Ladakh Diaries- Secret Lakes that are a class apart from Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri

The coldest night of our trip had baffled us in Pangong. With the temperature dropping down to -6 and no heater in the room had made our night's sleep almost impossible. Neither had we enjoyed the beauty of the lake completely the previous evening because of the cool wind. We had woken up with dreary eyes for some hot breakfast and loads of sunshine. That really helped us in moving forward.

First glimpse of Pangong Tso

Motorists photographing after their successful journey...

It was a very long journey- Pangong lake to Tso Moriri, about 300 odd kilometers with passes and more lakes to witness on our way. We had packed our extra meals owing to the remoteness of the route. Driving along the lake side we witnessed new colours and views of the lake which we earlier thought had never existed. From deep blue to turquoise green and sky blue, the shades never seemed to end. We had driven the whole length of 35 kms of the lake (which seemed never ending) that lies in the Indian border. Rest of it- about 100 kms is part of China.

The view that we woke up to in Pangong...

Pangong in the morning

Another view of the lake in the morning...

Another picture before we say Good bye!

Being a saline water lake, Pangong doesn't support any aquatic life. The occasional visitors are the migratory birds such as Bar Headed Geese and the Brahmi Duck. We did spot them on this stretch. When the sight of the lake was fading from our vision, there were the 'Umbu' shrubs that became visible. Their myriad colours ranging from deep red to yellow to orange was a stunning scene against the backdrop of the brown shades of high mountains.

A short stop that we had taken at Chusul to refresh ourselves with 'Lemon, Ginger, Honey' tea prepared us for the difficult terrain that was soon to follow. Happily grazing 'Pashmina sheep' were our part of adventure in a vast valley that we had hit later. They were different from the regular sheep with more silky and straightened hair and curly horns. After a thorough permit check at the check post we had started climbing up a 'pass'. Every hairpin curve we crossed, we were compelled to stop and take picture.

Pashmina sheep

Can you spot Pangong tso at the far end?

The entire stretch lay ahead of us, unperturbed by any human activity, with just one vehicle in sight.  This route to reach Tso Moriri through the Changthang valley is considered as one of the most beautiful and scenic in Leh. Even before we had descended the pass (Kaksang La), we were thrown open to a lake with Yale blue shade and a range of mountains behind it that resembled the colour of dark chocolate. The first glimpse of the lake took our breath away! At once I thought I had landed in Iceland having seen its' pictures on Instagram. But Yes! it's in India and it's for real. The stunning beauty of the lake may be very inviting but it's very difficult to venture out to go near the lake. The area is completely desolated and no roads lead to the lake. The only way is through a hike. And, do not be fooled by the picture that may give an impression that lake is accessible but from the road there is a deep drop. Turning back looking at the lake again and again was quite obvious as we moved ahead and started feeling the cool winds of snow clad mountains nearing us.

The secret lake...

Another view

A bumpy road that we had taken so far now bore a new look with fresh tarmac slicing the brown mountain tracks. The zig-zag patterns of the curves lead us to another beautiful lake called the Yaye Tso. A freshwater lake in the shape of an apple, Yaye Tso is a marshland visited only occasionally by yaks, sheep and horses. The dried yellow marshes around the lake makes it more picturesque. Though the lake accessible, it is a marshy area(and dangers of quick sand) so you never know where it's going to pull you down. Located in Hora La ('La' meaning 'pass'), this lake is no less beautiful than the others.

Yaye tso

Moving ahead we had driven along Indus river to reach another check post at Mahe and a small bridge. Next what welcomed us were the 'Umbu' shrubs again in various hues of red and orange that accompanied us for 2-3 kms. That's when we had reached our fourth lake of that day- Tso Kiagar. Drizzle of snow-clung mountains at the backdrop and the turquoise waters with yellow marshy area all around it makes it look serene. We see couple of horses grazing here that added to the beauty of my photographs. Blue sky, brown mountains, turquoise waters, yellow marsh! What more could we ask for, it was all there. And, that's where we had spotted a solo motorist snaking away- the second vehicle that we had spotted in this entire journey. So, it was just us and mountains throughout!

Tso Kiagar

By then, we had realized reaching the destination mattered little. We had seen such beautiful landscapes during the journey that reaching Tso Moriri was just for the sake of a place to stay. No sooner had we moved from the lake than we hit the plains of gigantic proportions. Everywhere we laid our eyes on there were just yellow coloured plains. We had gotten down from the car and had kept on circling around to take in the elated feeling we felt.

