUMBATHANG nestled below the gigantic mountains on the right side.

SANKOO VILLAGE

As you proceed further on the well laden tarmac, you go pass SANKOO village. There’s a pass by the name of UMBA LA which connects SANKOO to DRASS directly, bypassing KARGIL. But you would have to check at DRASS whether it would be open or not. As you proceed further the valley becomes more beautiful. After SANKOO, you would be crossing the SURU river a couple of times on bridges. As you cross the bridges, you would find the river on your right side & then again it continues to be on your left side till PANIKHAR.

PURIKUTCHEY

About 12 kms before PANIKHAR is a place called as PURIKUTCHEY. You can see the twin sister peaks NUN & KUN. There’s a JKTDC guest house at PURIKUTCHEY on the right side of the road. There are about 6 guest rooms at the guest house. Although, not perfectly maintained, it would be an ideal place to retire for the day

For tourists with self owned vehiles travelling to ZANSKAR from SRINAGAR or LEH, I strongly recommend that instead of taking a halt at KARGIL for the night, you should start early from SRINAGAR / LEH & extend your journey till PURIKUTCHEY which is about 65 kms from KARGIL towards PADUM. Once you reach KARGIL, you can visit the JKTDC booking centre to get the reservation for PURIKUTCHEY stay. You can reserve your stay for this guest house at KARGIL itself. It may not take more than 15-20 minutes at KARGIL. During my solo bike ride to Zanskar, I reached the JKTDC booking centre at Kargil at about 4.00 pm from Srinagar side. I was told to go to the guest house directly and approach the caretaker, since the reservation staff was not available. When I reached the guest house, there were no tourists. The resident caretaker took good care of me and served the local tea, made dinner & breakfast in the morning. The charges are very nominal. I remember having paid some Rs.500-600 for my stay & food put together.

This guest house is located on the right side of the road and is about 65 kms from Kargil. But it is not clearly visible from the road side as the gate of the guest house is diagonal to the road. During my travel, I missed the guest house & reached till Panikhar. I had to backtrack about 10-11 kms to the guest house. But I spend the most memorable evening at the guest house. Sitting on the doorsteps, I could see the massive NUN & KUN peaks towering above the vast valley & the SURU river. The guest house is average & is fairly maintained. Of course, you can’t expect a luxurious stay, but would be definitely satisfying & a better option than being put up in some hotel in Kargil. There would be no Dhabas nearby to venture out, but the care taker usually takes care of the meals.

The advantage of extending your journey till Purikutchey is that you will get sufficient time the next day to take any number of halts for capturing beautiful moments enroute. The next day, you should start a little early, say by 07:00 – 07:30 pm. Feast your eyes on the NUN KUN peaks with all its radiance in the serene hours of the morning.

PANIKHAR

As you proceed further, you will reach PANIKHAR where you have to register yourself at the JKTDC check post. From there, there are 2 routes. A very narrow route on the right side takes you through the PANIKHAR village. This route is unpaved & the loose gravel road starts from here. The other route goes through a bridge on the left side which takes you across a tributary of the Suru river through small villages enroute. I strongly suggest you take the left route, since the beautiful valley widens at a point on this route & offers the most beautiful vistas of the SURU valley. If you take this left turn, the tar road would follow you for another 12-15 kms. Take some time on this route to halt for some memorable clicks

PARAKCHIK GLACIER

As you approach the beautiful PARAKCHIK village, the road completely turns to an offbeat track. Next, get ready to be blessed with the views of the massive PARAKCHIK glacier on your right side above the SURU river. The gigantic PARAKCHIK glacier is a divine sight to see. The glacier looks like melted vanilla icecream with OREO scattered all over it. The NUN peak is visible in the backdrop. At a certain point, there is a low lying stretch for about 25-50 metres, after the PARAKCHIK glacier. The SURU river water sometimes floods the offroad path. However, it is quite manageable on a 2 / 4 wheeler to cross it. Soon you will find quite a few water crossings / water flooding the road & streams of water flowing from the melting snows on your left side.

