LAMAYURU (Cave at)
34.300000,76.766700
Description
The Tibetan Buddhist monastery Lamayuru is centered on a small meditation cave (note 1), which, formed in dark argillites, contains statues of Naropa, his teacher Tilopa and his pupil Marpa (HIRSCHBERG 1977, 1980, 1987: 102). ETYMOLOGY: Lamayuru (India Road Atlas, Eicher Goodearth 2006: 2 D3) or »Lammayuru« (BELLEW 1895 edited 1989, 2003 chapter 4), and »Lameeroo, properly spelt Llâma-eeroo, is do designated from the numerous Goompas and Llâmas found in it« (HERVEY 1853, 1: 210 note). SITUATION: Lamayuru (N34°18': E76°46' nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003) on AMS sheet NI43-08 Leh (U502 series, 1963 edition) is indicated the India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006: 2 D3) about 30 km (or so) south-east from Kargil (N34°34': E76°06') past Mulbekh (N34°23': E76°22') and just within Kargil district on the west side of Fotu La (N34°18': E76°43' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003). GEOLOGICAL SITUATION: The wide belt of the dark argillites of the Senonian (Cretaceous) Lamayuru Formation consist of black slates and silty shales while subordinate blue marly or calcareous, partly nodular layers or thin micaceous sandstones and quartzites are interbedded with slates (THAKUR 1992: 201). On the basis of fossil microfauna FUCHS (1984) considered the dark argillites as a Maastrichtian part of the Lamayuru Formation and constituting one stratigraphic sequence with the Shillakong Formation (note 2) and succeeding Palaeocene to Eocene beds. There is a marked difference in the sedimentary facies and foraminiferal faunas between the Maastrichtian of the Lamayuru Formation, the Maastrichtian of Northern Zanskar, and the Spanboth Formation of Southern Zanskar. The former represents the basin facies and the latter the benthonic shelf facies. BASSOULET et al (1981) discuss if the calcitc flysch (Triassic - Jurassic) of the Lamayuru area represent sedimentary klippes or elements of a remnant platform. DUCLUZAUX (1993d: 52) understood »Au Ladack [sic!], les cavités sont essentiellement religieuses : grottes de méditation dans des monastères : Taktak, Saspol, Lamayuru, Hemis …« but is carried away with attempting to disqualify the cave at Lamayuru by putting it in »régions non calcaires« (regions without limestone). SRIKANTIA & RAZDAN (1979, 1980) correlated the Lamayuru dark argillites in the Kangi Photaksar belt with Spiti Shale and Giumal Sandstone but the presence of Maastrichtian fauna does not support their interpretation. KELEMEN & SONNENFELD (1981) regard the dark argillites of the Kangi Photaksar belt as a continuation of the Kangi La Flysch. Since the latter is Campanian to Lower Maastrichtian and the former is post-Campanian, the two formations are not equivalent. Only the highest part of the Kangi La Flysch is contemporaneous with the lower part of the Lamayuru Formation. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1850: Mrs. HERVEY (1853, 1: 211) identified on Wednesday, 25th July, 1850) »Lameeroo« as »… an outlandish-looking place. The village appears rather large. Most of the houses are built on a particulary unsafe-looking rock; and I opine that the whole rock, village and all, will some fine morning imitate the objectionable example of the Gaddarene swine, mentioned in the Scripture, and rush head-long into the deep chasm -- yawning below quite ready to receive them. I perceived caves beneath the houses. There are good many trees about the place, but few (if any) fruit-trees« (HERVEY 1853, 1: 211). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1860: Captain William Henry KNIGHT (1863 Diary: 8th August 1860) and his anonymous mate »F« (no name mentioned) »… descended about three kos to Lamieroo [Lamayuru], without passing a single hut or village on the entire road. … Lamieroo, as its name would seem to imply, appears to have been a headquarters of the Lamas and their religion. It contains a curious monastery, or Lamaserai, built upon the extreme top ledge of a precipice of concrete stone, and at its base (some hundred feet below) the habitations which constitute the village are also perched on pinnacles of rock, and scattered about, often in the most unlikely spots imaginable. Entering the bason formed by the valley in which this curious settlement is situated, one opens suddenly