Brrrrrr. It is cold. I am ensconced in my room in Tengboche in my wool stocking cap, down jacket, fleece pants and down sleeping bag, pecking away on my iPhone and thinking about a hot shower and electric blanket in Namche tomorrow night.
Had 10 veggie momo, a liter of water and a slice of apple pie for dinner. Wrote in my journal, looked at the map and listened to the accents and languages being spoken by the 40 or so Trekkers in the restaurant.
My Nepali guide, Amrit, and I hiked for 7 hours today. Beautiful views of Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam and the other peaks in the area until clouds set in or there was no view from the deep valley we traversed.
The last 3.25 hours was continuous uphill, gaining over 2000 feet in elevation on a rocky, dusty, steep trail. I was tired, but not as tired as the hike to Namche 3 days ago.
This is the halfway point on the trek to the Nepali Everest Base Camp. I turn around and head back to Namche in the AM and should get to Lukla in three days and about 20 miles of steep, rocky trail.
From Wiki....
Tengboche
Tengboche (or Thyangboche) is a village in Khumjung in the Khumburegion of northeastern Nepal, located at 3,867 metres (12,687 ft). In the village is an important Buddhist monastery, Tengboche Monastery, which is the largest gompa in the Khumbu region. The structure was built in 1923. In 1934, it was destroyed by an earthquake but subsequently rebuilt. It was destroyed again by a fire in 1989, and again rebuilt with the help of volunteers and the provision of foreign aid. Tengboche has a panoramic view of the Himalayanmountains, including the well-known peaks of Tawache, Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, and Thamserku. Tenzing Norgay, the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary was born in the area in the village of Thani and was once sent to Tengboche Monastery to be a monk.[1]
History
Village of Tengboche
The Khumbu valley, where Tengboche is located, came under the influence of Buddhism about 350 years back. Ancient scriptures of Tibet refer to this valley along with Rowlang and Khanbalung valleys as sacred places. Lama Sangwa Dorje is referred to as the founder of the oldest monastery in Khumbu at Pangboche as well as many other small hermitages. His divine psychic knowledge and clairvoyant vision had prophesised suitability of establishing a monastery at Tengboche based on a foot print on a rock left by him while meditating. However, the actual establishment of the monastery happened only during Ngawang Tenzin Norbu’s time; Norbu was considered to be Sangwa Dorje’s fifth incarnation. He had established a monastery at Rongbuk in Tibet on the northern face of Mt. Everest. He blessed Chatang Chotar, known as Lama Gulu, to found the Tengboche monastery at Tengboche village and as a result it got established at its present location in 1916. It is the first celibate monastery under the Nyingmapa lineage of the Vajrayana Buddhism. However, many older village level monasteries also exist close by.[2]
Three wealthy inhabitants of the local Sherpa community are credited with funding building of the monastery. Among these three, Karma was the most influential and well known as he was a tax collector, and he also enjoyed the patronage of the Rana rulers of Nepal.[3] It is also said that apart from Khumbu Sherpas, Sherung Sherpas have also been involved with building this monastery. Some of the village temples, chortens and smaller religious shrines are predated to 1880, particularly all the large chortens. The Mani wall, made of slabs of stone inscribed with prayers and sacred texts is dated to 1915.[4]
The monastery of Tengboche and other buildings were destroyed during the 1934 earthquake. Subsequently, Lama Gulu who had built it also died. His successor, Umze Gelden, took up the task of rebuilding the monastery, with strong support from Ngawang Tenzin Norbu. The monks and the local community, with support from a skilled carpenter from Lhasa, re-established the monastery. Exclusive murals were painted by Kappa Kalden, a renowned artist. With an influx of tourists to the Khumbu region, particularly for trekking by mountaineers, the monastery has received wide recognition.[2] However, the monastery's precious old scriptures, statues, murals and wood carvings were destroyed in the devastating fire caused by an electrical short circuit on January 19, 1989. The monumental stone credited with Lama Sangwa Dorje’s left footprint had also fractured. However, a few trekkers managed to salvage some books and paintings. It has since been completely rebuilt with money donated from all round the world.