THE JOURNEY

A little further, the valley takes a complete Right Turn. The valley opens up wide at this point & is very scenic with lush green meadows all over. Colourful grasslands of rustic, green, yellow blends are seen at this widest point. The offbeat track now becomes more difficult & your speed slows down. The entire distance till RANGDUM continues to enchant you with vide valleys surrounded by towering, barren, tapering mountain cliffs. This entire stretch is completely isolated with no signs of human life for miles. You will find the shy marmots running in the meadows, sometimes across your path everywhere on this stretch. You can see the long stretches of the track on which you are travelling on this road. Maybe once or twice on this route, you would come across a small shop selling biscuits, tea, cigarettes, etc. I bet, you would enjoy this day in the midst of mother nature at its best. Just a few kilometres before RANGDUM and about 100 kms from KARGIL, you would find the first signs of Buddhist chortens. These are the first signs of Buddhist dwellings in the entire stretch from KARGIL. A little further at about 102 kms point from KARGIL, there is a ferocious water crossing. It’s a bit tricky, since the surface below is full of stones & since the water stream is quite strong, you cannot get a feel of the surface below. However, its not much of a problem for 4 wheelers. For 2 wheelers, I would suggest that one should get a feel of the surface below the water before you cross it. While going through this water crossing from the Kargil side, you should be on your right side as much as possible since the surface at the centre is very uneven. This water crossing is quite manageable till 02:00 – 03:00 pm, beyond which the water streams becomes more fierce and 2 wheelers may need help to get through.

RANGDUM & RANGDUM MONASTERY

Amidst tapering high and barren mountains, you would reach RANGDUM (127 kms from KARGIL). There are a couple of eateries in Rangdum & you can break here for lunch. You won’t find anything for the next 104 kms till PADUM. You can get the basic stuff like Rajma, Dal, Chawal, Omlette, Maggi Noodles etc.

The valley becomes vast at that point & you can see the RANGDUM monastery at a far off distance of about 5 kms. One road goes straight & takes a right turn to reach the Randum Monastery, while another diagonal route which runs across 4-5 water stretches which are quiTe manageable to connect the same road. You would have to register yourself at the Check post & then proceed to the monastery. The Monastery offers a stupendous view of the entire region. You can see RANGDUM at a distance & the road which further proceeds to PENZI LA on the other side. The RANGDUM Monastery is budded in the middle of a vast expanse of an open valley surrounded with mountains on all the sides. It’s a unique sight with a 360 deg. view. Don’t forget to capture some moments.

PENZI LA (STATSO & LANGTSO LAKES)

Roads beyond Rangdum continue to be rough for the next 22 kms with a gradual ascend towards PENZI LA pass. On the right side, you can see the vast expanses of valleys as if they extend up to infinity. At PENZI LA top, which happens to be the highest point on the Kargil – Padum Highway at 14,000 feet, you can see the two mini lakes STATSO & the LANGTSO lakes.

DRANG DRUNG GLACIER

The PENZI LA top marks the end of the SURU VALLEY & the beginning of the ZANSKAR VALLEY. A little further just about 100 meters, the valley throws open to you the most splendid & a mesmerizing sight of the Mighty DRANG DRUNG glacier. This being the highest point on the Kargil-Padum road, is quite cold. But I am sure that you would brave it all to capture the divine sight in your memories. This is some sight which would remain etched in your soul forever.

Beyond this point, the descend begins on the other side of PENZI LA, indicating the beginning of the ZANSKAR valley. As you continue on the untarred road full of stony paths & loose gravel, you will come across small villages like ABRAN, HAMLING, TUNGRI. There is a check post at one of the villages from where you can take a diversion on the right side. There’s a wonderful tarmac road & for the next 5 kms, you will find yourself cruising at 60-70 kmph. Wow! For a change this is too good to disengage yourself from that 20 kmph bracket which you would be doing from PANIKHAR. But the diversion again connects you to the regular road. This point is about 43 kms from PADUM. By the time, it would be evening & you will find yourself wading through a couple of water crossings. Finally, you would reach a bridge on your right side, which takes you to Padum. The straight road goes to KARSHA MONASTERY. Once you cross the bridge on the right, you are greeted with tarred road for the final stretch of 14 kms. The tarred road is not too good, but still better than all the offroad stretches which you would be doing since PANIKHAR. I am hopeful that I am would be able to arouse the curiosity within you to make a dash for this ecstatic destination.

