Chandigarh: A group of 500 Buddhist monks and nuns is on a 2,500-km cycle journey to highlight environmental issues of the Himalayan region.
Led by Gyalwang Drukpa of the Ladakh-based Drukpa Order, the group reached Chandigarh, a northern Indian city on July 27. Their destination is Hemis Monastery in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir.
The cycle journey began from Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, on July 3, from one of the monasteries of the Drukpa lineage.
The Drukpa Order, which has come to be known for its insistence on gender equality and celebration of diversity, regularly organizes such annual events to highlight issues of global significance.
The cycle journey is part of the order’s efforts to promote awareness about the environmental crises in the region and inspire collaborative action to resolve it.
The two-month journey traverses through some of the most arduous routes in the Himalayan region.
From the quake-hit region in Nepal to the monsoon hit towns in Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Pathankot, Srinagar, Sonmarg and Kargil (Jammu and Kashmir).
It will end at Hemis Monastery, 45 km from Leh, the Times News Service reported.