Rocking Buddhas In Ladakh

Visits to the Three Maitreya Buddha statues in Ladakh’s Kargil District make for quite the expedition along the pages of history, finds Rangeet Ghosh.

- Rangeet Ghosh

Did you know Kargil was once known as Purig? Just like how hordes of tourists traverse its highways today, the region then was a hub for travellers and wanderers too—some of whom stopped by for commerce at this important trading post on the Silk Route. The place also boasts a rich heritage and culture, and happens to be home to plenty of tribes. In the 1980s, the region even started to attract environmentalists and entrepreneurs from all over the world. Embellished with pristine valleys, snow-capped peaks, glacial lakes and ancient Buddhist rock reliefs, there is little that stops Kargil from being a jewel in Ladakh’s crown.

The district is Muslim dominated (77 per cent of the population, according to the 2011 census), but not many know that there are a few ancient Buddhist relics here that may even predate Tibetan Buddhism. Among these are the three rock-carved statues of the Maitreya Buddha (or the Buddha who will be born in the future). Very few such relics remain in the world, especially after the Taliban destroyed the famous Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan in 2001.

When I visited Kargil for an internship project, I had to see them for myself. The task would require me to crisscross the district as the sculptures are situated in three different places—Khartse Khar, Mulbekh and Apati.

My first destination was Khartse Khar, a quaint village near Sankoo town (40 kilometres from Kargil) in the Suru valley. Excited and filled with both purpose and wanderlust, I put on my down jacket, wore my fleece gloves, and rode off on my Royal Enfield Classic 350.