Shey Monastery or
Gompa or the Shey Palace are complex structures located on a hillock in
Shey, to the south 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 ...
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 ...
, northern
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 ...
on the Leh-Manali road. Shey was the summer capital of Ladakh in the past. It contains a huge Shakyamuni Buddha statue. It is the second largest Buddha statue in Ladakh.
The original palace, now in ruins, was built near the Shey village by
Lhachen Palgyigon, the king of Ladakh (then called
Maryul
Maryul (), also called ''mar-yul'' of ''mnga'-ris'', was the western-most Tibetan kingdom based in modern-day Ladakh and some parts of Tibet. The kingdom had its capital at Shey.
The kingdom was founded by Lhachen Palgyigon, during the rule ...
), in the 10th century. The Moghul noble
Mirza Haidar Dughlat stayed here during his invasion of Ladakh in the 16th century.
The current Shey Palace and Monastery were also built in 1655 on the instructions of
Deldan Namgyal, in the memory of his late father,
Sengge Namgyal, below the first palace. The monastery is noted for its giant copper with gilded gold statue of a seated
Shakyamuni Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),*
*
*
was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ...
. The statue is so named since Buddha was the sage (muni) of the
Sakya people who resided in the
Himalayan foothills and their capital was
Kapilvastu. It is said to be the second largest such statue in Ladakh.
History

Shey was the old capital of the upper Ladakh region. When the
Dogra
__NOTOC__
Dogras, or Dogra people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic community of Pakistan and India.
Dogra, Dogras or Dogri may also refer to:
* Dogra dynasty, a Hindu dynasty of Kashmir
* Dogri language, a language spoken by Dogras and other ethnic commu ...
s of
Jammu
Jammu () is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute ...
invaded Ladakh in 1842, the Namgyals abandoned the palace and fled to
Stok (they made it their permanent residence) on the opposite side of the
Indus River
The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayas, Himalayan river of South Asia, South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northw ...
. It is conjectured that the fort found in ruins, not dated, above the present palace at Shey, belonged to this period of invasion.
Subsequently, when the political dictates necessitated shifting of the capital to Leh, even then the importance of Shey continued since it was a mandatory requirement of the Namgyal kings to father their heir apparent here.
Geography and visitor information
Shey Monastery is located in the upper Indus Valley
The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans- Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northwest through the disp ...
, just east of the modern capital of Ladakh, 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 ...
. The Zanskar range of hills is on its southern side in the fertile Indus River valley. It has an average elevation of .
Shey is located on the road from Leh to Thikse Monastery. Many monasteries, stupas and rock carvings can be seen on this road. It can be approached by trekking from Thiksey and the path is known as: "for having Ladakh's biggest chorten fields with hundreds of whitewashed shrines of varying sizes scattered across the desert landscape."[
The nearest airport is at Leh. Special permission is essential to visit the monastery, as only one lama resides here and the inner sanctum is usually closed.][ On a lane, opposite to the Shey palace there is a hotel for visitors, which is surrounded by flowered gardens.][
]
Architecture
The main Shakyamuni Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),*
*
*
was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ...
statue in the monastery is a icon covering three floors of the monastery.[ The giant Buddha as seen in the monastery is on three levels; the lowest level shows his huge feet and "soles pointing upwards" and a mural of Shambunath, the middle floor shows murals of the Buddha in different postures and the upper floor is darkened by the soot of the butter lamps that burn eternally at the altar.][
The statue was first cast in parts, in Leh, at a place known as Zanstin. 'Zans' means "copper" and 'til' means "hammer". The copper plates used in the statue were made from ]copper
Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
, collected from Lingshet mines and other villages of the Zanskar
Zanskar, Zahar (locally) or Zangskar, is the southwestern region of Kargil district in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. The administrative centre of Zanskar is Padum. Zanskar, together with the rest of Ladakh, was briefly a part of the kin ...
area. The plates from the copper ingots were made by hammering them on a nearby rock. It was first built in parts and then transported to the palace for installation. It is said that about 5 kilograms of gold was used for gilding the copper plates of the statue in the main monastery.[
On the upper floor of monastery, a number of beautiful wall paintings are displayed. The lower floor has a library with many neatly preserved manuscriptsBuddhist Art]
Frontline Magazine, pg 78, 13–26 May 1989 and is decorated with murals of Buddha figures in various mudras
A mudra (; , , "seal", "mark", or "gesture"; ) is a symbolic or ritual gesture or pose in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. While some mudras involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers.
As well as being spiritual ges ...
(hand gestures).
