Himachal Diaries: Part Seven

Day Five (05.07.2024): Exploring Nako

Nako is the largest village in the Hangrang Valley at an elevation of 12,014 ft above sea level. It is set against the scenic backdrop of Reo Purgyal which has an elevation of 22,362 ft and is the highest mountain in Himachal Pradesh. We reached the Nako Gompa at 3:15pm.

Nako Gompa 

It consists of four large halls of which the oldest and largest is known as Dukhong. It is also known as 'Lotsava Jhakang' named so in honour of Rinchen Zangpo who translated Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit to the Tibetan language. The iconographic art work in the monastery is related to Vajrayana Buddhism. The dukhong's walls have decorations of a complete mandala with "gates, fire-circle and secondary non-Buddhist deities in attendance". To the east of this dukhong there is another hall of smaller size which has a sculpture of Yellow Tara made in stucco, with its roof and walls painted with mandalas. In the third hall there is an elegant image of Vairochana. Within the complex there is a shrine dedicated to Purgyal, a local deity with attribution as the "spirit of the mountain". Sculptures of five Dhyani Buddhas made out of clay are defied in the main hall where there are also many images.

We proceeded to Hotel Reo Punguil at 4pm. My room was too small to move around, very disappointed on this. 

We then started walking towards the Nako lake and reached the venue in 15 minutes. Few enjoyed the paddle boating. We had to wear safety jackets before entering the boats. 

We traversed the whole lake and were back to the waiting point. 

Nako Lake

It is a high-altitude lake at an elevation of 12,014 ft above sea level. The lake is surrounded by willow and poplar trees. 

Done with admiring the awe-inspiring beauty of the lake, we were back to the hotel by 6pm. Few did shop for local bread, meditation bowls, souvenir, etc in the nearby shops. 

We had a maggi break and film anthakshari for half an hour. We had dinner at 9pm. I got my bag ready for tomorrow and dozed off.

Read next: Himachal Diaries: Part Eight