Nida Rangjoin Phug

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A short distance downstream of the confluence of Melamchi Khola and Indravati river, the small town of Melamchi / Melamchi Gyang / Melamchigaon rests at 2550 metres a.s.l. above the right (western) bank of Indrawati at 1776 m a.s.l. below. At the forest edge above the gompa of Melamchigaon, where the fields meet the forest called sgrub phug-banne (pronounced: dru-fug-banne), a sacred place called 'Cave of the self created Sun and Moon' is said to have been generated by Guru Rinpoche, the lotus-born –>Padmasambhava. Above the forest and the cave towers Jo Chati (4260 m .s.l.), father mountain and protector of the land. The cave consists of a large of a rock measuring about 10 by 6 metres in width and approximately 1.5 metres in thickness. This huge slab of stone is perched on top of some boulders, while its back merges into the hill slope and is covered by debris. Somehow, the structure resembles a megalithic site, though its more likely to originate from rockfall.A stone wall surrunds the 12 by 12 metres covering compound, creating a quiet, shady enclosure. The gate is usually kept locked, and a nearby resident is caretaker and key keeper. Attached to the walled in cave with a locked dor and window, there is a small concrete roofed building, that once upon the time served as a kitchen and store room for a lama in retreat. The altar is old, and evidently once elaborate, but an aura of age and disuse has settled over the images like a blanket of time. Shafts of light coming in from the door illuminate specs of dust swirling through the air and reveal several tumbled butter lamps and the stumps of old candles. The wooden base board is cracked and chewed by mice and the frescoes on the wall have faded to an almost indistinguishable shade of grey.The images, however, look freshly disted and sveral new katas are tossed haphazardly around the central figure of Guru Rimpoche. In addition to the four images flanking Guru Rimpoche is an unusual image of the Sakyamuni Budha set into the right side wall at a 45 degree angle to the final image of Channa Dorje. Several tsha tsha offerings litter the floor and the spaces around the images.BAKER (1994: 30): Despite the air of disuse and neglect that permeates the cave, there still lingers a calm presence that pulls scattered thoughts and ideas into focus, creating an ambiance of single minded contemplation. The sheltering forest and cool walls provoke a need for silence and stillness, a whisper invoking awe for those, real and imaginary, who have practiced there.