-Rinchen Angmo

There’s something very interesting about the Chhorten wing (side) of the Leh Palace. The balcony which provides a path for skora (cicumambulation) around the chhorten presents a world in itself. On one side stands the majestic Leh Palace, golden in the light of the setting sun. While Old Leh Town tumbles beneath in all its crooked beauty. And beyond that lies Leh city, an urban landscape. We often venture to remote parts of Ladakh to find beauty, but in our very own Leh are remnants untouched by urbanity. 

Moreover, the quest for beautiful landscapes in remote places of Ladakh leads to romanticism, and often makes one blind to the all pervading aesthetics and symbolism in our architecture and heritage. This realization dawned on me particularly because of the impact of the Chhorten at Leh Palace. 

The murals on the Chhorten (stupa) enigmatically compliment the clear blue sky. Almost as if the depictions on the murals were flying along the clouds in the cloudless sky. Perhaps the painted horses meant to fly in order to spread the message of peace from the tarshok (prayer flags). Horizontal prayer flags are known as ‘Lung-ta’ which translates to Wind Horse. Hence it was all the more beautiful how the horses on the murals were reflected in the prayer flags. Or maybe it was the horses on the prayer flags that gave energy to the lung (wind energy) of the horses on the murals. Maybe the existence of the Chhorten and Tarshok together stand as two symbols that compel us to understand their symbolism through one message: the need to look beyond appearances. The Chhorten and Tarshok are supposedly two different entities, but are they really?  

These remnants from the past seem to convey a message; not only of impermanence but also of the bewildering nature of time. Once the Leh Palace resonated both subjugation and reverence. Today it’s a beautiful symbol from the past; what the symbol means to each is a matter of perspective. But perhaps it’s somehow important that these and other symbols continue to mean something and engage our mind in some way or the other. For they hold meaning.

For instance, most Chhortens’ peaks uphold depictions of the moon and sun. Together they symbolise the co-existence of duality and hence a message for us to look beyond binaries. 

Every aspect of our culture and heritage upholds great symbolic value. Perhaps, it would help us and other sentient beings to be mindful of the treasures in this blessed land. 

Are we a reflection of our yul, or is our yul a reflection of us?