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{{Short description|Tibetan Buddhist monastery at Pensi-la, Ladakh, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2018}}
{{redirect|Kursha|the legendary Georgian hunting dog|Q'ursha}}
{{Infobox Tibetan Buddhist monastery
|name = Karsha Monastery
|image =Karsha Gompa Full View Zanskar Ladakh Oct22 A7C 04024.jpg

|alt =
|caption = Karsha Gompa in the Padum Valley
|map_type = India Ladakh
|coordinates = {{coord|33|32|3.78|N|76|54|25.35|E|type:landmark_region:IN-JK|display=inline,title}}
|map_caption = Location within India
|location= Pensi La, [[Padum Valley]], [[Ladakh]], [[India]]
|founded_by = [[Phagspa Shesrab]]
|founded =
|sect =[[Gelug]]
|dedicated_to =
|head_lama =
|architecture =
|festivals= Karsha Gostor
|footnotes =
}}

'''Karsha Monastery''' or '''Karsha Gompa''' is a [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] monastery in the Padum Valley of the [[Zanskar]] region of the union territory of [[Ladakh]] in northern [[India]]. The [[Doda River]] flows past the monastery from its source at the [[Drang Drung Glacier]] of the [[Pensi La]] ({{convert|14500|ft|m}}). It was founded by the translator Phagspa Shesrab.<ref name=Kharsha>{{cite web|url=http://www.buddhist-temples.com/buddhist-monastery/ladakh/karsha.html|title=Karsha Monastery|publisher=Buddhist-temples.com|access-date=20 November 2009}}</ref><ref name=Handa>{{Cite book|last=Handa|first= Omacanda|title= Buddhist Western Himalaya: A politico-religious history|work=Kursha Monastery|page=63|access-date=2009-11-19|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=R4VuovXa5YUC&pg=PA238 |publisher= Indus Publishing|year=2001|isbn=9788173871245}}</ref><ref name=human>{{cite web|url=http://princetourskashmir.com/zanskar.aspx|title=Zanskar|access-date=2009-11-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319074314/http://www.princetourskashmir.com/Zanskar.aspx|archive-date=19 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{rs?|date=February 2023}} The monastery, also known by the name Karsha Chamspaling, was founded by Phagspa Shesrab, under the Gelugpa Order or Yellow Hats.<ref name=Kharsha/><ref name=advent>{{cite web|url=http://www.adventurestrek.com/culture_tour.html|title=Culture tour Ladakh and Zanskar|access-date=2009-11-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707090257/http://www.adventurestrek.com/culture_tour.html|archive-date=7 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{rs?|date=February 2023}} It is 11 km north of [[Padum]] in [[Zanskar River]] valley.

==History==
[[File:Mural Karsha Gompa Oct22 A7C 03980.jpg|thumb|left|Mural inside the gompa]]
[[File:Prayer Wheel Detail Karsha Gompa Zanskar Oct22 A7C 03960.jpg|thumb|left|Detail on prayer wheel]]
Karsha is the largest and most important monastery in [[Zanskar]]. It is attributed to [[Padmasambhava]], and there are ancient rock-carvings at the site. The oldest remaining structure, an [[Avalokiteshvara]] temple, Chuk-shik-jal, contains wall paintings which seem to associate it with the era of [[Rinchen Zangpo]] (958–1055).<ref>Rizvi (1998), p. 254.</ref>

The monastery is under the control of the younger brother of the Dalai Lama. Behind his seat in the chapel is a statue of Lhaso Cho Rinpoche, brought from Lhasa in the 1960s, with a golden crown decorated with carnelian and turquoise.<ref>Schettler (1981), pp. 173-174.</ref> The most important festival, known as the Karsha Gustor, is held with masked cham dances on the 26th to the 29th day of the 11th Tibetan month, which is usually in January.<ref>Schettler (1981), p. 174.</ref>

Mons of the Khesa race were dominant in the past in the region of western [[Himalayas]]. The Mons have been [[Buddhist]] in the region from the time of the [[Kushan Empire|Kushan dynasty]], established by [[Emperor Kanishka]]. Mons, the dominant population in the Zanskar valley, and are said to belong to an [[Aryan race]] linked to Kaniskha’s period as their features do not match those of the local tribes or the [[Mongols|Mongolian]]s. Mons are credited with building 30 monasteries, chortens and temples, including the Kursha Monastery in the main Zanskar valley; some of the other monasteries they built are: Teta, Muni, Phugtal, Pune, Burdal, Togrimo, Padum, Pipting, Tondhe, Zangla, Linshot and Sumda.<ref>Handa p.64</ref> Gelugpa monastery is another important monastery in Khursha village, which has an excellent display of mural arts.<ref name=human/>

