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West of Lamayuru, the main road crawls to the top of Fatu-la
(4,091m), the highest pass between
Leh
and Srinagar
, and then ascends Namika-la ("Sky Pillar"), so called because
of the jagged pinnacle of rock that looms above it to the south.
Once across the windswept ridge, it drops through an Arizona-esque
landscape of disintegrating desert cliffs and pebbly ravines to the
wayside village of Mulbekh. The last sizeable Buddhist settlement along
the road before the Muslim Purki settlements around Kargil is scattered
around the banks of the river Wakha, whose glacial waters flow through a
lush carpet of barley fields peppered with poplars and orchards of walnut
and apricot trees.
A Former Royal Colony
Formerly an outpost of the Zangla kingdom of western Ladakh (the deposed
monarchs, King Nyima Norbu Namgyal Dey and his queen, Tashi Deskit Angmo,
still live in a four -storeyed mansion on the western outskirts of the
village), Mulbekh would be a sleepy hamlet were it not for the endless
convoys of trucks and tourist buses that thunder through while the passes
are open.
Chamba Statue
Those visitors who stop at all tend only to stay long enough to grab a
Chai (Tea) at a roadside Dhaba, and to have a quick look at the 7m-high
Maitreya ("Chamba" in Tibetan) statue carved from the face of a
gigantic boulder nearby. The figure is thought to date from the Kushan
period, around the time of the birth of Christ. Inscriptions found on the
side of the rock are in the Kharoshti script. A new small temple, which
partly obscures the figure, was built in 1975.
The Gompa
The
best place from which to view the bas-relief is the flat roof of the small
Gompa that partially obscures it. The single chambered Gompa dedicated to
the 1,000-armed Chenrazig, is decorated with particularly beautiful
murals. No entrance fee is charged, but the lamas appreciate a small
donation for showing you their twenty-year-old shrine.
Another incentive to prolong one's stay in Mulbekh is the two village
Gompas, perched atop a smooth 200 metre rock 1-km west of the Chamba
Statue. A steep flight of steps winds up to the whitewashed temples, one
of which is occupied by a small community of young nuns. Neither houses
any great treasures, but the views down the Warkha valley from their
terraces make the climb well worthwhile.
Gel
If one wishes to make more than a short pause at Mulbekh and to
experience a little of the local way of life then visit the village of
Gel. The small village, picturesquely situated
On a steep slope above the Wakha River, still lives in a bygone era.
Although it is only a few km from the surfaced road Indian soldiers rarely
come here and during a visit there time seems to stand still. With the
construction of the new jeep road to the Namika-la, the modern world is
now encroaching upon Gel.
Around 4-km to the east of Mulbekh on the road to Leh, lies the small and relatively new nunnery of Jangchup Choeling governed by Rhidzong which has a school and pleasant garden courtyard, and where rooms are available for women visitors.