A restored painting in the monastery
Following the destruction of the monastery by fire, its rebuilding was undertaken by the present Nawang Tenzing Jangpo who is considered as the incarnation of the founder Lama Gulu, an important spiritual leader of the Sherpas. He has established an equation with many trekkers and climbers of all denominations who visit the monastery, which has helped him in finding funds for restoration. With due diligence to the set religious practices, the monastery has been substantially rebuilt. Tibetan painter Tarke-la’s wall paintings that display the Bodhisattvasor the Buddha decorate the sanctum. In addition, the monks and Sherpa community with help from the Sir Edmund Hillary and Himalayan Trust, the American Himalayan Heritage Foundation and many international well-wishers have put in their support in several ways.
Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, an inhabitant of this village, were the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest on the British 1953 expedition and thereafter this monastery has acquired more international interest,[2][5][6] as it is on the route to the base camp of Everest for routes made via the Khumbu icefall and west ridge. Everest expeditioners visit the monastery to light candles and seek the blessings of gods for good health and safe mountaineering.[2][7] John Hunt, the leader of the 1953 expedition and one of the first mountaineers to visit the monastery (most, but not all, previous expeditions approached the mountain from the northern (Tibetan) side), offered the following description of Thengboche in The Ascent of Everest:[8]
The rebuilt monastery was formally consecrated in 1993 and is considered as the gateway to Mount Everest. The religious room of the Guru Rimpoche in the monastery was fully restored in September 2008. The entrance gate has also been rebuilt with funds provided by the Greater Himalayas Foundation based in Washington DC, USA.[9]
The monastery is now said to be home to 60 monks, reflecting its financial prosperity. However, it is also said that fewer and fewer young boys join as monks as they prefer to work in mountaineering or trekking-related activities.[10]
English adventurer Charlie Boormanand Peter Hillary, son of Edmund Hillary visited the village in 2008. The footage was shown in Boorman's series By Any Means.[citation needed]
Geography and climate
A view of Tengboche with Lhotse and Everest in the background. A portion of Ama Dablam appears in the upper right.
Tengboche is located on a hill at the confluence of the Dudh Kosi and the Imja Khola rivers. It lies in Khumbu district to the north east of Kathmandu on the Nepal – Tibet border. It is inhabited by sherpas ('sherpa' literally means the easterner) who migrated from Tibet six hundred years ago. It is approached by a mountain trail from Namche, via the nearest airport in Lukla (2,800 metres (9,200 ft)) connecting to Kathmandu. Its approach is by a hard three days of trekking from Lukla. However, considering acclimatization needs for the high altitude climbing, a four day trekking is generally preferred. This trail crosses initially the Dudh Kosi (3,250 metres (10,660 ft)) river and a further climb leads to the Tengboche monastery at 3,870 metres (12,700 ft) altitude. However, a down hill trek leads to Devouche, the nunnery. During the winter, the snow peaks of Ama Dablam, the tip of the Everest that glows from the Lotse ridge and several other peaks form a picturesque landscape.
Tengboche in 1974
Tengboche is a midway station on the trail to the base camp for the mountain climbers of Mount Everest and other peaks of over 8,000 metres (26,000 ft) elevation; all these areas form part of the entire Khumbu region up to Tibet border with an area of 1,148 square kilometres (443 sq mi) encompassing the Sagarmatha National park.[11][12][13][14] In the Khumbu region of Nepal, the monastery is strategically placed on the way to Everest base camp and thus attracts large number of tourists from all parts of the world.[15]During the spring season, hill slopes around Tengboche are covered with flowering rhododendrons.[11]
Tengboche, which is located in the hidden Khumbu valley, is surrounded by high Himalayan ranges where the climate varies from temperate to arctic, dependent on the altitude and aspect. However, the area, to some degree, is protected from the worst extreme climatic conditions due to a wall of ridges of the Himalayas that encircles the valley. It becomes a partially a rain shadow area and as a result the fury of monsoon precipitation and cold winds is reduced. The low altitude also results in less snowfall in the area. However, the winter temperatures are still in the freezing zone. During the monsoon season, the temperature is reported to be about 20 C.[12]
Culture
Economy
References
External links
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