As mentioned earlier, its just not the ZANSKAR valley, but the journey to the ZANSKAR valley is something which would remain in your memories for a lifetime. I had always been fascinated by ZANSKAR more than Ladakh, due to its untouched virgin vast valleys, a blended landscape of barren snow capped mountains, noncommercialized pristine atmosphere. You would hardly find any commercial establishments in the Zanskar region.

PADUM

PADUM is the only town & the administrative headquarters of the tri armed ZANSKAR valley. Located at a height of 11,988 feet above msl, with a population of about 14,000 people, Padum is a very sparsely populated & a peaceful town. You won’t find a lot of hustle bustle here like a typical hill station with mall roads, shopping bazars etc. Palace KHAR which is now in ruins is considered as the traditional heart of the village. Padum has several hotels, homestays and restaurants meant for tourists. Padum has a post office, internet cafes and telephone booths.

PADUM is inhabited by a majority of people from the TIBETAN descent who follow Buddhism. But a sizeable Balti Muslim minority (about 40%), have been residing in Padum since the17th century.

PADUM KHAR PALACE

Located in the heart of PADUM, is the PADUM KHAR PALACE on a small mountain near the old market of Padum. It was abandoned after 5 Buddhists families accepted ISLAM in 2008. The KHAR PALACE is just over 1 km from the market overlooking the PADUM town, PIBITING Monastery & the surrounding areas.

The palace is said to be build in the 13^th century by King Shaklday, a descendent of Nyatitsanpo of Stod Kugay. The king had 3 sons. The eldest son Sonamlday ruled the kingdom of Kishtawar, the second son Zamtaklday ruled PADUM & the youngest had been entrusted with the ZANGLA Palace.

ZANGLA PALACE & VILLAGE

ZANGLA village is a tiny picturesque hamlet located at one end of the Tri-Armed Zanskar Valley. ZANGLA village is at a distance of 35 kms from PADUM & is accessible by road. Till the very recent past, Zangla was ruled by a King who now resides in the village with his family. During ancient times, ZANGLA was known to be the second capital of the Zanskar Valley. There is an ancient fortress on the top of a hill a little before the village believed to be constructed in the 11^th century. An uphill motorable road goes right up to the base of the ZANGLA palace which is now in ruins. A brief flight of rocky steps would take you to the top of the Zangla Palace. There are chortens everywhere enroute and you can get the most astounding view from the top. The view oversees the vegetation rick green ZANGLA village, the Nunnery & the vast endless valleys on the either sides of the palace. From the top, the Zangla village looks like an oasis, full of greenery in the midst of the barren surroundings.

The nunnery which is located at the end of the Zangla village has some Boddhisattvas and antique statues which are possibly over 300 years old. It would be worthwhile to make a brief visit to see the life of the nuns. I had been to the nunnery once and the nuns extended their courtesy by offering a cup of tea & some snacks. There are about 3-4 homestays in Zangla & if one wishes, it would be a good experience to have a stay there to experience the rich culture & heritage of the Zanskar Valley. At a certain point, just before ZANGLA, the ZANSKAR river takes a complete “U” turn

You can visit the small Gompa at Tsazar Village located 7 kms from Zangla between STONGDEY Monastery & ZANGLA palace. It has some magnificent wall paintings and a visit would be worth remembering.

Zangla is also an important point in Zanskar for treks like the CHADAR trek, Padum-Strondey-Zangla-Karsha-Padum trek, Padum-Markha valley and Padum-Lamayuru trek.

STONGDEY MONASTERY

STONGDEY Monastery is my all time favorite in the entire Zanskar Valley. STONGDEY is located at a distance of 18 kms north of PADUM on the PADUM – STONGDEY – ZANGLA road. Resembling Tibetan style of architecture, the white washed Stongdey monastery complex is strategically perched on the top of a rocky cliff in the backdrop of towering mountains. The monastery balcony offers the most mesmerizing & a stupendous 180 deg. view of the entire valley stretching from PADUM on the left side to the road converging to ZANGLA on the right side. KARSHA village & monastery can also be seen diagonally on the left side. The monastery perched on a massive hillock offers an aerial view of the village below nestled cozily in the vast valley. This is the place where you can feel that time comes to a stop. The sight is a complete mind healing experience to a tired & a weary soul. Spend some time gazing at the endless valley

The approach road to the STONGDEY monastery is much farther to the monastery. As you approach, you can see the towering monastery perched on a hillock. But you would have to drive one kilometer well past the monastery, when you will find a right turn. Although the road is steep, it is tarred & quite good till the top. There is a facility of accommodation for tourists at Stongdey.

