Alchemist of Tingmosgang

                                                                      

                                           Ven. Geshe Lobzang Tharchen. Photo courtesy: Sonam Wangchuk (Gochakpa). 

The village of Tingmosgang, once the capital of Ladakh, holds a significant place in the region’s history. In 1684, it became the site of a crucial treaty between the warring factions of Ladakh and the Tibetan Army, marking a pivotal diplomatic resolution that shaped the region’s future. Today, Tingmosgang remains a vibrant settlement, home to 234 households. While the village has long been connected to Leh, a newly constructed road now links Tingmosgang to Leh via the villages of Hemis Shukpachan and Likir. The road passes through the small hamlet of Ang, which lies on the outskirts of Tingmosgang, and is the focus of our interest. 

                              

     Ven. Konchok Rangdol © Author, 2024.

In early 2024, during a conversation with Khenpo Konchok Rangdol, a highly respected Buddhist monk and a native of Tingmosgang, I learned about an old German documentary titled— Des Alte Ladakh, produced in 1986. The introduction to Des Alte Ladakh offers a glimpse into the film’s unique portrayal of Ladakh’s rich and mystical traditions, stating:  

“This film documents a distinctive awareness from a distant world—monks, magicians among peasants in the Himalayas, polyandry, alchemy, turning sand into gold, oracles, and the monastic rituals. Humanity and nature, in harmony with the spirit.”   

According to the Venerable Khenpo, the film prominently featured the late Venerable Geshe Lobzang Tharchen, affectionately known as Geshe Gochakpa, of the Gochakpa family of Tingmosgang. A highly venerated meditator, Geshe Gochakpa was renowned for his unwavering dedication to spiritual practice. He  undertook multiple “Lo Sum Choe Sum”—a rigorous three-year meditation retreat in complete isolation, demonstrating exceptional ascetic discipline.

Beyond his spiritual achievements, Geshe Gochakpa attained legendary status for his extraordinary ability to extract gold from the local sand of Tingmosgang, a feat he accomplished with the help of his friend  Sonam Spalbar, an expert in ironsmithing from the nearby hamlet of Tia. This rare skill—regarded by many as a form of alchemy or an advanced tantric practice, only added to his mystique. However, rather than accumulating wealth for personal gain, Geshe Gochakpa selflessly offered his findings to monasteries across Ladakh.

Over the following months I visited Tingmosgang, meeting the relatives of Geshe Gochakpa. I also sought to identify local contacts who had been part of the team involved in the documentary— Des Alte Ladakh, in 1986. However, my primary objective was to understand the process and locate the sites where Geshe Gochakpa sourced his sand for gold extraction. 

Sonam Wangchuk (Gochakpa). © Author 2024.

Sonam Wangchuk, aged 68, is the grandson of Geshe’s brother. According to Ladakhi tradition, Wangchuk addresses Geshe as his grandfather. After retiring as an officer in the police department, Wangchuk now lives in Tingmosgang. He is one of the few people who observed Geshe’s life up close. 

Sonam Wangchuk recalls how his grandfather would undertake repeated retreats of “Lo Sum Choe Sum”, not just once but many times. During each retreat, Geshe meditated on specific Buddhist teachings and deities for three years, three months, and three days. Locked inside the retreat chamber, he met no one except an attendant or a family member who supplied food and other basic essentials through a small window in the place of retreat. According to Sonam Wangchuk, somewhere around 1974, during his second retreat at his retreat centre, Tsamskhang, his grandfather instructed him to visit a site named Tsogo in the hamlet of Ang. Sonam Wangchuk was to climb to the top of a high mountain and locate the site before dawn. He was then to collect some soil in the dead of night and bring it back to Geshe. Sonam Wangchuk recounts that he identified the site because the soil was shining in the dark. 

Chorten painted with gold extracted by Geshe Gochakpa at his ancestral home in Tingmosgang. © Author 2024

Back at the Tsamskhang Geshe Lobzang Tharchen and Sonam Spalbar would convert the soil from Tsogo into gold. What exactly happened inside Tsamskhang  to transform the soil into gold was not known to Sonam Wangchuk. There was a second part to the story—once the gold was processed, it was converted into gold paint which Geshe Tharchen generously donated for application to statues in monasteries across Ladakh. This process, too, was kept a secret between Geshe Lobzang Tharchen and  Sonam Spalbar, and no one was allowed to witness the transformation. 

The site of Tsogo is located approximately 200 meters from the new gompa (monastery) at Ang.  A vehicle can reach as far as the gompa, after which the journey continues on foot, involving a steep ascent through rugged rocks and cliffs.  Along the path leading up, one can spot snow leopard pugmarks and numerous holes, which Sonam Wangchuk attributes to phias (marmots)—a species common in the region. 

As one climbs up—the remains of a fortified structure, divided into two sections comes into view. The history of the fort is unknown to the locals. The ascent continues to the top of the hill before descending sharply. After a few minutes, the path levels out, offering the first glimpse of Tsogo. The sudden expanse of flat terrain, emerging after the steep descent—is about  the size of a football ground, creating a striking contrast to the steep, rugged journey that precedes it.

Way down from Tsogo, Sonam Wangchuk with Rabyang © Author 2024.

Soil from Tsogo, the kind Geshe Gochakpa used for making gold. © Author, 2024

According to Sonam Wangchuk, who was visiting the site after nearly 50 years, this was where he and a fellow villager once collected red, shiny soil at night, filling small sacks and carrying them back to Tsamskhang. Upon examination, the soil was found to contain a high concentration of pebbles mixed with white, crystal-shaped particles. However, Sonam was unable to pinpoint the exact spot where they had gathered the soil at Tsogo, as the landscape had changed over the years.

Note : After the visit to Tsogo, I was able to source an original CD of the documentary Des Alte Ladakh from Wangchuk Fargo who was one of the lead actors in the original documentary. Though briefly, the film—made with access granted by Geshe Gochakpa—shows him using a technique similar to gold washing, as traditionally practiced in the rivers of Ladakh. The source soil depicted in the film appears strikingly similar to the crystal-laden soil found at Tsogo.