Shey Monastery And Palace-Leh Ladakh#Tour#Travel guide#india.

#sheymonastery, #ladakh #palace #monastery The Shey Monastery or Gompa and the Shey Palace complex are structures located on a hillock in Shey, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the south of Leh in Ladakh, northern India 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. Shey was the old capital of the upper Ladakh region. When the Dogras of Jammu 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. It is conjectured that the fort found in ruins, not dated, above the present palace at Shey, belonged to this period of invasion. Shey Monastery is located in the upper Indus Valley, just 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) east of the modern capital of Ladakh, Leh. The Zanskar range of hills is on its southern side in the fertile Indus River valley. It has an average elevation of 11,204 feet (3,415 m) 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 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) 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 main Shakyamuni Buddha statue in the monastery is a 12 metres (39 ft) 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, collected from Lingshet mines and other villages of the Zanskar 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. 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 corresponding to July or August month of the Gregorian calendar. 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 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 #leh #sheypalace #travel #ladakh #india,shey palace,monastery,ladakh,beauty #tibet #lifestyle #tourism #monastery,land of high passes,palace,holiday,history,startafire #hell #helltrylogy,#lehladakh #shey #ladakhdiaries #traveldiaries,place,#traveldiaries #ladakhtourism #jammuandkashmir,khardungla,nubravally,leh,shey,yoga,china,hindu,kargil,redwine,kashmir,freetour,biketour,yogatraveler,war,pass,tour,drass,hills,punjab,cartour,traveltips,#abbottabad #giantquote #wine #nature #thiksey,fun