HISTORY

The Monastery was instituted in 1052 by the famous translator Lama Marpa Lotsawa (1012-1097), a disciple of Naropa. It was taken over by the Gelugpa about four centuries later and became dedicated to Je Tsongkhapa.

The Stongdey Monastery is the second largest monastic institution in Zanskar housing a community of about 60 Gelukpa monks. Stongday houses seven temples in the monastery and Tshogs-khang is decorated with the paintings of the deities. Apart from a number of shrines in the monastery, you can also see images of Buddha, the ancient murals, thangkas and religious scriptures displayed to view. Visit the monastery during the GUSTOR FESTIVAL which is hosted annually to experience the culture of the ZANSKAR region.

FESTIVALS

The Gustor Festival is hosted on the 28th and 29th day of the eleventh month of the Tibetan calendar every year.

KARSHA MONASTERY

Scenically embedded on a steep hill slope above KARSHA village is the KARSHA MONASTERY in PADUM on the STOD river in the ZANSKAR valley. KARSHA monastery also called as the KARSHA gompa is the largest monastery of Zanskar in the Ladakh region of J & K. KARSHA gompa offers a panaromic view of the STOD river Just below it & PADUM town located some 10 kms on the opposite side of the valley. Diagonally on your left side, you can also see the majestic STONGDEY monastery perched on a prominently visible dark colored hillock. To get a panaromic view of the surrounding vast valleys of ZANSKAR, KARSHA monastery is to be visited during morning time when the sun is behind & cast its rays on the opposite side of the valley. You can also see the PHIBITING monastery from KARSHA. KARSHA village has a market, school, a dispensary, a post and telegraph office.

For adventure lovers, KARSHA village offers facilities for river rafting in the Zanskar river. It is a five hours ride on a very rough river in the gorge portion of the Zanskar river called the “Grand Canyon” of Asia, in freezing cold conditions. The river rafting starts from Remala and ends in Karsha village near Padum (30 kilometres). Rafting in the river is of ‘Rapids Class II category and is considered suitable for beginners. A short walk from the camp would lead to the Karsha monastery for an evening prayer.

HISTORY

The 14th Dalai Lama’s younger brother looks after the monastery. Founded by the famous translator, Phagspa Sherab in the 11th century, KARSHA monastery is a complex of eight temples, chapels, chortens & with a residential provision of 150 monks. Surrounded by three chapels, the assembly halls are located in the central part of the monastery and houses a number of statues & artifacts. A major attraction for the tourists are the wall paintings in the monastery by Lama Dzadpa Dorie and a huge collection of Thangkas (paintings on cotton and silk).

Chortens or graves of mummified Lamas depict the various stages of spiritual as well as physical attainments. The wall paintings and the idols in the monastery depict that the monastery was constructed more than thousand years ago in the Rinchen Zangpo (958-1055) era.

FESTIVALS

In the monastery precincts, a popular festival knowns as the Gustor festival is celebrated between the 26th and 29th day of the sixth month of the Tibetan calendar. Events like the sacred masked cham dance take place during this festival.

PIBITING MONASTERY

Perched on a hillock overlooking the PIBITING village & located about 2.5 kms from PADUM, this picturesque monastery of PIBITING is visible from almost any end of the ZANSKAR valley.

It’s a very peaceful place to spend time in the evening to watch the sundown over the towering mountains. The monastery has a balcony surrounding it & offers a 360 deg. view of the entire valley. On one side you can see the entire valley with KARSHA gompa on the opposite side, Stongdey gompa on the right & the Tsarap river flowing calmly on the other side below the gigantic mountains.

HISTORY

This monastery has a collection of ancient chortens. It is believed that it was constructed by Emperor Kansihka who also constructed the Sani monastery located close to this one. Its unique architecture will surely leave you awestruck. It is built in the shape of a chorten or Stupa and is perched on the top of a small hillock.

