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LAHUL
SPITI, the land of monasteries and mysteries of gods and deities is
the divine gift of nature on earth. The snow capped Himalayas
present a panoramic pageantry of exquisite creations of nature.
Located in the dizzy height of the Himalayas with passes that
 remain
closed for six months, Lahul and Spiti were till now a forbidden
land. Now this area has been opened to the adventurous people who
can have a glimpse of the magnificent valley;The
world famous ancient monastery located on the bank of river Spiti
offers a valuable window to Tibetan culture: Art and architecture
here are as stupendous as in Ajanta caves, The monastic complex
consisting of nine Shrines was constructed and renovated between 10
th & l5th century and an inner chapel suggests its foundation in 996
AD. The most important amongst these shrine is Dukhung. Here 33
stucco images of Buddha. Bodhisatvas gods and goddess surround the
central. figure of Vairochana. Every inch of the wall is embellished
with beautiful paintings which are as old as the monastery. The life
of Sakyamuni Buddlha is also elegantly depicted here. The gompa
also contains wooden images and a precious library of manuscripts.
Tabo was built before Alchi monastery of LadaKh, nevertheless, both
of them contain huge repository of contemporary Kashmiri art of the
11 th century. It also bridges missing links between artistic styles
of India and Tibet. The soft and tender expression of the figures
are the conspicuous influence of Ajanta.
 Tabo
is one of the few monuments where one can study continuous
development of Western Tibetan art from 11th to 2Oth centuries. It
goes to the credit of the Archaeological Survey of India, which has
been deputing its team of experts year after year to undertake the
challenging task of conservation of the historical monument.Some
scholars are of the view that some of the murals of Tabo monastery
are as old as the monastery itself. Others offering a conservating
estimate date the wall paintings to 5QO years back.
The
Tabo complex is surrounded on all the four sides by a high mud wall.
Of nine structures, all single storied, the biggest the oldest and
the finest is one called Duwang Lakhang. In this structure, the
spacious chaitya (hall) is used by monks for daily prayers. There
is no window but a small image of the four-faced Buddha Vairochana
is a magnificent idol and represents dharma:
chakra-pravartan
mudra. Behind the statue is a figure of Amitay Buddha seated in the
innermost sanctum.
Of
the stucco idols, one very magnificent is of bodhisatva Maitreya
seated on a high lotus seat.
The 5.21 metre high image represent future Buddha in paryanka sasana
and in dharma-chakra-pravartan mudra . The curly hair on the head is
an indication of the influence of the Gupta period.
In
the open courtyard around the built-up edifices, are seen a number
of stupas, which have been raised to house the sacred ashes (mortal
remains) of the Lamas who breathed their last while staying in this
holy place.
The
Tabo Monastery is a real trove of Buddhist Himalayan art and has
happily escaped ravages of time and the onslaught of invaders and
iconoclasts. It is a magnificent heritage with immense potential
awaiting exposure in the the time to come. By S.
Bhardwaj
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