Thiksey

A lone horse grazing by the wetlands near the Tsokar lake.

Photo taken at the Thukje village.

The mountains of Chang Chemo range leading to the disputed Aksai Chin plateau.

The mountains of the Chang Chemo range on the far side of the Pangong Lake. The Change Chemo range of mountains lead to the disputed Aksai Chin plateau. The dispute over the control of the Aksai Chin plateau is the reason for the 1962 war between India and China when India discovered that China was building a road through the Aksai Chin plateau to connect its Xinjiang region with Tibet.To learn more about the mountain ranges and geography of Ladakh, check out the following Kettik article. Getting to know the Mountain ranges of Ladakh

Can you see it ? Rainbow over the Tsomoriri lake in Ladakh.

A rainbow was the last thing i expected to see on a sunny October morning in Ladakh. But this magical land is always full of surprises and this was a special one.I arrived at the banks of the Tsomoriri lake late on the previous evening and unable to find the way to the Korzok village, i camped by the lakeside. At 4400m, the night was slightly cold and windy and i had just a packet of biscuits for dinner. You might think that its a tough situation to be in, but i enjoyed every minute of it.The next morning i woke up to a beautiful sunny day and spent the morning basking in the warm sunlight. There was nobody around for miles and i felt that i had the lake all to myself. And if that wasn't enough, i spotted the mountains putting on a small welcome show for me with this beautiful subtle little rainbow.Its days like this that make you feel as if you are the luckiest person alive.

Guiding the flock home. Village scene from Hymia in the Indus valley.

A typical evening scene probably played out at every village in Ladakh everyday. Shepherds guiding their flock home through the fields of their village. This particular photo was taken at the Hymia village along the Indus valley.

A magical sunset scene from the Stok village in Ladakh.

Sunset is always a magical time in Ladakh with the mountain ranges throwing out various hues of yellow and orange light as the shadows slowly creep up their sides. This is a view of one such sunset from the Stok village with the Stok palace in the foreground.Photo Note: This is a perfect scenario for using a GND filter. But even with a GND (3 stop) the range between the lights and shadows was so great that i had to use 'soft' filters in Lightroom to balance the exposure.

Oh those piercing eyes. A Ladakhi portrait in the Indus Valley.

I love the captivating eyes and the warm smiles (you'll see) of the Ladakhi/Tibetan people. This photo was taken at a restaurant in the Hymia village where i camped overnight while cycling along the Indus valley. This kid was so fascinated by me, the he(/she) sat observing me the whole time i was at the restaurant. And, I in turn was captivated as well.

Mask dancers at the Thiksey Gustor festival.

A oracle dancing in trance on a ledge at the Thiksey monastery during its annual Gustor festival

Undoubtedly the most special moment of the festival is when the Oracle appears. A chosen lama is possessed by a certain deity during the day of the festival and he goes into a trance state. The possessed lama then answers questions put forth by the people regarding the future prospects for ladakh and the local village for the coming year. He is also said to sometimes answer personal question put forth by the public but puts on a "frenzied display of anger" when asked skeptical questions designed to test himWhile in the trance state the oracle also performs astounding feats of acrobatics like dancing on the end of a ledge high up in the monastery (sometimes blindfolded) and even cutting themselves with knives (they supposedly heals the next day when the lama wakes up in the morning).

A mask dancer taking a breather at the Thiksey gustor festival in Ladakh.

Drums and Paintings at the Thiksey monastery.

Monks playing the short trumpet at the Thiksey gustor festival in Ladakh

Thiksey Gustor

Mask dancers at the Thiksey gustor.

The ritual burning of the devil

Mask dancers at the Thiksey gustor.

Novice monks at the Thiksey Gustor

Monks playing the short trumpet at the Thiksey gustor festival in Ladakh

Senior lamas leading the proceedings of the Thiksey gustor festival in Ladakh

Local Ladakhis venerating before the oracle at the Thiksey Gustor festival.

Group of Ladakhis gathered in the crowd praying at the appearance of the Oracle during the Thiksey gustor festival in Ladakh.

Undoubtedly the most special moment of the festival is when the Oracle appears. A chosen lama is possessed by a certain deity during the day of the festival and he goes into a trance state. The possessed lama then answers questions put forth by the people regarding the future prospects for ladakh and the local village for the coming year. He is also said to sometimes answer personal question put forth by the public but puts on a "frenzied display of anger" when asked skeptical questions designed to test himWhile in the trance state the oracle also performs astounding feats of acrobatics like dancing on the end of a ledge high up in the monastery (sometimes blindfolded) and even cutting themselves with knives (they supposedly heals the next day when the lama wakes up in the morning).

The head monk overseeing things as the giant Thagka of Thiksey monastery is being rolled up.

Praying with a butter sculpture.

Cheeky Devils To Cheer The Crowds at the Thiksey Gustor festival in Ladakh

Granted, the festival proceedings can be a solemn affair. So inorder to lighten the mood they conduct performances where novice monks dressed as cheeky devils come out to work the crowds. They perform their own version of the dance: hop, skip and jumping from one corner of the courtyard to the other. Every once in a while, they go among the crowd to perform mischef, getting into mock fights with the audience and sometimes they snatch and run off with the audience's belongings like caps and snacks etc. All this is carried out in good sprit and works up huge bouts of laughter from the crowd making this definitely one of the memorable moments from the festival.

Face off... Between the good and the bad

Cheeky Devils To Cheer The Crowds at the Thiksey Gustor festival in Ladakh

Granted, the festival proceedings can be a solemn affair. So inorder to lighten the mood they conduct performances where novice monks dressed as cheeky devils come out to work the crowds. They perform their own version of the dance: hop, skip and jumping from one corner of the courtyard to the other. Every once in a while, they go among the crowd to perform mischef, getting into mock fights with the audience and sometimes they snatch and run off with the audience's belongings like caps and snacks etc. All this is carried out in good sprit and works up huge bouts of laughter from the crowd making this definitely one of the memorable moments from the festival.

Buddhist mask dancers entertaining the crowds at the Thiksey Gustor.

Buddhist mask dancers entertaining the crowds at the Thiksey Gustor.

Buddhist mask dancers performing during the Thiksey Gustor festival in Ladakh.