SANI MONASTERY

Based in SANI village, 6 kms before Padum on the Kargil – Padum road, SANI monastery is believed to be the oldest Ka-ni-ka monastery in ZANSKAR. Unlike all other Monasteries in the Ladakh & Zanskar regions which are perched on a hilltop overlooking the valleys, SANI Monastery is built like a castle on a flat ground.

Just adjacent to the road at Sani village is a sacred lake with a huge statue of Padmasambhava. The crystal clear fresh-water lake has fish in abundance (Himalayan trout). Fishing is not allowed due to the sacred nature attributed to the lake by the Buddhist community.

HISTORY

Like the Dzongkhul Monastery, SANI too belongs to the Drukpa Kargyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and is the only one of this order in Zanskar which has nuns. Sani Monastery was built in parts with each part dating to a different century. The chorten or the reliquary is the oldest past of the monastery which is believed to have been constructed in the 2nd century. The Dukhang or the assembly hall was built in the early 17th century. The prayer room is impressive, with plenty of Buddhist statues and thangkas. The walls are adorned with stucco murals (wall paintings), based on the life of Padmasambhava. There is also a large sculpted image of Maitreya Buddha on a rock near the gompa.

Resembling a castle like structure, the SANI monastery has a STUPA at the back of the walled complex. It is believed that due to this Stupa, the monastery was linked to Kanishka (Kushan ruler of the 2nd century). There is a crematorium outside the monastery complex which is considered to be one of the eight most important cremation grounds for Tibetan Buddhists. The crematorium has a ring of ancient rock paintings on its perimeter.

FESTIVALS

The famous Naro Nasjal festival is celebrated at the Sani monastery every year in the month of July. People from all over the Zanskar valley visit the monastery to participate in this two day long festival. The lamas of the Bardan monastery can be seen here performing mask dance as a part of the ritual offering. This is the time when the bronze statue of Naropa is unveiled for the common people

DZONGKHUL MONASTERY

DZONGKHUL GOMPA is located about 32 kms from PADUM on the PADUM – KARGIL road in the south-western side valley of the Bardur River. The Monastery structure is partly embedded in the cave against the rock wall. It is built directly on a rock wall with two caves behind. It appears as if the monastery structure has emerged from the rock cave itself.

From PADUM, once you reach the bridge at TUNGRI (16 kms from PADUM), instead of taking a right turn to cross the bridge & proceed to KARGIL, take the straight road which proceeds for another 10-11 kms parallel to the Kargil road. You will come across a road converging on the left side entering a narrow valley. Offlate the roads have been tarred, but earlier it was a complete offbeat stretch which goes another 7 kms to the DZONGKUL Monastery. It is based near the foot of a wide valley which leads to the pass known as the Umasi-la which joins Zanskar and Kishtwar

HISTORY

DZongkhul Gompa is said to have been founded by the great saint Naropa, who is believed to have meditated in one of the two caves around which the monastery is built.

There is a footprint near the entrance of one cave which is said to be of Naropa. Dzongkhul monastery was originally established around a thousand years ago (956-1041 CE) and also contains some fresco paintings that are from the 17th century.

The gompa contains images and thankas of famous Drukpa lamas. Zhadpa Dorje, a famous painter and scholar created some of the frescoes on the cave walls almost 300 years ago.

Impressions of Naropa’s ceremonial dagger and staff are also said to be in the rocks in his meditation cave^[6] which attracts many pilgrims. Until about the 1960s there were some 20 resident monks, but the numbers have dropped sharply in more recent times.

It also contains a rich collection of precious artifacts, such as an ivory image of Samvara, a crystal stupa, and texts containing spiritual songs and biographies.^[8]

Dzongkhul became a flourishing Kagyu meditation centre under the Zanskari yogi Ngawang Tsering (1717-1794).

FESTIVALS

The Dzongkhul Huchot festival is held on the 16th and 17th days of the fourth Tibetan month but there are no masked dances.

BARDAN MONASTERY

BARDAN MONASTERY is perched on a hillock alongside the LUNGNAK river, 12 kms south of PADUM in the Zanskar valley on the route to Phuktal monastery.

