Delhi – Shimla – Narkanda – Village Farmhouse – Manali – Mandi – Palampur – Dharamsala/Mcleod Ganj – Jammu– Leh – Alchi – Leh – Hemis Festival – Delhi
From Delhi we set out by a morning train and the World Heritage Toy Train for Shimla, the quaint, former British summer capital of India where we stroll along the Mall and soak in the atmosphere of the bygone British Raj.
Then we drive into stunning Himalayan valleys. Archaic forms of Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism combined with a unique culture flourish in these valleys. The gods and goddesses are still powerful in these places where ancient nature spirits live under venerable trees. We drive over the forested Jalori Pass (3000 meters)and spend two nights in a charming farmhouse lodge.
We drive into the Kullu Valley, here slate-roofed, cedar-timbered Hindu temples overlook villages and vast terraced patchworks of rice paddies and cornfields. We visit a wonderful 9th-century stone Shiva temple. Groups of villagers playing kettledrums and massive curved brass brass horns carry their gods on shoulder-borne palanquins to festivals and to visit neighboring deities in this "Valley of the Gods." The valley is lush, with towering cliffs, virgin forests, powerful rivers and waterfalls pouring out of the mountains.
Heading into the Kangra Valley we overnight in Mandi, an old capital, at the maharaja's palace and spend two days at the Maharaja of Kashmir's summer palace in Palampur.
At Dharamsala/McLeod Ganj, the Dalai Lama established his residence after fleeing Chinese-occupied Tibet. Here, with the hospitality and generosity of the Indian government, a mini-Tibet flourishes. Tibetan Buddhist monasteries have been reestablished; refugee monks, nuns and lay people practice their religion and traditional crafts and trades; a Tibetan government-in-exile functions; a Tibetan hospital, medical and astrological research and training institutes, a university, library, archive, and a handicraft training and production center thrive. Monks and nuns stroll the streets; Tibetan Buddhist temples, stupas, colorful prayer flags and rows of prayer wheels punctuate the scene. All this of course is centered on the person and office of the Dalai Lama, just as life had been in old Tibet. And appropriately, his residence, office and temple are situated right in the heart of McLeod Ganj. A hub of spiritual activity, there are daily services in the temple and in the evenings students fervently debate doctrines of Buddhist philosophy.
We drive from Dharamsala to Jammu for our flight to Leh, Ladakh.
Leh, the principal city of Ladakh, still has the feeling of an age-old Central Asian trading center. Here caravans came and traded the riches they brought from all parts of Asia and the Himalayas.
On a promontory overlooking the town stands the imposing palace of the Ladakhi kings. Its design was the model for the Potala, the palace of the Dalai Lamas in Lhasa. Above it, at the top of a small peak, is the original fort, and a small temple housing wonderfully wrought divine protector images of fierce mien, guardians of the kingdom.
The Alchi temples, set in a grove of ancient willow trees, contain monumental statues of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, each one a masterpiece. The temple’s walls and the robes of the statues are richly painted in a style that vanished a thousand years ago and are among the few surviving examples of northern Mahayana Buddhist art. We’ll visit other Buddhist monasteries in the Indus valley, including Thiksey, Ladakh’s largest, with dozens of whitewashed buildings spilling down a hillside, where hundreds of monks are in residence and Hemis for its spectacular festival.
The Hemis Gompa is the biggest monastery in Ladakh. Located 45 Km to the south of Leh, Hemis Gompa was built in 1630 and houses monks of the Brokpa or Red Hat sect. Hemis Tse-Chu Lama Festival: Sacred mask dances are performed by the lamas of Hemis. The festival commemorates the anniversary of Padmasambhava, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism. The masks and costumes represent the guardian deities of the Drug-pa order of which Hemis is the leading monastery in Ladakh. The dance drama depicts the magical feats of Padmasambhava. The Hemis Festival also includes a vibrant bazaar.
Trip Dates 4 - 26 June 2010
“My trip with you replays itself in my mind quite often and makes me more eager every day to go back to India. I have been on quite a few tours and trips, many purported to be "educational" about history and culture of an area. None of them came close to yours. In the end, the leaders of the tour are the key to the experience.” Barbara McDonald
“Simply cannot wait to put on my India travel shoes again and, best of all, experience the wonders with you two at my side.” Margrit Vogt
Notes:
Airfare is included in the tour price.
Prices:
- $5500 per person based on double occupancy and a group size of 8-10 members
- $1000 for single supplement.
Price Includes:
- All accommodation with attached bath
- Meals (Breakfast, lunch and dinner)
- Entrance fees
- Flights included from Jammu to Leh and Leh to Delhi
- Airport transfers
- One morning train journey in a/c chair car and Heritage toy train to Shimla; road travel in a/c luxury SUVs.
Also see tour packages in:
Asia
India
Local Culture
Cultural Journey
Festival Tours
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