==Structure==
[[File:Multilevel Buildings Car Karsha Gompa Zanskar Oct22 A7C 03966.jpg|thumb|Multiple tiers of buildings]]
[[File:Facade Main Building Karsha Gompa Oct22 A7C 03972.jpg|thumb|South facade of main building at the top]]
[[File:Trident Roof Karsha Gompa Zanskar Oct22 A7C 04004.jpg|thumb|Trident on roof at the top]]
The monastery, the largest monastery of Zanskar, has a number of shrines and has been embellished with exquisite paintings by the Lama [[Rechung Dorje Drakpa|Dzadpa Dorje]].<ref name=Kharsha/> It also houses the relics of Dorje Rinchen. 100 monks reside in this monastery. The popular festival held in the monastery precincts is called the Gustor festival, celebrated between the 26th and 29th day of the sixth month of the Tibetan calendar, when events such as the sacred masked cham dance take place.<ref name=Kharsha/> The monastery also has bone relics of Dorje Rinchen and serves as the residence of approximately 100 monks.<ref name=Kharsha/>

Other temples built close to the monastery are Thugsjechhenpoi Lhakhang and the Lhakhang Karpo.<ref name=Kharsha/> Other Monasteries in the vicinity are the Khagsar Monastery, Purang Monastery and Phagspa Monastery.<ref name=Kharsha/> Dorjee Zong Nunnery, founded in the 14th century and one of the oldest monastic centres in Zanskar, is located at the top of the valley.<ref name=tnp>{{cite web|url=https://tnp.org/tag/dorjee-zong-nunnery/|title=Dorjee Zong Nunnery|publisher=Tibetan Nuns Project|access-date=17 April 2024}}</ref> In the nunnery, a sacred image of 11-headed [[Avalokiteśvara|Avaloketeshvara]] is deified.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}

In the Karsha monastery there is a cloth painting, unfolded by the Lamas, which is intricately embroidered in gold and colourful threads on an orange cloth, which depicts Buddha surrounded by his tutelary deities.<ref name=Oliver>{{Cite book|last =Oliver|first=Paul|title=Shelter, sign, & symbol|work=Kharsha Monastery|page=70|access-date=2009-11-20|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D_xOAAAAMAAJ&q=Kharsha+Monastery|publisher=Overlook Press|year=1977|isbn=9780879510688}}</ref>

:"It [Karsha] was built against the craggy hillside like a massive white fortress, with deep-set, black-edged windows. From a distance, village, ''gompa'' and mountainside were fused together, ... It was a medieval world. Lamas of all ages gossiped and giggled, lounging on the steps in front of heavy wooden doors with iron studs. In the evening sun the angles of the roof and squared lintels cast black-and-white shadows in geometrical patterns. Mastiffs still sheltering from the day's heat stretched out in shady corners squalid with ''gompa'' debris - old bones, pieces of cloth, and the odd tattered boot. Despite the midsummer warmth the old lamas' maroon cloaks were of heavy tweed. The cheeky, shaven-headed boys wore their cotton cloaks slipped off one shoulder and their yellow hats at a rakish angle. A bearskin hung above the door into the main shrine, its massive head loured from above as though it might at any minute bare its fangs.
:Lamas wearing red and yellow robes and brocade hats sat in lines to chant the evening prayers. Serving lamas, two to each heavy copper kettle, moved up and down pouring salt tea. Ibex heads looked down from the ceiling, and there was a banner depicting running deer, yaks and a leopard, partially hidden by dust and cobwebs. Murals illuminating scenes from the life of the Buddha glowed with rich pigments, and multicoloured ''tsampa'' and ''ghi'' offerings were displayed like exotic wedding cakes. The last rays of the sun glinted off the gold brocade in the altar cloth and off the rows of ''thankas''. Images of the Buddha, three times the size of man, stood above the altar, dominating the theatrical scene. Trumpets blasted, cymbals clashed and conch shells were blown through cupped hands, the sound escaped through the closed windows and curtained doorways into the courtyards and out across the valley."<ref>Noble (1991), pp. 101-102.</ref>

===Chorten===
[[File:Zanskar padum Padum.jpg|thumb|left|The chorten, near Padum, on the Doda plain on way to Kursha gompa, Zanskar valley]]

A [[chorten]] in the precincts of Kursha monastery houses the mummified body of an incarnate lama called the Rinchen Zangpo, sealed in a silver-lined wooden box. During the Indo-Pakistan war, the silver sheet covering of the chorten was ransacked, which resulted in exposure of the wooden frame work of the reliquary. It was later refurbished and painted.<ref name=advent/><ref name=handa>{{Cite book|last=Handa|first=O. C.|title= Buddhist Monasteries of Himachal|work=Kusha Monastery|pages=231–232|access-date=2009-11-19|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rbeRDnz8h7oC&pg=PA231|publisher= Indus Publishing|year=2004|isbn= 9788173871702}}</ref>

[[Chortens]] not only represent various stages of the spiritual attainments of [[Sakyamuni Buddha]], as a memorial structure but also intern the physical body of ([[Buddha]] [[kapala]]). In the dome of the chorten, in addition to the mortal remains of saints and lamas, their spiritual elements are also said to be infused. Chorten are identified with a perfect human body.<ref name=handa/>

