Chapter 4: Part 5: Seeking permission from the gods and spirits to enter the valley
Sangye looked at the young Norbu and his grandson, Yeshe. He knew that their youth would help them in this search into the unknown and unexplored valley. Old man Dawa would also be able to travel with the group. He was happy. This is how he would have wanted his life to shape up, to be in search of the great unknown of the mysterious mountains of the greater Himalayas in Tibet
They were ready to move within the hour. Sangye had paired up with Yeshe, while Dawa was with Norbu. They would ride out on Sangye’s chosen horses. He had picked them from his knowledge of their strength, courage and loyalty to him. They would never bolt from danger and they were used to moving about on higher terrain. Four yaks were chosen. All four animals were with black hair, for there were other yaks that were white, pied and brown. Sangye wanted all the four yaks to look true to the wild breed. He did not want the other domestic yaks to stand out in the wild habitat and in the mysterious valley.
Yeshe and Norbu moved out the four horses and yaks. The three mastiffs walked out behind them. Sangye and Dawa said a silent prayer, looking up at the great Kang Renpoche peak and waved out to Yeshe’s parents. The local pilgrim guides, yak-boys and other helpers came to greet the team. The word had gone out to everyone in Dirapuk that the monks from the two monasteries had asked Sangye and Dawa to go inside the unknown valley in search of a sacred place, that had several holy spirits and gods. They were to go and return with unknown treasures that the holy gods had left hidden within these valleys.
The monk from the Dirapuk monastery returned to meet the group and asked them to stand together, for he would recite a prayer to seek the permission of the gods and sacred spirits, to allow them to enter the hidden valley and let them know the secrets that were within. He spoke to the four of them, after the prayer, and instructed, “These are areas that we do not know about. Brother Tameng has gone to consult with Master Rinchen if anything is known about this particular valley. We will also send word to the other valleys and try to find out any knowledge that is known or heard earlier or written in the various religious books.”
“Since we do not know about the place, I have just now spoken a prayer to the guardian spirits of these mountains around Dirapuk, to permit us to travel within. Let us wait sign of any type or from anyone that may suggest that we should not enter. If there is no inauspicious sign, you may proceed ahead. I have also brought prayer clothes and sacred stones for you to place at the entrance to the valley above the trail at Dirapuk. You will be the first to lay the stones to be used to construct an entrance to this mysterious valley.”
Sangye, Dawa, Yeshe and Norbu bowed in respect. The local pilgrim guides, the helpers from Darchen and the yak-boys joined the group and bowed low in respect to the prayer and the rendition that the monk had made to the good spirits of the mountains around Dirapuk. The monk continued, “All those gathered here. You are the fortunate devotees today. Immediately after our friends and brothers enter the valley, you will all join in the construction of the entrance that the monks will lead from Choku and Dirapuk. If my Brother Tameng does not return in time, we will leave a corner of the entrance, for him to install.”
This was a traditional practice, for the devout to establish a stupa-like entrance structure, made of loosely held stones from the location. The entrance would be invested with the strength of the gods and spirits and it would allow those who would pass through the opening to be blessed. The oldest such entrance in the valley was the well-known Yam-Dwar (the entrance of Yama, the God of Death) near Darchen. Sangye and Dawa stepped up on the trail and laid the stones for the first two corners, while the monk from the Dirapuk monastery placed the third corner. Yeshe placed a stone to connect the stones of Sangye and the monk, while Norbu placed a stone to connect the stones of Sangye and Dawa. Yeshe’s parents placed the next two stones followed by the locals.
The group of four crossed the stones that signified the sacred entrance that had been installed across the trail. They looked back towards Yeshe’s parents, the locals and the monk, and waved. They looked up at the Kang Renpoche Mountain
The trail seemed to climb initially away from Dirapuk and entered a riverbed that was covered by extremely large boulders. This could have been the reason why people had not dared enter the valley, thought Sangye. So, where had the wild yaks walked in from, if the valley entrance was totally blocked by the boulders? There had to be an entrance somewhere, he thought. The four of them spread out, searching for a way through the large stones. The yaks were tied some stones along with the horses. The mastiffs were also asked to stay near the animals.
Old man Dawa wondered if this was the end of their search. There did not seem to be any possible entrance amongst the boulders. Yeshe and Norbu were getting impatient. They had been eager to go ahead, fast, inside the valley and meet up with the wild yaks. This huge landslide on the riverbed looked like a disaster for their search even before it had begun, thought Yeshe. Some of the boulders were ten to fifteen feet in height, and most looked like they were 4-5 tonnes in weight while all gaps and spaces between the large ones were stuffed with smaller ones, mud, old and dead trees, and bushes and grassy clumps that seemed like they had always existed in this place, for centuries.
There was absolutely no sign anywhere of any movement of animals. There was no trail of Chiru, or wild yaks or wolves. Strangely, there was no sign of any domestic yaks or horses having been brought up to these places to graze, though there was ample sign of grass and palatable bushes. The local sheperds and their goats and sheep did not seem to have discovered this place. How could such a location have remained undiscovered, thought Sangye. Was this place known to have evil spirits, he wondered?
Dawa and Sangye walked around, quietly, peering within and above and around the boulders. There did not seem to be any sign of boulders having been disturbed by the herd of large wild yaks that would have walked down this trail. Dawa looked for sign, some sign, that twelve large wild yaks would have left behind, accidentally or by the very size and weight of the animals. The entire area was stony. The trail had stopped on either side of the rocky landslide. The rocky spread was about thirty metres wide, entirely blocking the valley, and seemed to be at least fifteen metres high. They could not see beyond the rock wall that blocked the entrance.
“There had to be another way through this wall,” said Sangye to Dawa, “Let us walk back for some distance, and look for a higher location. We could look for what we can see from above this rock wall. I will go back and climb any narrow trail that I can find. Let Yeshe and Norbu stay with the animals. You keep searching here. The wild yaks would not have had to squeeze through this wall. That goes against all aspects of animal behaviour. Think of the heavy rainstorm during the night. No animal, wild or domestic, would have risked a passage into the unknown. There has to be a trail in this maze. We are not able to see it.”
The sheer sides of the rock and the mountains alongside were almost like a box that had been filled up with stones. Strangely, thought Norbu, the yaks, horses and dogs were looking very peaceful. They did not seem to be disturbed in this location. Had they come to the right location? What if the herd of wild yaks had indeed moved up this valley, and been blocked off at this stonewall, and had actually returned back through Dirapuk to walk through the Lhachu valley? It would mean that they had never come out of this unknown valley. He wondered if he should speak of his doubts to Dawa and Sangye.
He looked at the enthusiasm on Yeshe’s face. He had seen the pride that Sangye had in starting on this search. Old man Dawa was very happy. They looked content, even if they were totally blocked. There was no sign of anger or exasperation. He would ask later, he told himself.
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