ICE STUPA ON 2nd JUNE, THE LADAKHI BUDDHA PURNIMA View Full Image

ICE STUPA ON 2nd JUNE, THE LADAKHI BUDDHA PURNIMA

According to the Ladakhi/Tibetan calendar today is Buddha’s birth anniversary and devotees pay a holy visit to all the temples and monasteries in Ladakh. I went to the Phyang monastery and then to the Ice Stupa to see how the ice was doing in June.

'The Ice Stupa and the trees... an eco system of sorts is developping around it...with birds, bees and insects... The Ice itself has receded well inside the shade of the bushes... But its still one storey tall... So any guesses how long this will go???''The 5,000 trees are becoming greener and greener...and birds are hopping from tree to tree...'

Although the Ice Stupa was ageing as expected, with the ice now well hidden and shaded under the bushes, what thrilled me most was… to find a kind of ecosystem developing around the ageing ice stupa. The 5000 trees were all becoming greener and greener and there were birds of several types hopping from tree to tree.

'A magpie in her mud house...''And the egg she was guarding/hatching... By the way madam, I happen to be a mud house builder too!'

The most beautiful was the solitary magpie that had made its mud-house in the safety of the Ice Stupa bushes. I spent some time marveling and taking photographs of the bird in the nest from a distance, so as not to disturb her. And whisphered to her… ‘by the way madam! I am also a mud house builder.’

Wish you all a very peaceful and happy Buddha Purnima.

SW