First look of Tso Moriri...

A closer look

View from our room

Tso Moriri in the morning

Tso Moriri was very near then. The lake looked prettier from a distance, as we approached the beauty seemed to have faded. Not that it wasn't beautiful but by then we had lot many lakes to compare it with. Again the evening cool wind had started its' trick not letting us spend quality time near the shore. We weren't disappointed either. We had gotten more than what we had asked for in this journey- less than 12 hours, memories of 5 beautiful lakes to hold on for a lifetime.

P.S. Picture credits to Mr. Hubby too!

Bibi ka Maqbara- Taj of the Deccan

Of the numerous places that we visited while in Aurangabad, Bibi ka Maqbara was last in our list (as S is not fond of visiting tombs). I solely wanted to visit the place because if its' name as 'Mini Tajmahal'. As I have not visited Taj Mahal, I did not compare this structure with the masterpiece so I must say it is a lovely stand- alone monument. 

View of the garden and fountains from the raised platform...

Popularly known as Taj of the Deccan, the construction of the tomb was commissioned by Aurangzeb for his beloved wife Dilarus Banu Begum. He wanted to replicate the Taj Mahal of Agra built by his father Shah Jahan but being stingy, he agreed to sanction only Rs.7 lakh that makes it to be a poor copy of the Taj. Though commissioned by Aurangzeb, it was his son- Azam Shah who completed the mausoleum in 1668.

We had reached the Bibi ka Maqbara premises (located in Begumpura) early in the morning to avoid the crowd (also we were heading back to Hyderabad in the afternoon). The entrance reminded me of tomb structure- Chaukhandi that I had seen in Bidar. Soon after the entrance, there is a very intricately decorated ceiling and leaf motifs on brass door. The Mughal styled gardens and fountains welcomed us as we approached the main tomb complex which is built on a square platform with four minarets in each corner. 

Motifs on the entrance door and decorated ceiling at the entrance...

Jaali work

The grave is placed below the ground with octagonal jali work surrounding it. Intricate lattice and stucco work can be seen around the main mausoleum. We could not spend much time as we were short of time so only took a few photographs before leaving. 

Stucco work...

Arches...mosque next to the tomb

Ellora Caves: Part II

Ellora caves are probably one of the largest rock-cut cave temples in the world dating from 600-1000 CE period. This post is exclusively dedicated to the 12 Buddhist caves found in Ellora. Read about the 17 Hindu Cave Temples in my earlier post here.

Moving from the magnanimous Kailasa temple, we had reached the Buddhist caves: Cave No. 12 being our first Buddhist cave to be visited thus. Cave No. 12 gave the impression of a three- storied (known as Teen Tal) dormitory with square-cut pillars on each floor. Unless one enters and peers into all the corners, it is difficult to find the way to get to the next floor. The Buddhist caves were simpler than the Hindu temples. They consisted of both Chaityas and Viharas. Chaitya was a rectangular prayer hall with a 'stupa' placed at the center. Viharas were the residences of monks. Cave 11 and 12 were the last ones to be built among the Buddhist caves; they depict Bodhisattva related iconography.

Cave No. 12

View form the third floor...

Cave no. 10 is one of the most important caves among the Buddhiat caves. Known as the Visvakarma Cave (one who accomplishes all) , this cave has one of the largest (15 foot) seated figures of Buddha. It is a chaitya hall which is also known as 'Carpenter's Cave' as the rock has been given a finishing of wooden beams. These give the impression of ribs of a creature. I made all efforts to click the most cliched images of the Buddha statue that I had come across whenever I had read about it. The hall has octagonal columns at the end of which is Buddha sitting in Vyakhyana Mudra (teaching pose).

Cave No. 10

Buddha in Vyakhyana Mudra

A playful squirrel kept us busy for a while outside Cave 10. having tasted ground nuts given by us, it kept following us and insisted for more.

A Vihara...

As we moved further, we were more awestruck by the backdrop against which these caves stood: the monsoon green hillocks through which little glistening waterfalls fell right in front of the caves. It added another dimension to the way we peered at the statues.

After completing the crucial caves of the Buddhist era, we had headed towards the main entrance where we would be taken in a bus to visit the Jain temples.