HISTORY

BARDAN monastery is believed to be constructed in the 17^th Century and belongs to the Dugpa-Kargyud monastic order. It was the first monasteries of this sect to be established in Zanskar. A number of smaller monasteries in the Zanskar monastery come under the BARDAN monastery, one being SANI monastery. It has a large Dukhang (assembly hall) displaying magnificiently crafted statues of Buddhist deities with some stupas, made of clay, bronze, wood & copper. The Bardan Monastery monks participate in the unveiling of the idol in Sani Monastery. In this festival the monks perform masked dances as a part of the ritual.

MUNEY MONASTERY

MUNEY MONASTERY is located about 20 kms from PADUM town on the route of PADUM – PHUKTAL monastery. Very little known to most of the tourists it is about 7 kms ahead of the BARDAN monastery. After Bardan, the roads continue alongside the Tsarap river, ascends further & the river gorge converges to the left side. Relatively, the monastery is small in size but has a collection of art treasures. Ideally, BARDAN & MUNEY monasteries can be covered enroute during the PHUGTAL trek. Hence if you have PHUKTAL in your itinerary, you need not spend half a day for BARDAN & MUNEY monasteries. During one of my visits, I had a good time with the lamas at the monastery.

PHUKTAL MONASTERY

When we speak of PHUGTAL MONASTERY or PHUKTAL GOMPA, the word “REMOTE” assumes its actual meaning in describing its existence / dwelling in one of the obscure corner of the LUNGNAK valley. PHUGTAL monastery OR THE PHUKTAL Gompa is one of the hidden gems of the ZANSKAR region. The construction of the monastery is a blend of mud and timber built at the entrance of a natural cave. From a distance, the monastery resembles a giant honeycomb emerging from a cave on the cliff face of a lateral gorge of the Lingti-Tsarap river which is a major tributary of the LUNGNAK river. It joins the KARYAG river at Purne & then continues as the LUNGNAK river till PADUM. The tiny windows of the monastery & the structures around emerging from the cave resemble a honeycomb and hence the name “Honeycomb Monastery”. The name Phuktal is made up of Phuk meaning ‘cave’, and Tal or Thal meaning ‘at leisure’. An alternate spelling of Phuktal is Phukthar, where Thar means ‘liberation’. Hence, the name Phuktal means ‘the cave of leisure’ or ‘the cave of liberation’.

The ZANSKAR Valley itself is classified as a remote valley & the PHUGTAL monastery is one of the most isolated monastery in the south eastern ZANSKAR region of the LADAKH district. Phugtal’s design and its secluded rarefied location is of spiritual significance because many ancient travelling monks sheltered and meditated in the caves of this area. The monastery houses four prayer rooms, a library, teaching facilities, a kitchen, guest rooms and living quarters for approximately 70 monks in the residence. The PHUKTAL monastery gets disconnected from the rest of the world during winters. Supplies to the monastery are transported on horses / mules during the summer season.

The Monastery was electrified by Global Himalayan Expedition in July 2016 by setting up solar micro-grids.

HOW MANY DAYS ARE REQUIRED TO COVER ZANSKAR

A visit to the ZANSKAR valley is often linked to the LADAKH itinerary & hence assumes a very unjust & insignificant time allocation for its coverage. But a visit to the ZANSKAR valley cannot be considered to be complete without getting a taste of its spiritual culture & local hospitality. Invariably, most of the journey covers the diverse landscapes ranging from the green SURU valley, PARAKCHIK glacier, RANGDUM, PENZI LA, DRANG DRUNG glacier & the long remote stretches. I have seen people considering ZANSKAR as a touch down point and returning back the next day.

In most of the itineraries, a visit to the ZANSKAR valley does not include more than 3 or 4 days, out of which 2 complete days are spend on the to & fro travel time. The remaining 1-2 days are good enough to cover the local sightseeing. However, if you want to include PHUKTAL monastery in your ZANSKAR itinerary, it would require at least 3 additional days at a reasonably good pace. A good trekker may be able to do it in 2 days too, but it would be very tiresome.

Hence I would recommend as follows

4 days (Kargil – Padum – Kargil) without PHUGTAL monastery trek
7 days (Kargil – Padum – Kargil) with PHUGTAL monastery trek

PHUKTAL MONASTIC SCHOOL.

