Dhankar Gompa Buddhist Monastery at Spiti Valley; Gompa Village; Lahaul & Spiti District; Himachal Pradesh State; India. Photo Courtesy: Google Images. It is situated at an elevation of 3,894 metres (12,774 feet) in the Spiti Valley above Dhankar Village, between the towns of Kaza and Tabo. The complex is built on a 1000-foot (300-metre) high spur overlooking the confluence of the Spiti and Pin Rivers - one of the worlds most spectacular settings for a gompa. Dhang or dang means cliff, and kar or khar means fort. Hence Dhangkar means fort on a cliff. Dhankar was the traditional capital of the Spiti Valley Kingdom during the 17th century and has some features dating back to the 12th century. It was the seat of the early rulers of Spiti, the Nonos, who had the right to cultivate the government lands nearby and were required to keep the fort in repair. They also dispensed justice to the people and were noted for their harsh penalties until the British replaced them. Lha-od seems to be the local pronunciation of Zla-od, the name of a famous lama who was born in 1121 AD, according to the Reu-mig. Zla-od-pa would then mean a follower of Zla-od. He is apparently the founder or renovator of the monastery which now belongs to the Gelugpa order.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 18:11:36 +0000
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