The Mangyu temple complex located in the village of
Mangyu, Ladakh is one of the earliest in
Ladakh
Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a Kashmir#Kashmir dispute, dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India an ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. Believed to be contemporaneous to the temples at
Alchi Monastery
Alchi Monastery () or Alchi Gompa (, also Alci) is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, known more as a monastic complex (chos-'khor) of temples in Alchi village in the Leh District, under the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council of the Union ...
and
Sumda Chun, the earliest structures are supposed to be dating to the late 12th/early 13th century but as per the oral history and local belief the temples were established b
Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Main temple complex comprise two early temples (Sakyamuni and Vairocana temples) situated adjacent to each other and two chapels, one each on either side of the temples, that house large images of two armed and four armed ''
Maitreya
Maitreya (Sanskrit) or Metteyya (Pali), is a bodhisattva who is regarded as the future Buddhahood, Buddha of this world in all schools of Buddhism, prophesied to become Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha.Williams, Paul. ''Mahayana Buddhism: Th ...
''. It lies 22 southwest of
Alchi Monastery
Alchi Monastery () or Alchi Gompa (, also Alci) is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, known more as a monastic complex (chos-'khor) of temples in Alchi village in the Leh District, under the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council of the Union ...
.
The Sakyamuni temple with a beautiful image of
Sakyamuni
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),*
*
*
was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...
on the North West wall is also known as ''Chenrezig Lakhang'' where as Vairocana temple with assemblage of sculptures on NW wall is known as ''Nangbar Nangzad'' and the chapels on either side are known as ''Chamba Lakhang.'' Another two important structures are early period painted chortens, one of them known as four image Chorten due to the four sculptures inside it. While the early structures are under the administration of
Likir Monastery
Likir Monastery or Likir Gompa (Klud-kyil) is a Buddhist monastery in Ladakh, Northern India. It is located at 3700m elevation, approximately west of Leh. It is picturesquely situated on a little hill in the valley, in Likir village near the ...
with one resident monk appointed by the monastery carrying out religious activities in the temples, a new temple built slightly above these early structures is under the administration of
Matho Monastery.
Unfortunately some of the wall paintings were lost and some were repainted in the past, especially those in the Vairocana temple. But still there are good quality authentic paintings at this site and at present Likir monastery is very keen to conserve them without any repainting/retouching which is commendable.
Video of Vairocana temple
Access and amenities
Mangyu village is accessible by motorable roads and is about 70 km from Leh, a journey that will take about 2 hours by cabs. Important monasteries and sites like Basgo, Saspol, Alchi are all in this route with minor deviations. There are bus services from Leh to Mangyu twice a week. Mangyu is at a distance of about 15 km from Alchi monastery.
In 2013 there were three shops in the village with various stationery items that include water, bottled soft drinks, tea, noodles, biscuits etc. There is a good home stay, Mangyu guest house, with three rooms, two with attached toilets.
Conservation
Architectural conservation of all the temples and chapels and conservation of paintings of Sakyamuni temple were carried out by the Architectural and Material Heritage divisions of the Delhi chapter o
Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage(INTACH). The project carried out in five seasons was funded by
Shinnyo-en
is a modern global Buddhist School for lay people. Its traditions can be traced back to the Daigoji branch of Shingon Buddhism. It was founded in 1936 by , and his wife in a suburb of metropolitan Tokyo, the city of Tachikawa, where its headq ...
.
See also
*
List of buddhist monasteries in Ladakh
*
Tourism in Ladakh
Tourism is one of the economic contributors to the union territory of Ladakh in Northern India. This union territory is located between the Karakoram mountain range to the north and the Himalayas to the south, and is situated at a height of ...
References
{{Reflist
Buddhist monasteries in Ladakh
Tourism in Ladakh
Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and temples in India