On Day 3 of our trip, we got ready by 8 a.m. with our bags all packed for the onward journey. Our last meal at the Angkasa Ladakh Resort, Leh was our breakfast. Our vehicles had come by 9 a.m. and after saying our goodbyes to the hotel staff, taking final pictures and loading our bags into the cars, we were on our way.
Our first halt was at a Gurudwara called Pathar Sahib. Guru Nanak had come here and had converted a demonic man who used to harass the local populace by using a gentle & compassionate approach. The man tried to crush Guru Nanak with a large rocs by sliding it down from a hillock when He was meditating below. The rock became soft on touching the Guru and did not harm Him. Seeing this, the man realised that this was a great soul and sought His forgiveness. Guru Nanak instructed him to be kind and serve the people instead of harming them. The man became a gentle soul after that.
This Gurudwara is maintained by the army folks and is on the main NH1 highway. We went inside and listened to the Gurbani bhajan for some time. Then we came out and had a cup of delicious tea that was being served at that time. After some customary pics, we boarded our cars for the next leg of the journey.
Along the way, we stopped at a place which is famous as the magnetic hill. Here, at a particular spot on flat land, the vehicles automatically move forward even though the engine is switched off. It is believed that this is due to magnetic force of a hill on the opposite side. We experienced this first-hand but didn't wait much here. Further down the road, we came to the confluence / sangam of the Sindhu & Zanskar rivers. It was a beautiful spot. Almost everyone tends to stop here and enjoy the lovely scenery. We too got off our cars and took many pictures. It seems that rafting is allowed here during the months of July / August when the rivers have more water flow.
Driving down further, we came across a lovely carving of the Maitreya Buddha on a small rock along the roadside. An inscription here said that this was carved on the first century BC and that this Buddha was the successor of Gautam Buddha. Maitreya Buddha means one who shows kindness to all fellow creatures.
Along the way, we came across the beautiful Alchi Gompa monastery situated at a high altitude along the road. However, we did not go inside as we were hungry and there were no pure vegetarian hotels nearby. After driving some distance, we stopped near a roadside restaurant and ate some of the snacks that we were carrying. It was cold and the winds made it even more chilly. After a short halt, we proceeded and finally reached Kargil by evening time.
Kargil is the second largest town of Ladakh situated at a height of approx. 8000 feet above sea level. It is also the second capital of Ladakh. With a population of approx 1.7 lakhs (mainly Muslims), it is sitting on the banks of the Suru river. We checked into The Kargil hotel in the heart of the town, surrounded by residential houses on all sides. The rooms were nice here even though the location was not. We freshened up and went for a short walk around the town. It was congested and not well maintained. We came back after some time for dinner at the hotel. Dinner was good. There was a South Indian chef called Raju Nair who went out of the way to make us feel comfortable.
After dinner, it was time to hit the bed as we were exhausted and tired after a hectic day of travel and had to catch up on sleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment