The Mystic Travelers : 

I think it was a blessed day  when I saw a group of Lamas walking (can even say running-fast walking race……) on the rocky shores of Sutlez river near Jhakri project. They has descended from the near by hill, after attending a religious ceremony in a Tibetan house. My binoculars helped me to see the colourfully flagged house on the hill top…. The salient feature of a Tibetan house is the colourful flags they tie on the poles just out-side their house. 

As a accompanying sherpa told me that their lives are so colourless tat these colours help them to fill the gap…… wow , a sherpa with such an intellect. Sherpa are the load carriers and guides for most of the trekkers , the local hill-men who are born and brought up in the hills only. I was attracted by the brisk pace of the lamas walking aside the river. Their ways had always attracted me as I knew a very little about them and their taciturn nature makes their living style more mystic. Even the local Tibetan folks do not talk much about them and never reveal what they know about them, fearing from the ill effects such talks might bring upon them. Standing on the parapet I was following them with my binocular as they sped past the shore. I was surprised to note that they have disappeared into a mountain…… disappeared…. Yeah, they disappeared into a rocky mountain. 

Abandoning my further program I glued my eyes on the mountain. Sherpa, knew by curiosity by this time and told me that these Lamas prefer their cave routes…… hmm so Lamas are not at the mercy of PWD department…… they have their ‘own’ routs. Yeah, they have. Trust me. The hill folk, the Gujjars (A tribe who constantly roams in the hills with their sheep/goats etc and a dog, their special companion, as per the weather. In summers at hill tops and in winters in the plains…. Just like Banjaras.) pay special heed to the needs of these Lamas and monks. They say that lamas have helped them from several calamities, treated their diseases and had saved their pashu-dhan (cattle). And so these Gujars, while traveling in these parts put dry-fruits in the rocks/caves so that these Lamas may consume them durin their travels. A cave that might looks so small can be large enough to let 100 sheep inside them and save them from surprise storms (those storms which come at the time when least expected). The cave routes these Lamas use are sometimes longer than 10-15 kilometres in the hills and help them cross the mountains without making the strenuous effort of climbing and descending. Just enter the cave and walk/crawl (I am not sure) and you each to the other side of the hill. To be honest I am not sure the Lamas I was viewing had gone into the cave or had disappeared in the maze of rocks, but such disappearance invoked a thrilled desired in me to know more about them and their ways. 

Later when I reached the Tabo Monastery and talked to one of the Lama Gurus, he reluctantly told me that they use caves for meditation only but these days use of rooms with all amenities of life is popular among the disciples. And when I enquired about the cave routes, the holy man seemed to be sadly surprised. Though he tried to change the subject instead of saying any definite yes or no for my questions. Later evening, I went to the local chai-wala, (he was more of wine vendor at evening than a tea vendor) and started the subject of Lamas again. Using the best of my knowledge about the local traditions so as o avoid offending their religious sentiments attached to the lives of these holy monks…… I came to know how a Lama absorbs energy from a candle, deepak (very small mud pot used filled with oil and cotton-lap, burnt to lighten the darkness). Een in the temperatures below zero these Lamas are able to absorb enough energy from them that keeps them warm in their barely covering clothes.
 
I thought that Lamas just meditated by seeing constantly at the flame of the candle, and could never think of getting energy or heat from it. These people are also treasure house of ancient medicine and heal a person just by giving him a few herbs from the near-by jungle plants. In the caves they store the roots of certain trees which they eat for keeping them alive and thus have no need to have any sort of cooking arrangement. My belief of cave routes was once again re-confirmed when I was told that a monk (sorry the locals told the name in such a way that it is impossible to translate it into writable language…it was something like Zaaungopa or something…… sorry Lama ji for that wrongly spelled name.) used to go inside a cave and would return after 6 months. They say he meditated there while I think he might go to some other place from that cave and returned at the change of the season. 

These lamas are also Hath Yogi, even in the coldest of nights they would put a water soaked bed-sheet on themselves and using their body’s energy dry it by the morning. Here Hath means the act of doing an impossible thing through an impossible manner under the hardest of the circumstances. They are also deemed to be the best astrologers. They are known to say things in indirect ways, mainly in symbolic language. The local people had in-numerous examples to prove their(Lama’s) ability as future tellers. The best part is they neither expect nor accept any money in exchange for their services. And the people have holy faith in them. The local religion , mostly Hindu with a bend towards Buddhism is a live example of “Sarv Dharama Sambhav” . 

The general view of the people I met, about the life of a Lama is that these men live a very hard life of eternal struggle. The discipline saw in their monasteries was awesome. The way their children read the scriptures was astonishing. Sitting on the mats on the floor, moving their backs ina perfect rhythm to and fro and humming the words spreading holiness in the air.....

I also met La Pamel, originally a German, converted into Buddhist to study about them. He told me in HINDI, (yeah , he had learnt hindi and Sanskrit along with Tibetan ) that upon his visit to Thailand, he saw the Budhists and then in Hongkong met a few more. He was so much fascinated that decided to make a visa for studying about them. Now he got such a visa from India and so came here to study about them. He is studying and learning at different places for the past 12 years…..!!!!! (come on, now this Geman too became quite mystic for me…..) 

And I must appreciate the warm welcome one gets on visiting their temples/gompas, though many places are there where visitors are not allowed to go and see them. I think their privacy to that extent is acceptable, but their to the point speech and very taciturn attitude and reserved nature is something that makes people attracted towards them. And one can see their annoyance when over zealous photographers try to steal the glimpses. I must also appreciate their initiatives for helping the polio drive too at those heights. 

Though in the matter of their religion they are very much reserved (if not hard core), and are adaptable to the advantages of modern medicine and amenities for the sole purpose of betterment of the life. 

And for the most revered readers, please note that these are the tales I have heard in the course of my travels and stays at the upper Shimla and Kinnaur regions. In case you find any words/phrases defaming or rude for any religion or ritual, please forgive me and forget them.