ASI comes to rescue of 1,000-year-old antiquities in Ladakh monasteries

AGRA: Following the request of Tibetan monks (lamas) for conservation of more than 1,000-year-old murals and other antiquities in 13 monasteries of Ladakh, the central government has assigned the duty to Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) science branch to carry out the preservation work.
MK Bhatnagar, superintending archaeologist (science), Agra, who is part of the expert team, said that a two-day workshop of lamas and local authorities on this subject is being organized on August 31 and September 1.
VK Saxena, director (science), ASI Dehradun, said the monasteries in Leh have a rich collection of antiquities like manuscripts, tangkhas (painting on textiles) and murals which can be compared with those found in the caves of Ajanta in Maharashtra.
ASI officials said that Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama had visited Leh on August 1 to oversee the progress. “Through the workshop, we will provide training to local priests in preserving antiquities. Our team will be able to carry out conservation work only between June and September owning to climatic conditions there,” said Saxena.
The 13 structures that will be looked after by the ASI team include monasteries in Lamayuru, Lakir and Alchi, gonpas in Phyang, Hamis and Thikshey, besides the ancient palace in Leh, the old castle on Tsemo Hill, the stupa in Tisserru, the ancient palace and shrine in Shey and the shrine of four lords Gon-Khang on Tsemo Hill.
The Thiksey monastery of Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhists is the largest one in central Ladakh and is also known as ‘Mini Potala’ of India as it is famous for its architecture and resembles the Potala Palace in Lhasa.
On the other hand, the Hamis monastery, which was built in 1630, has rich wall stones that are decorated and painted with religious figures. The monastery also houses a major library of Tibetan stylebooks and has an impressive collection of thangkas, gold statues and stupas embedded with precious stones.
“All these monasteries are unique in their own way. We will teach monks how to preserve the years old antiquities. The department is also ready to do the conservation work on their manuscripts,” said Bhatnagar.