Have you ever come across any mysterious Gurudwara? Have you ever seen any magnetic hill well known for its optical illusion?
Let’s not waste time; instead, we will continue our adventurous ride to Leh, which we started from Srinagar.
Wait! Our new readers might be curious about our journey till now. For them, do read our previous blogs on this Leh-Ladakh blog series.
In case you don’t know who we are…
We call ourselves Travel Freaks…
Coming back to our story, we were in Kargil, where we stayed overnight. It was pleasant weather in Kargil, something unusual in autumn as far as the locals were concerned. An early morning departure awaited us as we started from Kargil by 7 o’clock. We had our breakfast and lunch packed to have it on the way.
Another 200 km awaited us. However, this journey was too breathtaking and pleasant, as we had many stoppages.
Curious about the stoppages…..
Our first stoppage was at one of the Maitreya Buddha statues in Kargil.
1. What was so special about the Maitreya Buddha Statue?
It was hardly 30-35 km from where we started in Kargil; we came across one of the famous Maitreya Buddha Statues in the Kargil region. It was in the Mulbekh Village on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway.
The local people generally refer to the towering Buddha Statue as Mulbekh Chamba, about 30 feet tall. As we got out of our vehicle, a chilled breeze was blowing; we slowly went inside the temple, where we noticed monks praying. We were amazed to see the Buddha statue.
The statue reflects the Bamiyan Buddha, which was in Afghanistan until the Taliban blew up in the early 2000s. Additionally, the Buddha statue had four arms. One of the arms had a pot of water; another had a lotus; the third had a prayer bead, and the last was in a typical Buddhist posture.
The place was serene and calm. We chose to have a cup of tea before moving ahead.
There are two more Maitreya Buddha Statues in the Kargil region; one is the Khartse Khar Buddha Statue, and the other is the Apati Buddha Statue. Both are pretty old and you can also drop a visit there. We chose to go ahead as we had a long day ahead.
We hopped into our vehicle and our journey continued until we stopped at the highest point of the Srinagar-Leh highway.
2. How was the journey to the highest point of the Srinagar-Leh Highway?
The journey from Kargil, as we mentioned, was nothing less than breathtaking. It felt as if we were dreaming instead of travelling. In another two hours from Mulbekh village, we reached the Fatula Top, the highest point of the Srinagar-Leh Highway at a height of 13479 feet.
The view was something to which words can’t do justice. However, the best part was we had our breakfast at the top. It was something we would remember for a long, long time.
After starting from the Fatula Top, we reached the Leh region in an hour; we started with the first Buddhist Monastery of our trip, the Lamayuru Monastery.
As it was the first monastery that we visited, you might be eager to know……
3. How was the experience of the Lamayuru Monastery?
This monastery is atop a hill, just like other monasteries in the Ladakh region. The entry fee was 50 INR per person. As we entered the monastery, we could see the stunning landscape in the backdrop.
The monastery was founded by an Indian Buddhist Monk named Naropa in the 10th century. Legends believe that he meditated somewhere near the monastery. Apart from the folklore, the place has beautiful architecture, with some unique artefacts based on Buddhism. There were prayer halls, temples and stupas. Overall, it was a soothing experience to begin from the long list of monasteries.
It took us around an hour to explore the place before heading for our next stoppage. As we started our journey, we noticed the famous “Moonland” adjacent to the Lamayuru Monastery.
The name Moonland originated due to the hill’s topography resembling the moon’s surface. We took a few snaps as memories before moving ahead.
It was about 1 o’clock in the afternoon; we were starving when we decided to have our lunch. Our lunch consisted of regular rice, lentils and veggies to keep our stomachs in good shape. It was a 45-minute lunch break before heading to the “Sangam“.
Now, many might not understand…..
4. What does Sangam mean in Leh?
The place is around 80 km from the Lamayuru Monastery. It took us close to two hours to reach. The place is the confluence point of the Indus River, commonly known as the Sindhu River and the Zanskar River. Interestingly, we noticed two colours of the rivers merging. Zanskar River appears greenish and the Indus River appears blueish in colour.
Adventure seekers can also opt for river rafting, which is quite popular in the region. We got out of our vehicle, enjoyed the beauty, clicked a few snaps, and continued our journey.
Do you remember a question about a magnetic hill we asked at the beginning of the blog?
Yes, we will be stopping at the magnetic hill. But you might be wondering…….
5. Does the magnetic hill attract the vehicles?
Returning to our journey, we hopped into our vehicle at the Sangam and headed towards Leh. It took us hardly 15 minutes to reach the Magnetic Hill.
Well, as we got out of our vehicle, it had nothing to do with any magnetic attraction. Instead, the place offers an optical illusion. The road seemed to appear uphill instead of downhill, as any vehicle parked designated placed in neutral gear seemed to roll on its own. However, we noticed the road to appear uphill. We got out of our vehicle & our driver showed us this phenomenon.
We got back into our vehicle and continued with one last stoppage before Leh, the mysterious Gurudwara. Do you remember the first question we asked in the blog’s beginning?
Yes, we were heading for that Gurudwara. Now, you might wonder……..
6. What was so mysterious about the Gurudwara?
The name of the Gurudwara is Pathar Sahib Gurudwara. It was hardly 20-25 km from the Leh city. The Gurudwara attracts almost all the travellers passing the road. It was so beautiful that it was difficult to explain. Inside the main temple, there was a rock that we witnessed. On carefully reading through the history, we came across the fact that Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism, visited the Gurudwara. He reached this place after travelling across Nepal, Tibet and then to the Ladakh region to spread Sikhism.
One day, Guru Nanak Dev Ji was meditating, and a demon, troubling the locals of the region, tried to kill Guru Nanak Dev Ji by putting a large rock over him. To everyone’s surprise, the rock could not kill the great saint. Instead, the rock acted like a wax as it imprinted the back of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Since then, this place has been a must-visit for not only the Sikh followers but also for others.
There was a langar to have a free meal, and we noticed unlimited complimentary tea and dessert for all visitors outside the Gurudwara. We loved the ambience of the Gurudwara. After close to an hour, we continued our journey to Leh.
It was 6 o’clock in the evening when we reached our stay at Leh. It was at Fort Road, quite close to the Leh Mall. A fantastic journey finally came to an end that started from Srinagar.
Before we finish, you could also visit Likir and Alchir Monasteries if time permits.
After having a quick tea, we decided to explore the local shops before closing our day. The next day, we also had many fun-filled, exciting spots. Do follow us for the next blog.
Wait! We are not going anywhere without this last question……
7. What kind of help are we going to provide?
Let us inform you that we prepare itineraries not only for anywhere in India but also for Asia. We have been travelling since we were toddlers. So here in our blogs and stories, we will give you a glimpse of our journey and help you plan your trip.
Read about our Uzbekistan blogs.
Read about our Kazakhstan blogs.
Read about our Singapore blogs.
Read about our Vietnam blogs.
Read about our Cambodia blogs.
Read about our Bali blogs.
Read about our Kuala Lumpur blog series.
Read about our Sri Lanka blogs.
Read about our Nepal blogs.
Read about our Char Dham blogs.
Read about our Ladakh blogs.
Read about our day trip to Hyderabad.
Read about our Madhya Pradesh blogs.
Read about our Andaman and Nicobar blogs.
Do follow our Instagram handle @mindfulllofvacations and watch for the next destination story of a new place. For any query related to any trip, drop a mail at @mitkau007@gmail.com.
by mitkau