JKNT
Jammu August 5: Led by Gyalwang Drukpa, of the Ladakh based Drukpa Order, 500 monks and nuns cycled into India and reached Jammu as a part of their 2500 km journey to Hemis Monastery in Ladakh.
The Drukpa Order, which are known for its insistence on gender equality and celebration of diversity regularly organises such events to highlight issues of global significance. The Cycle Yatra commenced from Kathmandu (Nepal) on July 3, is an annual feature of Order’s efforts to promote awareness about the Environmental Crises in the region and inspire collaborative action to resolve it.
The two month long Yatra traverses through some of the most arduous routes in the Himalayan region amidst adverse conditions. From the quake-hit regions in Nepal, to the monsoon hit towns in Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Pathankot, Srinagar, Sonmargand Kargil (J&K) – The Yatra will culminate at Hemis Monastery, 45 kilometres from Leh. Where it is scheduled to arrive, prior to Naropa 2016 – a grand spiritual festival that is held once in every 12 years, celebrating the 1000th birth anniversary of the Indian Saint Naropa, patron of the Drukpa Lineage.
“The Himalayas have been the home of the Drukpa Lineage for over 1000 years now. Recently, the region has faced several environmental disasters that caused unwanted &unprecedented loss of life and upset the natural ecosystem. Our aim through this journey is to inspire people to be one with nature instead of being in a constant state of war with it. The Himalayas and the earth were formed millions of years before we were and it is our duty to respect them,” said Gyalwang Drukpa – the 12 reincarnation of the head of the Drukpa Order.
