As the darkness envelops the towering three
storied temple adorning colourful victory banners, tassels, bright red canopies
and a golden pinnacle hundreds of earthen lamps give birth to soothing light
which grapples with the night. The hustle and bustle of the day has given way
to a surreal calm - the sound of drums, trumpets, conches and cymbals which
reveled with the morning sun has faded in the emptiness of the cosmos. The
chorus of chants which resonated in the halls of the monastery has been
swallowed by a vacuum. While sitting on the cool floor and beholding a red hue
bathing the golden statues of Buddha, Guru Padmasambhava and Buddha Amitayus
time stands still and all worries disappear into nothingness. A child monk in
ochre robes clutching prayer beads ambles gaily to the tranquil Buddha and gazes
at the peaceful face; breaking from a trance he then prostrates himself and
walks away humming. Here on the steps of
the Golden Temple in Namdroling Monastery, under a canopy of a starlit sky, the
magical silence is broken only by the hushed voices of a couple of young monks
enjoying a coca-cola. As the monastic town of Bylakuppe in Karnataka prepares
to fall asleep it compels me to contemplate this eventful day spent wandering
its streets.
Arriving in the dull town of Kushalnagar,
sitting on the highway from Mysore to the hill station of Kodagu, one is
pleasantly surprised to come across Buddhist monks dawdling through the market.
From here a lonely road threading green fields runs to the Tibetan settlement
of Bylakuppe known for the sprawling monasteries, Namdroling being the most
popular, and its jolly inhabitants. The Golden Temple, in the Namdroling
Monastery, houses huge copper and gold statues of Buddha, Guru Padmasambhava
and Buddha Amitayus which are filled with scriptures, relics, small clay mould
stupas and statues which symbolize body, speech and mind of Buddha. The walls on
third and second floors are colorfully painted to illustrate the life and
teachings of Buddha, great teachers and disciples of Dzogchen (body of
teachings and meditation practices of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism).
On the first floor the walls are covered with male and female deities - some in
wrathful forms attired in skins of living beings and bone armaments others in amicable
silk and white. Behind the Golden Temple and to the right, silver prayer
wheels, interspersed with giant red coloured ones, form a boundary which
ultimately ends in a row of pagodas.
Heading further along the road, in the
opposite direction of Kushalnagar, one comes across the civilian cluster called
Camp One offering authentic Tibetan crafts, paintings and cuisine. Close by is
the quaint Sakyapa Monastery with its golden and red heavy wooden doors, a
neatly laid hall with bells, heavy drums and trumpets. Behind the monastery is
a field where a thousand prayer flags flutter sending their message to the
heavens. Retracing the steps, strolling past a decent pond and following the
road across open country one comes to an intersection; taking a left here
brings one to a mish-mash of massive monasteries and colourful compact houses
with small courtyards and gardens. This settlement boasts of exquisite
monasteries like Sera Jey, Sera Mey, Sera Lachi and Serpom. The artwork in the
Sera Jey focuses on the life of Buddha – conception, birth, renunciation,
enlightenment, teaching dharma and the deed of passing away – and houses
paintings of all the Dalai Lamas. During prayer hours the halls, drowning in
incense smoke, come alive with the crash of cymbals and gongs accompanied with
guttural chants. Other interesting murals in these monasteries are of the Four
Guardian Kings of north (Vaisravana), west (Virupaksha), east (Dhritrashtra)
and south (Virudhaka) which grace the walls of the porches. The walls also
depict the Three Roots and tantric practices of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
In the evening when the sun transforms
itself into a big ball of orange hundreds of monks gather in the courtyards of
these monasteries to indulge in the Tibetan tradition of debate. It usually
involves a couple of people, one standing who asks a question and the other
seated who answers them – the end of a question is often punctuated with a
clap. Buddhist temples are inherently bastions of peace and sobriety where
troubled minds can find solace and Bylakuppe is no different. Add to this the
opportunity to experience the life in a monastery up close complimented with
delicious Tibetan food makes Bylakuppe an ideal destination for travelers
aiming to relish different cultures. And I can assure you that listening to the
clamour of claps emanating from the monasteries in the backdrop of the setting
sun will cleanse the trepidations of an urbane life and rekindle a naïve sense
of joy – if only for a little while!
Overseas
tourists are not allowed to stay in Bylakuppe without a Protected Area Permit.
Visitors can stay in Kushalnagar and make a day trip to Bylakuppe. In Bylakuppe
accommodation is available in Namdroling Monastery, Sera Monastery and Paljor Dargye
Ling Hotel located near Namdroling Monastery. For information on getting a
Protected Area Permit please visit http://www.palyul.org/eng_resources_visit.htm.
Written by
Deeptangan Pant
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