Tikse Gompa, Leh, Ladakh

LADAKH, the far-flung eastern corner of troubled Jammu and Kashmir state, is India's most remote and sparsely populated region, a high-altitude snow desert cradled by the Karakoram and Great Himalayas ranges, and criss-crossed by a myriad razor-sharp peaks and ridges. The highest concentration of monasteries is in the Indus Valley near Leh, the region's capital. Surrounded by sublime landscapes and crammed with hotels, guesthouses, and restaurants, this atmospheric little town, a staging post on the old Silk Route, is most visitors' point of arrival and an ideal base for side trips. Leh only became regional capital in the seventeenth century, when Sengge Namgyal shifted his court here from Shey, 15km southeast, to be closer to the head of the Khardung La-Karakoram corridor into China. The move paid off: within a generation the town had blossomed into one of the busiest markets on the Silk Road.

Ladakh's most photographed and architecturally impressive gompa is at TIKSE, 19km southeast of Leh. Founded in the fifteenth century, its whitewashed chortens and cubic monks' quarters rise in ranks up the sides of a craggy bluff, crowned by an imposing ochre- and red-painted temple complex whose gleaming golden finials are visible for miles in every direction.

Tikse's reincarnation as a major tourist attraction has brought it mixed blessings: its constant stream of summer visitors spoils the peace and quiet necessary for meditation, but the income generated has enabled the monks to invest in major refurbishments, among them the Maitreya temple immediately above the main courtyard. Inaugurated in 1980 by the Dalai Lama, the shrine is built around a gigantic fourteen-metre gold-faced Buddha-to-come, seated not on a throne as is normally the case, but in the lotus position. The bright murals on the wall behind, painted by monks from Lingshet gompa in Zanskar, depict scenes from Maitreya's life. For most foreign visitors, however, the highlight of a trip to Tikse is the view from its lofty roof terrace. A patchwork of barley fields stretches across the floor of the valley, fringed by rippling snow-flecked desert mountains and a string of monasteries, palaces, and Ladakhi villages. To enjoy this impressive panorama accompanied by primeval groans from the gompa's gargantuan Tibetan trumpets - played on the rooftop at the 7am puja - you'll have to stay overnight or arrange an early Jeep from Leh.

A metalled road cuts up the empty west side of the hill from the main highway to the monastery's small car park. If you arrive by minibus from Leh (hourly, from the town bus stand), pick your way across the wasteground below the gompa and follow the footpath up through its lower buildings to the main entrance, where monks issue tickets (Rs20). The last bus back to Leh leaves at 6pm. The village's Chamba Hotel (April-Sept; Rs150–500), run by the monastery,offers accommodation and flexible rates, with a good garden restaurant serving a varied menu from Tibetan food to pancakes.

Leh now has a good range of places to stay and eat. Some of the best and inexpensive places of accomodation are :-

Dragon Hotel	Green Land Hotel	Indus Guest House
Lbex Hotel	Kanglachen Hotel	Lharimo Hotel
Khangri Hotel	Lasermo Hotel	Omasi La Hotel
Old Ladakh Guest House	Paul Guest House	Oriental Guest House
Padma Hotelguest House	Saichen Hotel	Shambhala
Tisei Guest House	Saser Hotel	Shanti Guest House

If you are planning to visit TIKSE you can refer the LEH Accomodation Guide

Its a quite relishing place to discover the beauty of the barren paradise.....