It is an exotic experience to visit the upper part of India having the beautifully maintained spiritual places. There are many monasteries all over the region, close to the Leh Palace. Tibetan prayer wheels are an eternal part of these monasteries which are known as the Mani Wheel. Strong and inspiring mantras like the ‘Om Mani Padme Hum’ mantra are coiled in the wheels which are a sight not to miss. It is said that if one just takes a look of those mantras, it is as effective as reciting it. These wheels are important aspects in the worship and prayers of the Buddhists.

These wheels are rotated in the clockwise direction and the mantras rotate in a manner where people can easily read them in the order they are meant to be read and should also be in the direction of the sun. The wheels are hollow and cylindrical embossed with strong mantras and symbolize peace, love and blessings. The wheels have the ‘Om Many Padme Hum Mantra’ inscribed on them in Sanskrit language. A gentle touch can help rotate these wheels and a placid rhythm is needed. The beautiful scenery around the palace and these monasteries is just beautiful. People take very calm and casual walks around the wheels in the monasteries as it is very soothing for the mind. One can meditate by staying away from the hustle, bustle and the tensions of the city with the experience being out of the world and blissful.

Best Time to Visit

Leh is a desert on a height and one can witness very long and difficult to bear winters from October to March where the temperature even dips down below the freezing point. Also, snowfall can be witnessed at times during winters. The rest of the months are fine and warm during the day time. The rainfall recorded in Leh is around 102 mm which is very less. The temperature can even go down till -28 degrees in the winters and the summers being quite fine like 33 degrees.

How to Reach

Two high altitude roads connect Leh to the rest of the India and are subjected to landslides. These roads are impossible to pass during winters when they covered with a thick layer of snow. The route from Srinagar via Kargil which is the National Highway 1D is open mostly for longer durations but passing through the Leh Manali Highway is difficult as the high plateaus and passes are difficult to pass. Also the landslide prone Rohtang Pass near Manali is also another route to go towards Leh.

The airport in Leh, Leh Kusok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, is well connected with a flight daily to Delhi of airlines like Jet Airways, Kingfisher and Indian Airlines which also have services to Jammu and a flight once a week to Srinagar. Many flights also operate from Delhi to Leh on a daily basis on peak tourist times. Leh does not have any railway lines but it is proposed by the authorities.

Important Information

Mani wheels, the other name of the prayer wheels, are a part of the Buddhist traditions. The temples, monasteries, libraries and other spiritual places have these prayer wheels installed. People turn and spin these wheels with aim to get blessings and ask for peace and harmony.  

The correct way to pray and meditate with the help of these wheels is to rotate these wheels in the clockwise manner and pray and read the ‘Om Many Padme Hum’ mantras in the direction of the sun to seek blessings.

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