==Geography==
[[File:Karsha Village Padum Valley Zanskar Oct22 A7C 03956.jpg|thumb|300px|Gompa overlooks tri-armed valley, Karsha village in foreground. View to the south.]]
Karsha is at the confluence of the Lungtsi river, which raises from the Lingti peak of Doda basin that forms the [[Zanskar River]]. Zanskar takes a turn at Karsha and flows in a northwesterly direction to eventually join the [[Indus River]] near Nimmu in [[Ladakh]]. Below the Khlangpu peak ({{convert|5160|m|ft}}) of the Zanskar hill range, the river flows in deep ravines near Karsha monastery. It is in this stretch of the Zanskar river in the Lungti and the Doda valleys that there is a maximum concentration of villages.<ref name=Handa/>

==Visitor information==
It is a highly revered monastery in Khurshan village, which is {{convert|14|km|mi}}) from Padum village. The village has a market, school, a dispensary, and post and telegraph offices.<ref name=human/> Interesting information for visitors to the village is of the facilities available for river rafting in the Zanskar river; it is a five hours ride on a very rough river, in the gorge portion of the Zanskar river called the "Grand Canyon" of Asia, in freezing cold conditions. The rafting starts from Remala and ends in Karsha village near Padum ({{convert|30|km|mi}}) rafting in the river in ‘Rapids of Class II category’ considered suitable for beginners); after completing the rafting, a short walk from the camp would lead to the Karsha monastery for an evening prayer.<ref name=human/> Zanskar valley is closed from November to May due to heavy snow conditions.

[[Leh]] is the nearest airport; while [[Srinagar]] is also another airport that could be used.<ref name=jamyang>{{cite web|url=http://www.jamyang.org/docs/Zangskar.pdf |title=Zangskar |access-date=2009-11-20 |publisher=Jamyang Foundation |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050223031356/http://jamyang.org/docs/Zangskar.pdf |archive-date=23 February 2005 }}</ref> Kargil ({{convert|6|km|mi}}) from Pakistan border) is at a distance of a {{convert|240|km|mi}}) from Padum, which is a further {{convert|14|km|mi}}) away from the monastery.<ref name=jamyang/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Pensi_La|title=Pensi La}}</ref> Karsha is now accessible directly from [[Manali, Himachal Pradesh|Manali]], [[Himachal Pradesh]] via the new [[Nimmu–Padum–Darcha road]] that goes over the [[Shingo La]] pass separating [[Lahaul]] and [[Zanskar]].

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
File:Entrance Karsha Gompa Mountains Zanskar Oct22 A7C 03954.jpg|Entrance arch at top of staircase
File:Buddha Karsha Zanskar Oct22 A7C 03928.jpg|Buddha statue near Karsha
File:Plaque Karsha Gompa Zanskar Oct22 A7C 03974.jpg|Information plaque (ZDA)
File:Prayer Wheel Karsha Gompa Zanskar Oct22 A7C 03959.jpg|Prayer wheel
File:Roof Detail Karsha Gompa Zanskar Oct22 A7C 03977.jpg|Roof made of willow branches
File:Prayer Hall Karsha Gompa Zanskar Oct22 A7C 03981.jpg|Main prayer hall
</gallery>

== See also==

* [[All Ladakh Gonpa Association#List|List of buddhist monasteries in Ladakh]]
* [[Tourism in Ladakh]]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
{{Commons category}}
* Handa, O. C. (1987). ''Buddhist Monasteries in Himachal Pradesh''. Indus Publishing Co., New Delhi. {{ISBN|81-85182-03-5}}. New Edition 1996. {{ISBN|978-81-85182-03-2}}.
* Handa, O. C. (2005). ''Buddhist Monasteries of Himachal.'' Indus Publishing Co., New Delhi. {{ISBN|978-81-7387-170-2}}.
*Noble, Christina. (1991). ''At Home in the Himalayas''. Fontana, London. {{ISBN|0-00-637499-9}}.
* Rizvi, Janet. 1998. ''Ladakh, Crossroads of High Asia''. Oxford University Press. 1st edition 1963. 2nd revised edition 1996. 3rd impression 2001. {{ISBN|0-19-564546-4}}.
* Osada, Yukiyasu, Gavin Allwright and Atushi Kanamaru. (2000). ''Mapping the Tibetan World''. Reprint 2004. Kotan Publishing. Tokyo, Japan. {{ISBN|0-9701716-0-9}}.
* Schettler, Margaret & Rolf (1981). ''Kashmir, Ladakh & Zanskar''. Lonely Planet Publications. South Yarra, Victoria, Australia. {{ISBN|0-908086-21-0}}.
{{Buddhist monasteries in Ladakh}}

[[Category:Buddhist monasteries in Ladakh]]
[[Category:Gelug monasteries and temples]]
[[Category:Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and temples in India]]

Karsha Monastery - Revision history

Advsunilnshah at 03:40, 7 November 2025