Shey Palace, Damkhar
About Shey Palace
History
Shey was the old capital of the upper Ladakh region. When the Dogras of Jammu invaded Ladakh in 1842, the Namgyals abandoned the palace and fled to Stok (they made it their permanent residence) on the opposite side of the Indus River. It is conjectured that the fort found in ruins, not dated, above the present palace at Shey, belonged to this period of invasion. Subsequently, when the political dictates necessitated shifting of the capital to Leh, even then the importance of Shey continued since it was a mandatory requirement of the Namgyal kings to father their heir apparent here.
Architecture
The main Shakyamuni Buddha statue in the monastery is a 12 metres (39 ft) icon covering three floors of the monastery. The walls on both the sides of Buddha display the 16 Arhats (saints who achieved Nirvana), 8 on each side. The wall behind the statue has the images of the Buddha's two chief disciples, Sariputra and Maudgalyayana. Almost every wall around the Buddha statue is painted with one image or the other. The giant Buddha as seen in the monastery is on three levels; the lowest level shows his huge feet and "soles pointing upwards" and a mural of Shambunath, the middle floor shows murals of the Buddha in different postures and the upper floor is darkened by the soot of the butter lamps that burn eternally at the altar.The statue was first cast in parts, in Leh, at a place known as Zanstin. ‘Zans’ means "copper" and ‘til’ means "hammer". The copper plates used in the statue were made from copper, collected from Lingshet mines and other villages of the Zanskar area. The plates from the copper ingots were made by hammering them on a nearby rock. It was first built in parts and then transported to the palace for installation. It is said that about 5 kilograms of gold was used for gilding the copper plates of the statue in the main monastery.On the upper floor of monastery, a number of beautiful wall paintings are displayed. The lower floor has a library with many neatly preserved manuscripts and is decorated with murals of Buddha figures in various mudras (hand gestures).About 400 metres (1,300 ft) from the palace, there is another small shrine built by Sengge Namgyal. This shrine also houses another large statue of Shakyamuni Buddha in a sitting posture. Here also, the murals and images inside are similar to the palace shrine. It is recorded that this statue and the other one in the main monastery were crafted by a Nepalese sculptor named Sanga Zargar Wanduk. He was reportedly brought here by Sengge's mother, Gyal Khatun, not only to build this statue but also the main statue in the palace. Paldana Shering Gyaso, Gamani Jal Shring and Nakbiri were other craftsmen who assisted him. It is reported that in an isolated village called Chilling the descendants of these craftsmen live and are now known for their craftsmanship in conventional silverware.The small shrine also depicts murals, which represent the 16 Arhats, original disciples of the Buddha, together with some of the renowned teachers like Padmasambhava, Atisa and Tson-Ka-Pa. Near to this shrine, two small Tantric shrines also exist. Close to this shrine, carvings are seen on rock spurs on the road to the palace. These rock carvings are of the five Dhyani Buddhas; one of them is very large and close to the palace while the other four are located close to a chorten. Also seen are many chortens to the east of the palace.At the edge of the valley, there is photong (official residence) of the Lama of the monastery from where there are scenic views of the Indus valley. The small palace is, however, dilapidated and is much smaller than the Leh palace. It is located below an abandoned fort. It has a golden chorten spire. But its importance is now more due to the Buddha deified in the monastery.Perched on top of the hill, the monastery commands panoramic view of the surroundings of Thikse, Stakna, Matho, Stok and also Leh.