by an ascending turn upon the whole scene, and anything more startlingly picturesque it would be hard to conceive. As the view appears, the first objects presented are a host of little monument-like buildings, which line the path and are dotted about in groups of from three to twelve or fourteen together. They stand about seven feet high, and, as far as we could make out from the natives, are erected over the defunct Lamas and other saints of the Buddhist religion, after which they become sacred in the eyes of the living, and are referred to with scrapings and bowings and "Um mani panees" innumerable. In the monastery we found twenty Lamas at present domiciled -- fat, comfortable-looking gentlemen they all were, dressed in orange-yellow garments, and not a bit cleaner than the rest of the natives, nor looking by any means more learned. Mounting the side of the bill, and passing under one of the red-ring pillared monuments, we entered the precincts of the monastery, and threading some very steep and dark passages in the interior of the rock, were received by a deputation of Lamas, with the salutation of "Joo, Joo!" We were then ushered with great ceremony into their temple, much to the awe and consternation of our guides, who apparently expected to see us as much overcome by the sanctity of the place as they themselves were. The temple we found a small square room with a gallery round it, from which were suspended dingy-looking Chinese banners, flowers, &c., and at one end were about twenty idols of various designs, seated in a row staring straight before them, and covered with offerings of Indian corn, yellow flowers, butter, &c. …« KNIGHT, W H (1863 Diary: 26th August 1860) stumbled across a »pig-tailed artist« painting a wall (rock art): »In the afternoon, while rambling about the crow's nests of Lamieroo, I discovered by chance a very curious temple in course of construction, and a number of Lamas and Zemindars [note 3] superintending the proceedings. The principal decorative work was being carried on by a Chinese-looking, pig-tailed artist, evidently not a local celebrity, who was embellishing the walls most profusely with scenes, portrayed in the purest style of pre-Raphaelite colouring. The figures in these had only been furnished with flesh-coloured spots where their faces were to be …«
NOTE 1: FILCHNER (1938 edited 1939: 330, photographs 87, 88) visited (October 1937) without mentioning any cave whatsoever. LONELY PLANET, India (1997: 351) mentions »Lamayuru« and it's gompa of the »Kargyupa order« but no cave. NOTE 2: The multi-coloured Cretaceous (Campanian) »Series de la Shillakong« (BASSOULET et al. 1978, 1980) or »Shillakong Formation« (FUCHS 1979, 1982) in Northern Zanskar consists of an alternation of white, grey, blue, cream, read and green limestones and dolomites and red, purple, green slates, phyllites and calcischists (THAKUR 1992: 201). BASSOULET et al. (1978) described an Upper Campanian fossil fauna from the Shillakong Formation south of Fotu La (N34°18': E76°43'). According to FUCHS (1979) the Shillakong Formation was deposited on a ridge separatig the Kangi La basin in the south from the Lamayuru trough in the north. KELEMEN & SONNENFELD (1983) argue in favour of a gradational passage from the Shillakong Formation into the Giumal Sandstone, Chikkim Limestone and the dark argillites of the Kangi - Photasar belt but FUCHS (1982) does not agree to this view. NOTE 3: »Zamindar, a landholder. Zamindary, (1) An estate; (2) the rights of a landholder; (3) the system of tenure in which land revenue is imposed on an individual or community occupying the position of a landlord« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 25: xxx).
Documents
Bibliography 07/04/2016- Bassoulet, J P ; Colchen, M, J Marcoux & Georges Mascle 1981; Bellew, Henry Walter 1875 edited 1989, 2003; Ducluzaux, Bruno 1993d; Filchner, Wilhelm 1938; Hervey, Mrs. 1853; Hirschberg, Helga 1977, 1980, 1987; Knight, William Henry 1863; Lonely Planet, India 1997.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | NAROPA, Lamayuru (Cave of) | ||
| 22.4 | KARAKORUM CAVE (de TERRA 1931) | ||
| 35.7 | NYIZLAPUG CAVES | ||
| 36.4 | SASPOL (Caves of) | ||
| 86.8 | THIKSEY GOMPA (Caves at) | ||
| 89.6 | PANAMIK SPRINGS | ||
| 782.5 | PANGU KHOLA SHELTER | ||
| 971.3 | Qizil Ming Öy | ||
| 1695.8 | TSAGHAN USSE GROTTO |