About from the palace, there is another small shrine built by Sengge Namgyal. This shrine also houses another large statue of Shakyamuni Buddha in a sitting posture. Here also, the murals and images inside are similar to the palace shrine. It is recorded that this statue and the other one in the main monastery were crafted by a Nepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
ese sculptor named Sanga Zargar Wanduk. He was reportedly brought here by Sengge's mother, Gyal Khatun, not only to build this statue but also the main statue in the palace. Paldana Shering Gyaso, Gamani Jal Shring and Nakbiri were other craftsmen who assisted him. It is reported that in an isolated village called Chilling the descendants of these craftsmen live and are now known for their craftsmanship in conventional silverware.
The small shrine also depicts murals, which represent the 16 Arhats
In Buddhism, an ''Arhat'' () or ''Arahant'' (, 𑀅𑀭𑀳𑀦𑁆𑀢𑁆) is one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved ''Nirvana'' and has been liberated from the endless cycle of rebirth.
The unde ...
, original disciples of the Buddha, together with some of the renowned teachers like Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava ('Born from a Lotus'), also known as Guru Rinpoche ('Precious Guru'), was a legendary tantric Buddhist Vajracharya, Vajra master from Oddiyana. who fully revealed the Vajrayana in Tibet, circa 8th – 9th centuries... He is consi ...
, Atisa and Tson-Ka-Pa. Near to this shrine, two small Tantric shrines also exist. Close to this shrine, carvings are seen on rock spurs on the road to the palace. These rock carvings are of the five Dhyani Buddhas; one of them is very large and close to the palace while the other four are located close to a chorten. Also seen are many chortens to the east of the palace.[
At the edge of the valley, there is ''photong'' (official residence) of the Lama of the monastery from where there are scenic views of the Indus valley. The small palace is, however, dilapidated and is much smaller than the Leh palace. It is located below an abandoned fort. It has a golden chorten spire. But its importance is now more due to the Buddha deified in the monastery.][
Perched on top of the hill, the monastery commands panoramic view of the surroundings of Thikse, ]Stakna
Stakna is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh, India, on the banks of the Indus River. The Stakna Monastery is located there.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census of India, Stakna has 88 households. The effective literacy rate (i.e. ...
, Matho, Stok and also Leh.[
]
Worship
The offerings placed for worship in front of the deities in the sanctum are grain, jewels, holy signs and with mantars (holy chants inscribed inside it.[
A number of butter lit lamps are placed in the shrine, which burn perpetually over a full year and are then replaced to continue the flame without interruption. It is a symbolic significance of the divinity and purity of the shrine.][
]
Festivals
There are two seasonal festivals held here every year. The first festival is held at Shey Palace on the 26th and 27th day of the first month of the Tibetan calendar
The Tibetan calendar (), or the Phukpa calendar, known as the ''Tibetan lunar calendar'', is a lunisolar calendar composed of either 12 or 13 lunar months, each beginning and ending with a new moon. A thirteenth month is added every two or three y ...
corresponding to July or August month of the Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...
. This festival is called "Shey Doo Lhoo" to mark the beginning of the sowing season. The two day monastic celebration is marked by special rituals performed by the monks in the main monastery, in addition to several other religious rites. Villagers throng to the monastery in large numbers in a spirit of celebration and hope. During this festival, an oracle
An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divination.
Descript ...
reader who visits the monastery on a horse back, conducts a three-day prayer, and then goes into trance. In this state of trance, he is said to give prophesies.[
The second festival is called the "Shey Rupla" and marks the harvesting season. On this occasion farmers offer the first fruits of the corn at the monastery. A dance called the "Rhupla dance" is performed by two men in tiger costumes. Other forms of folk dances are also performed. Two soothsayers also visit the festival and give out oracles.]
There is a belief that women without children offer special prayers here to Buddha seeking blessings to beget children.[
]
Funerals
Close to the palace is the funeral ground. The dead are carried in a chair after due rites are performed at home. The body is placed on a sedan chair
The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the el ...
and carried to the funeral ground in a procession of lamas and the common people of the village. The chair is then laid in a "tubular walled oven", as prayers are chanted. The ashes are later scattered in the river.
See also
* List of buddhist monasteries in Ladakh
* Geography of Ladakh
* Tourism in Ladakh
* World Monuments Fund
References
Bibliography
*
**
**
*
External links
Video clip of Shey Monastery
{{Buddhist monasteries in Ladakh
Palaces in Ladakh
Buddhist monasteries in Ladakh
Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and temples in India
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1655
1655 establishments in Asia