Leh, January 28, (Scoop News)-Two days Spituk Monastery festival began with full enthusiasm and religious sanctity today at Spituk Monastery here in Leh. The monastic sacred performances today were witnessed by a large crowd of local as well as national and international audiences. The Red-Chapel of ‘Paldan-Lamo’ (also popular as Sri-devi among Army jawans posted here) was thronged by devotees lined up to pay their tributes.
Bureaucrats of Hill Council, Army personnel and representatives of different organisations also attended the famous winter monastic festival.
Situated approx. 8 kms south of Leh city monastery is named as ‘spethub’ meaning exemplary. It is said that when Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo, the great translator, came to that place he said that an exemplary religious community would arise there and so the monastery was called spethub / spituk (exemplary).
The principal statue at the 11th century monastery is that of Lord Buddha. Within this statue there is a finger sized sacred image of Amitayus, presented to King Tagspa Bum-Lde by the great Tsongkhapa.
On the 28th & 29th days of the Tibetan 11th month, monastic sacred performances by monks of the monastery are held which is observed by large number of people from near-by villages and national and international tourists. The incumbents of all these monasteries are the successive reincarnations of Skybsje Bakula Rinpoche.
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