Leh, Kargil leaders agree ‘to find amicable solution’ for construction of Gonpa shrine

Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), comprising religious and political leaders of the region today agreed “to find an amicable solution to the issue of the construction of a Gonpa”, a Buddhist shrine, at the district headquarters of Muslim majority Kargil.

A joint meeting of the representatives of LBA and KDA was held in Kargil to discuss the long pending issue of construction of a Gonpa at Kargil Headquarter for the Buddhist community.

The meeting also appealed to the people to avoid provocative/irresponsible statements on social media which may prove to be hindrance on finding a peaceful resolution of the issue and lead to disturb the peaceful atmosphere among the both the districts of UT of Ladakh.

Pertinently, the Buddhists have been demanding the construction of a Gonpa at Kargil for decades but the proposal had never been materialized till date.

Leh is predominantly inhabited by Buddhists while Kargil district has the majority of Shia Muslims. Even though there is a negligible Buddhist population in and around Kargil town, the community population is in the Zanskar and Shargol pockets of the district.

The Buddhists have been demanding a site for the construction of Gonpa, though the religious groups in Kargil have been subtly opposing the proposal citing the meagre population of the community in the town.

The Leh district, which has the majority of Buddhist population has sizeable Muslim pockets in Leh town as well as in Turtuk pockets.

A number of mosques and shrines are found in and around Leh district including the 700-year-old mosque at Shay village, built by Shah-e-Hamdan, a Central Asian Muslim saint who introduced Islam to Kashmir. The Jamia Masjid in Leh is considered a marvel of Islamic architecture.