Monks, nuns cycle to state from Nepal

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 17

As many as 500 monks and nuns led by Gyalwang Drukpa of the Ladakh-based Drukpa Order, who are cycling across Nepal and India (2,500 km) to combat gender stereotypes and promote collaborative action for the environment, reached Himachal today.

The Drukpa Order, which has come to be known for its insistence on gender equality and celebration of diversity, regularly organises such events to highlight issues of global significance.

The cycle yatra, which started in Kathmandu on July 3 from one of the monasteries of the Drukpa lineage, has become an annual feature of the order’s efforts to promote awareness about environmental crisis in the region and inspire collaborative action to resolve it.

The two-month-long yatra traverses through some of the most arduous routes in the Himalayan region amidst adverse conditions from the quake-hit regions in Nepal to the monsoon-hit towns in Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh on to Ladakh.

The cycle yatra will reach Leh via Himachal passing through Shimla. The yatra will culminate at the Hemis Monastery, 45 km from Leh where it is scheduled to arrive, prior to Naropa 2016 – a grand spiritual festival that is held once in every 12 years, celebrating the 1,000th birth anniversary of Saint Naropa, patron of the Drukpa Lineage.

The Himalayas and the earth were formed millions of years before us and it is our duty to respect them,” said Gyalwang Drukpa – the 12th reincarnation of the head of the Drukpa Order.

For his efforts, Drukpa has been conferred the title of ‘Keeper of the Himalayas’ by the United Nations.