In 1993, PHUKTAL monastic school was set up by the PHUKTAL GOMPA. The school provides free of cost education, lodging, boarding & study material to the students who come from poor and underprivileged farming families of the Lungnak Valley. The teachings imparted are a blend of the traditional culture & modern curriculum to the students.

PHUKTAL 2015 NATURAL CALAMITY

A natural dam was created in the narrow gorge when a landslide occurred between the Shun & Phuktal villages on the 31^st December 2014. It is still not clear what exactly triggered that landslide It formed a long catchment area as water level increased in height (about 200 feet) & length (about 15 kms) behind the dam. A sudden reduction of flow in the river at the downstream Nimoo Bazgo Hydropower project of NHPC Ltd raised the suspicion of the landslide and this was ascertained only after a flight over the river path two weeks after the landslide occurred.

As quoted by reliable sources, on Feb 12, 2015, a team of four persons landed on the river block for the first time since the landslide, with the help of Air Force Helicopters to take stock of the situation on ground. A competent team surveyed the site at an altitude of more than 14000 feet and in freezing conditions. As a result of the study, the dimensions of the blockage was 400 m long along the river bed, 50 m high (equivalent to a 20 storey building) and 100 m wide across the river bed. While the chance of a catastrophic flood is lower in winter with the lake frozen, the risk was bound to increase when temperatures rise in the spring

The dam on Phutkal River (also known as Tsarap River) at 13000 feet altitude was expected to burst on the onset of summer, and it did at 8.10 am on Thursday, May 7, 2015, leading to washing away of some three motorable bridges, ten suspension bridges located at different palces including Ichar, Padum, Tipting, Chah and Pipcha, numerous culverts, two school buildings, guest houses, residential houses, irrigation canals, pony treks and land pastures, as reported by The Tribune on May 9, 2015. This report mentions that 70-80% of stored water has been released, which means about 20-30 % of stored water is still held back, creating possibilities of future flash floods. Some 3000 people were evacuated from the 40 river bank villages in the 90 km stretch from the landslide dam to Padum (headquarter of the Zanskar sub-division of Kargil District) area as a precautionary measure. Fortunately, there seems to be no deaths as far as news available so far. The flood from the bursting of the 15 km long reservoir behind the landslide dam released over thirty million cubic meters of water and silt and led to damage to a school building too, it was reported.

HISTORY

The PHUKTAL monastery belongs to the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. It was founded in the early 15th century by Jangsem Sherap Zangpo, a disciple of Tsongkhapa established Phugtal gompa. The cave is believed to have been used for about 2,500 years by monks for meditation, much before the monastery was constructed. Three eminent scholars who also happened to be brothers Dangsong, Pun and Sum were believed to be blessed with the supernatural power of flying had imparted teachings on dharma at Phugtal. When Jangsem Sherap Zangpo, a Tibetan Buddhist Guru arrived at Phugtal, the three brothers bequeathed the holy site to him and left. According to legend, the spiritually gifted Zangpo caused a spring to appear and flow from the cave, a tree to grow on top of the cave and for the cave itself to grow larger in size! Then, under his guidance, the structure of the monastery was built around the cave. Zangpo left for the heavenly abode in 1457 at the age of sixty-two.

AMCHI

The Phuktal Gompa houses a Traditional Tibetan medical clinic, catering to the local community. There is an on-site Amchi, a traditional Tibetan physician who provides natural Sowa-Rigpa medicine, many of which have been prepared at the monastery itself. A visual diagnosis, consisting mainly of examination of the urine, eyes and tongue, the pulse diagnosis and questioning the patient. The pulse diagnosis is performed by the amchi placing his fingers in several different positions on the wrists to feel the pulses. He can then feel the state of the energies and their balance as well as the condition of the internal organs. The communication between the amchi and the patient is very important because it reveals additional information about the nature of the patient’s complaints. In certain cases, amchi will press specific points on the body, which not only provides further information on the patient’s condition, but it’s effect is also an energy-balancing treatment

The village life in the Lungnak Valley revolves around the monastery. Monks from the monastery attend local village events of significance, such as birth, deaths and weddings, performing traditional prayer ceremonies. The villagers visit the monastery to offer prayers, consult the Amchi and to attend festivals and special events at the monastery.

