PADUM PHUG
33.466700,76.883300
Description
A space separated by partition walls into troglodyte retreat cells beneath a gravitationally dislocated boulder of at least the size of a two-storied Ladakhi house, is situated »near« (a little higher up the river, on the slope of the ridge towards the river) the rock art site (note 1) below the town of Padum / Spadum (note 2) in the Zanskar (Zaskar, Zangskar) River valley. FRANCKE (1907a edited 1998: 23) noticed »… caves underneath the boulder, which form several cells separated from each other by walls. These are evidently the last remnants of an ancient Buddhist monastery. But the cells are filled with earth almost to the ceiling, and it would be a grand thing if at some time they could be excavated. That this monastery was once larger is proved by two niches for beams above it.«
NOTE 1: The Tibetan Buddhist rock art site (deep relief, low relief) Gyalwa-rigs-nga (place of the five gods) is a 15 m high boulder. which HIRSCHBERG (1987: 220) places below Padum (Padam, Spadum) and about a kilometer north of the large suspension bridge across the Lungnak. NOTE 2: »Spadum« (FRANCKE 1907a) or »Padum« (LONELY PLANET, India 2003: 291, 318-319) is indicated as »Padam« near N33°28': E076°53' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003) on AMS sheet NI43-12 (U502 series, 1963 edition) and as »Padum« in the India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006: 3 E4) in Kargil district and at a travelling distance of 240 km along the road from the town of Kargil (N34°34': E076°06').
Documents
Bibliography 31/05/2016- Francke, August Hermann 1907a, 1998; Hirschberg, Helga 1977, 1980, 1987; Lonely Planet, India 2003.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.8 | NIMA OZER PHUG, Sani, Seni Gompa | ||
| 20.0 | TANTHAK PHUG | ||
| 23.0 | NAROPA, Dzongkhul (Cave of) | ||
| 23.0 | DZONG KONGMA, Dzongkhul | ||
| 27.3 | SHADE / SHADI (Caves near) | ||
| 36.9 | PHUGTAL CAVE | ||
| 44.6 | TILATSUMDO | ||
| 70.8 | KARAKORUM CAVE (de TERRA 1931) | ||
| 81.4 | THAKOOR DWARA (Caves near) |