Kargil
Excursions in Kargil
Shergol:
Another picturesque village of the Wakha River valley, Shergol is situated across
the river, right of the Kargil-Leh road. The main attraction is a cave monastery
which is visible from a far as a white speck against the vertically rising ochre
hill from which it appears to hang out. Below this small monastery is a larger
Buddhist nunnery with about a dozen incumbents. The village is accessible by
the motorable road that branches off from the Kargil-Leh road, about 5 km short
of Mulbek. Shergol is a convenient base for an exciting 4-day trek across the
mountain range into the Suru valley. It is also the approach base for visiting
Urgyan-Dzong, a meditation retreat lying deep inside the mountains surrounding
the Wakha River valley.
Urgyan Dzong: This meditation retreat lies tucked away in an amazing
natural mountain fortress high up in Zanskar range. Concealed within is a circular
table land with a small monastic establishment at its centre. The surrounding
hillside reveals several caves where high-ranking Buddhists saints meditated
in seclusion. At least one such cave is associated with the visit of Padmasambhava,
the patron saint of Tibetan Buddhism. The main approach is to footpath laid
through the only gap available in the rocky ramparts. Wakha Rgyal: Tucked away inside the picturesque upper part of the Wakha Valley, upstreams of Mulbek, Rgyal gives the appearance of a medieval settlement of cave dwellings transported in to the modern times with some improvements and extensions. The houses, neatly white-washed and closely stacked, are dug into the sheer face of a vertical cliff that rises high above the green valley bottom. From a far the village looks like a colony of beehives hanging from the ochre granite of the Cliffside. Mulbek Gompa: Perched atop a rocky cliff, Mulbek Gompa (monastery) dominates the valley. It is easy to see why in bygone times this site served as an outpost to guard the caravan route. Like all Buddhists monasteries it is adorned by frescoes and statues.
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