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The Sangacholing monastery
The way to the monastery is stunningly beautiful. If
walking up that idyllic path is the Buddhist way to renunciation,
it is little wonder that Buddhism is so popular in these
regions. However, I should better add here that Pelling has more
Hindus than Buddhists. Here are some views of the surroundings as
we saw them on our way up.
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| Kanchanjunga again |
Our poor autofocus camera was confused about what to focus on amidst
all that natural beauty. Hence the slight blur in the picture.
Look down, and your view will go deep in the valley beneath.
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| View from the way to the monastery |
It's a pity that we cannot show you pictures of the monastery
itself, as photography was strictly prohibited. It was a reddish
two-storey building of the typical Buddhist pattern. A few
points, however, made it distinct from other monasteries I had
seen. First, there was a lot of Hindu influence. Quite a few
deities boasted four hands. The monks were performing some ritual
in a very boisterous manner contrasting harshly with the serenity
that one associates with the Buddhist religion. The many frescoes
on the walls depicted gory acts of violence, like goddesses or
demons devouring men. Upstairs there was even a statue of
some version of Shiva. The ambiance was generally dirty.
However, look outside from the monastery window, and nature
presents herself in all her
soothing glory.
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| From the monastery window |
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| Another view from the monastery window |
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