Himalayan Caves

LonelyWoolf

Has anybody good informationes about holy caves in the indian himalayas or are there any books about it.
I'm searching for places where e.g. Padmasambava or Milarepa or other Tantric teachers did their practise.
If anyone of you have been already in such places, local infos or how to reach will be great.

Thanks, your messages are very appreciated

kolobar

There is for instance Gotsang cave above Hemis gompa in Ladakh where guru Gotsang, an important teacher of karmapa sect resided. Gotsang gompa is built around the cave and there is still an important training center of drukpa kargyut. It is quite usual the retreats like that were the places where monasteries were later built.
Also retreat practice is still going on and you can still find many caves which are used for long retreats around monasteries.
I think Milarepas places are limited to Tibet, while Padmasambhavas are mostly footprints in stone ranging from Spiti (Nako) to Sikkim (Chungtang). I believe the Padmasambhava work in Tibet is quite shrouded in myths so it is not easy to locate him historically.
Recommended reading: Crook&Low - Yogis of Ladakh, Vicky MacKenzie - Cave in the Snow

vistet

There are three easily recognisable types of monasteries : the fort-monastery (like Spituk) , the sanctuary in open terrain (like Alchi) and the monastery that has evolved from the "gate-keeper" hut outside of the reclusives cave/cell, eventually growing in to a complex (like Hemis) . In the last case you end up with a easily identifiable structure out in the open and an unseen ("secret" for the romantic) portion in the rockface.
In Saspol you can see these exposed after the face of the cliff collapsed long time ago. There was one cave in active use when I was there.

An article on religious cave architecture with good photos here (from Lho/Mustang in Nepal)
If you are close to a university/good public library check out the classic "the Cultural Heritage of Ladakh" by David Snellgrove.
Toni Huber has written a number works on Tibetan pilgrimage culture, perceptions of sacred geography and more. If you start chuckling at essay titles like "Putting the gnas back in to the gnas-kor" you shuld check out his books ("Sacred Spaces and Powerful Places..for example)

LonelyWoolf

@kolobar
@vistet

thanks a lot for your informationes, I'll get in that books!

by the way, do you also know any places in the southern himalaya ridges, which are reachable with not to much difficulties and with not to much timebudget?

thanks anyway

deeaay

I met a Tibetan teacher the other day at Sanchi who told me that this year just starting(monkey year) was a great year to go to Tso Pema, also known as Rewelsar Lake, near Mandi, HP. Padmasambhava did a Mandarava retreat in a nearby cave, and it is also supposedly the birthplace of Machig Lobdron. This guy strongly suggested heading there and doing 100,000 Vajra Guru mantras.

This area, and lodging info, etc. are in the LP guide.

Emaho,
-d.a.

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already aware

SHIMLA

The cave at Amarnath, in J&K, is famous for its Shivling which forms by itself and is made of ice. Amarnath is the venue for a massive pilgrimage each year sometime in August.

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Whoever said money can't buy happiness didn't know where to shop !

lightning

LW
book; has had subsequent editions, now out of print, covers some Nepal border sites. -highly recommended, (based on a text by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo)

"The Power-Places of Central Tibet" by Keith Dowman 1988, Pub.Routledge & Kegan Paul,
London & New York
ISBN 0-7102-1370-0

Hyagahlo!