Hemis Monastery

                  History

Hemis Monastery is the one of the oldest and biggest monastert in Ladakh. It is located about 43km away from Leh, it on south-west of capital Leh on the left side of the Indus river.

When a Gotsangpa Gonpo Dorje came to Ladakh who was a saint of first Gyalwang Drukpa in the 13th century, 

It was not until the early 17th century that the Drukpa Kagyupa sect asserted its prominence in Ladakhi polity and religious life. This transformation was brought about by Stagsan Raspa Nawang Gyatso (sTag-ts‘an-ras-pa Nag-dban-rgya-mtso), born in 1574 and believed to have lived till 1651. His reputation as a 

An inscription found on a mane wall outside the main complex provides information regarding the construction of Hemis. The inscription was first translated by Emil Schlagintweit (1968: 183–188) under the title ‘Historical Document relating to the Foundation of the Monastery of Himis, in Ladakh’. 

After the death of Senge Namgyal in 1642, Stagsan Rasapa continued in a preeminent position, arbitrating the succession that led Deldan Namgyal (Bde-ldan-rnam-rgyal) to the throne of Ladakh. Stagsan Rasapa passed away on January 29, 1651 in Hemis. Soon after his death, chortens were constructed in his memory and in 1655 a ceremony of remembrance was also held in the gompa.

Hemis Arcitecture

The Hemis Monastery with its Tibetan architectural vocabulary is unlike any other religious structure in Ladakh.  The site fulfills most of the canonical requisites for building a monastery. ‘Examination and taking possession of the building site: One should seek out a place for building a temple in places that have the following: a tall mountain behind and many hills in front, a central valley of rocks and meadows resembling heaps of grain and a lower part which is like two hands crossed at the wrist’.

The monastery is imposing with chortens marking its sacred landscape and small monks’ quarters hugging the nearby slope.  The main entrance leads to a courtyard, a remarkable space surrounded by imposing structures 

The oldest part of the monastery, called the Nyingma Lhakhang, is at the back of the courtyard; attached to the lhakhang is the kitchen and several ancillary structures now empty. In the second phase of the construction, the Dukhang Barpa (Fig. 4b) and the Dukhang Chenmo—the main prayer hall of the monastery—were constructed. Both are double-storey structures with elegant composite pillars, and attached to them are the quarters of the chagzot (manager).

The roof parapet of the structure is defined by a broad band of red painted reeds coped with stone, and each corner has a large inverted bell-shaped structure that is golden in colour. Rectangular balconies (rafsal) and an expanse of stone masonry with small windows puncture the facade.

The space in front of the prayer halls is enclosed by an L-shaped two-storied structure called the visitors’ gallery. This space is designed for the festival to accommodate the large number of locals and tourists who visit to witness the unfurling of the special thangka and the dance (Cham). The space enclosed by the visitors’ gallery and the main monastery forms the courtyard, a distinct feature of the Hemis architecture with three large prayer flags, one each in front of the two dukhangs (assembly halls) and one in front of the quarters of the incarnate (Fig. 5). In recent years, the gallery has been redone and expanded with structures constructed at one end to house the museum and administrative functions. This has changed the original character of the courtyard.