Walk the long mani wall of Ghami

From the village we walk down and cross the river on the trail towards Tsarang, and the mani wall begins beside the trail. It runs for around 300 m, a low, broad wall built of stones carved with prayers, most often Om mani padme hum, the mantra of Avalokiteshvara. Some stones are carved with images of deities or chortens. Bands of red, white and grey paint run along its length, and small chortens rise from it at intervals.

Walk beside it keeping the wall on your right, so that you pass clockwise, as Buddhists do. Your guide will point out the different carvings and explain why families add stones: to make merit, to remember the dead or to ask for protection. Some stones are very old and worn smooth, others freshly carved. The wall is regularly repaired by the village, which is part of the devotion. Older villagers often walk it at dusk.

Then comes the story. Local legend says that Guru Rinpoche killed a demon in this area, that its blood stained the cliffs of Dhakmar red and that its intestines became this wall. In the late afternoon, with low light along the stones and the red cliffs glowing in the distance, the legend feels close. Never move, take or sit on mani stones. Allow time to sit and look; it rewards patience.