HOW TO REACH TO PHUKTAL MONASTERY

PHUKTAL monastery can be reached by 2 routes. The commonly used route is from PADUM to PHUKTAL. The other route is from the Manali side via DARCHA & SHINKU LA.

The way to the PHUGTAL monastery is a mix of a motorable journey & trekking the rest of it. In this article, we will cover a day wise itinerary. There are 3 options

PADUM-1.5hrs drive-ICHAR -5hrs trek- ANMO -2 hrs trek- CHA- 3hrs trek- PHUKTAL -3 hrs- PURNE – 2 hrs trek- ANMO – 5 hrs trek- ICHAR – 1.5 hrs drive- PADUM
PADUM-1.5hrs drive-ICHAR -5hrs trek- ANMO -2 hrs trek- CHA- 3hrs trek- PHUKTAL -3 hrs- CHA – 2 hrs trek- ANMO – 5 hrs trek- ICHAR – 1.5 hrs drive- PADUM
PADUM-1.5hrs drive-ICHAR-5hrs trek-ANMO-2 hrs trek-PURNE-3hrs trek- PHUKTAL -3 hrs- PURNE – 2 hrs trek- ANMO – 5 hrs trek- ICHAR – 1.5 hrs drive-

I would always recommend Option 1, since you get a chance to experience both the routes (via CHA & PURNE). You can either reach the monastery via CHA and return via PURNE or vice versa.

DAY 1

Start early from PADUM & hire a taxi for a drop / drive till Icher village. It’s a 30 kms drive & would take approximately 1.5 hours. Enroute, you can visit the BARDAN & the MUNEY monastery. Insist on a drop till the last motorable point at Icher on this journey.
Now starts the trek from Icher to Anmo for a good 5-6 hours alongside the Lungnak / Tsarap river flowing in the deep gorge. From Anmo, you will have to trek for another 2 hours to reach CHA village. Although, you can break at ANMO too for the Ist Night, I suggest you push yourself further till CHA. You will have Homestay options at both ANMO & CHA. There are no luxurious hotel on the entire route & food options would be limited to simple vegetarian, but nutritious local food.

DAY 2

The route from CHA to PHUKTAL is quite narrow and treacherous compared to the PURNE route which is a big longer but easier. It would be recommended to take a guide / villager from CHA to make things easier. From CHA, it will take you about 3 hours to reach the monastery. They may charge you something, but it would be really worthwhile rather than navigating yourself on unknown paths.
Spend some quality time visiting the monastery, mixing with the monks & the students. You will get an insight of the simple lifestyle & culture of the inhabitants. If you are there by lunch time, you can have lunch at the monastery. The sight from the cave monastery along the entire valley is stupendous & you can find some time to meditate in the peaceful monastery.
On your return journey, take the Purne route. This is recommended since you would be able to cover both the routes. You can settle for the night at a guest house / homestay in Purne.

DAY 3

Post breakfast, start off from Purne for ICHAR. It is going to be a 7-8 hours trek.
Take a break at ANMO for tea / snacks. Proceed to ICHAR. You can engage the PADUM based driver to pick you up from ICHAR on Day 3. Alternately, drive back if you are on a self drive.
Enroute, you can visit the MUNEY and BARDAN monastery, in case you have missed it on Day 1. Ideally, you can visit BARDAN monastery on Day 1, while coming & the MUNEY monastery on Day 3 while returning to make the journey even.

IMPORTANT POINTS during PHUKTAL Monastery Trek

Ensure that you are acclimatized at Padum for at least 2 nights, before you proceed for the trek.
Carry 3-4 ltrs of water to keep yourself adequately hydrated.
Carry medicines like pain killers, spray, Diamox with you.
At higher altitudes, Sun is extremely harsh. So, please carry good sunglasses, caps, sun screen lotions, Vaseline / lip balm and woolens for the night.
Homestay options are available at ANMO, CHA & PURNE.
There is one guest house at the PHUKTAL monastery & at PURNE.
Food options would be limited to simple basic local food. There would be no restaurant OR dhabas enroute.
BSNL network is limited to Padum town only. Satellite phones are available at CHA & PHUKTAL to be in touch with your loved ones.