SHIMLA, INDIA, JULY 8, 2002: Just after offering prayers, Sonam Norbu, main lama of the Sonam Norbu monastery, heard a creaking sound which he traced to the cracking of the main beam over the icon of Vairocana, located in the sanctum of the assembly hall. This thousand-year-old monastery in Tabo, located in the tribal Lahaul and Spiti districts of the state and often referred to as the ‘Ajanta of the Himalayas,’ is now under threat. Damage reports have been sent to the archeological departments in Chandigarh and Delhi although so far no one had arrived to get first-hand information on the damage. The monastery complex, founded in 996 AD, houses nine temples, 23 chortens (reliquaries), monks’ chamber and an extension for nuns. This core area is surrounded by an earthen wall enclosing an area of 6,300 square meters. Besides the 40- by 28-foot icon of Vairocana, there are 32 stucco images on brackets along the walls with stylized flaming circles, known as Vajradhatu Mandala. Because of these images the monastery is often referred to as the “Ajanta of the Himalayas”.
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