Basgo is situated
about 40 km west of Leh. The complex of buildings includes
a ruined fortress dating from before the 15th century,
two large temples and a small shrine. Presently, one
lama from the Hemis gompa is the caretaker at the temple.
The best preserved temple which situated at the highest
point, is the Chamba Lha-khang or Maitreya temple (Chamba
is the Ladhaki word for Maitreya, the Future Buddha).
It was built in the mid 16th century by Tshe-wang Namgyal,
of the Namgyal dynasty who ruled Ladakh. With the exception
of Alch, this temple has the oldest original wall murals
in Ladakh, dating from the 16th century. Entering the
Chamba Lha-khang temple, over the entrance you see a
portrait of Vajrapani (meaning "vajra-in-hand",
for Vajrapani is always shown holding a vajra).
Flanking Varapani below are the Kings of the Four Quarters
and above are Indra and Brahma on the left and Vishnu
and Shiva on the right. Below these are images of four
small guardian divinities. Below this are groups of
miniature paintings that reflect the royal dress of
Kashmir and the Mughals in the 16th century, as this
wall mural is original to that time. On the right is
a scene of Tshe-wang Namgyal, his two brothers and members
of the royal family with their servants. On the left
are scenes from the life of Sakyamuni (the Historical
Buddha). The left side wall has images of a seated Buddha
in the meditation posture, a seated Buddha making the
gesture of explanation, a painting of Atisa (and Indian
Buddhist who went to Tibet and became a great teacher
of Buddhism, dying there in 1054) and another seated
Buddha whose hand-gesture is not identifiable. On the
right side wall are Avalokitesvara, Padma Karpo, a 16th
century Buddhist scholar associated with the red-hat
sect of Buddhism, a seated Buddha making the Earth-witness
gesture and Vajradhara, holding a vajra and representing
the supreme Buddha manifestation of the red-hat sect
of Buddhism.
The
three main images opposite the entrance are a lovely
Maitreya (the Future Buddha or Buddha of Compassion)
in the center, flanked by Bodhisattva images. The one
on the right is making the preaching gesture and the
one on the left is making the gesture for generosity.
To the right of these images are paintings of Padme
Sambhava (an 8th century Indian teacher of Buddhism
in Tibet) and Mila Ras-pa (spiritual head of the red-hat
sect and famous ascetic). The Serzang temple (Serzang
translates as "Gold and Silver") located next
to the royal quarters is in a somewhat neglected state.
Its name refers to a Buddhist canon manuscript, partially
written in gold, silver and copper letters, which are
commissioned by Senge Namgyal, a 17th century Ladakhi
king. The main image in this temple is a two-storey
tall Maitreya and by his head are mural paintings of
Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa and Mila Ras-pa, historical personags
associated with the red-hat sect of Buddhism. The walls
are painted with Buddha figures. Volumes of the Kandsur
are on the left side of the temple. The Tandshur is
on the right. Both sets of volumes are stored in attractive
glass-fronted bookcases.
Another
small shrine is located off a courtyard one level below
the Serzang temple. This shrine was built in 1642 and
dedicated by a wife of Senge Namgyal, a Balti princess
named Zeze Khatunee, whose Muslim background caused
the Buddhist monks in Ladakh to declare her an incarnation
of Tara. This shrine contains a large image of Maitreya
(the Future Buddha or Buddha of Compassion) while the
wall murals depict various guardian divinities.
