Saspol Caves ( Gon-Nila-Phuk Cave Temples) are situated in the hills behind
Saspol
Suspol, also spelled Saspol, is a village and eponymous tehsil headquarter in the Leh district of Ladakh in India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by ar ...
,
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, which is about 76 km from the city centre of
Leh
Leh () is a city in Indian-administered Ladakh in the Kashmir#Kashmir_dispute, disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the WP:TE ...
. Paintings exist in five caves, two of them extensively damaged. One of the painted caves, that have been given a coat of lime wash and red paint in the exterior is the most visited and is considered as the main cave. The paintings of
Anuttarayoga Tantra
Classes of Tantra in Tibetan Buddhism refers to the categorization of Buddhist tantric scriptures in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism inherited numerous tantras and forms of tantric practice from medieval Indian Buddhist Tantra. There wer ...
(also known as Yoganiruttaratantra) in the main cave are very rare for the period of execution. These caves are under the administration of
Likir Monastery.
Dating the era
Very few early painted cave temples exist in Ladakh and these paintings date to the late 14th/15th century CE.
Preservation status
The caves, also known as Gon-Nila-Phuk Cave temples, are in danger of total collapse and were therefore listed in 2016 World Monuments Watch.
Rammed earth
Rammed earth is a technique for construction, constructing foundations, floors, and walls using compacted natural raw materials such as soil, earth, chalk, Lime (material), lime, or gravel. It is an ancient method that has been revived recently ...
fortifications can be seen on top of the hill near the caves.
Conservation
Art and architectural conservation projects were carried out by the
INTACH
The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is a non-profit charitable organisation registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
In 2007, the United Nations awarded INTACH a special consultative status with the ...
Ladakh Chapter in 2015 and 2016 in collaboration wit
M/s Art Conservation Solutions The project was funded in 2015 by the Prince Claus Fund and in 2016 and 2018 by the
World Monuments Fund
World Monuments Fund (WMF) is a private, international, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and training ...
.
Gallery
File:Ushnishavijaya Saspol.jpg, Ushnishavijaya
File:Manjushri and Maitreya.jpg, Manjushri and Maitreya
File:Amitabha Sukhavati.jpg, Amitabha in Sukhavati
File:Wall Painting in Saspol cave DSCN7057 5.jpg
File:Wall Painting in Saspol cave DSCN7083 1.jpg, Hevajra
File:Wall paintings of Saspol cave 20180216 113556 08.jpg, Avalokiteshwara painting and Manjushri & Maitreya painting
See also
; Tourism infrastructure
*
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 ...
*
Geography of Ladakh
Ladakh is an administrative territory of India that has been under its control since 1947. The geographical region of Ladakh union territory is the highest altitude plateau region in India (much of it being over 3,000 m), incorporatin ...
*
India-China Border Roads
Chinese Indian or Indian Chinese may refer to:
* China–India relations
China and India maintained peaceful relations for thousands of years, but their relationship has varied since the Chinese Communist Party's victory in the Chinese Civil ...
*
List of districts of Ladakh
The Indian union territory of Ladakh consists of two districts, with the intention to create 5 new districts announced on 26th August 2024. Each district elects an autonomous district council. Until 31 October 2019, the districts of Kargil and L ...
*
Siachen Base Camp (India)
Siachen Base Camp, 12,000 feet above sea level at Partapur, is a base camp of 102 Infantry Brigade (Siachen brigade) of XIV Corps of Indian Army which protects 110 km long Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) with at least 108 forward mil ...
; Borders
*
Actual Ground Position Line
The Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) divides current positions of Indian and Pakistani military posts and troops along the entire long frontline in the disputed region of Siachen Glacier. AGPL generally runs along the Saltoro Mountains ran ...
(AGPL), India-Pakistan border across Siachen region
*
Line of Actual Control
The Line of Actual Control (LAC), in the context of the Sino-Indian border dispute, is a notional demarcation lineAnanth KrishnanLine of Actual Control , India-China: the line of actual contest, 13 June 2020: "In contrast, the alignment of ...
(LAC), India-China border across Ladakh
*
Line of Control
The Line of Control (LoC) is a military control line between the Indian and Pakistanicontrolled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary, but ser ...
(LoC), India-Pakistan border across Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir
; Conflicts
*
Sino-Indian War
The Sino–Indian War, also known as the China–India War or the Indo–China War, was an armed conflict between China and India that took place from October to November 1962. It was a military escalation of the Sino–Indian border dispu ...
*
Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts
Since the partition of British India in 1947 and subsequent creation of the dominions of India and Pakistan, the two countries have been involved in a number of wars, conflicts, and military standoffs. A long-running dispute over Kashmir and ...
*
Siachen conflict
The Siachen conflict, sometimes referred to as the Siachen Glacier conflict or the Siachen War, was a military conflict Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts, between India and Pakistan over the disputed Siachen Glacier region in Kashmir. The conf ...
*
Siachen Glacier
The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range of the Himalayas, just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends in northeastern Kashmir. At long, it is the longest glaci ...
References
External links
The Painted Caves of SaspolFebruary 7, 2017, World Monuments Fund
Saspol CavesC.P.R. Environmental Education Centre, Chennai, Ministry of Environment and Forests& Climate Change, Govt of India
Ladakh
Caves of Ladakh
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