A Place like Heaven

: Girls from the Mahabodhi Hostel in Ladakh

Sixteen years ago the Devachan campus was a stretch of rocky wasteland on the outskirts of the city of Leh, in Ladakh. Now the place is an oasis of vibrant green, with eucalyptus groves and well tended gardens with brightly coloured wild flowers. The name Devachan means ‘abode of the gods’. And it’s easy to imagine how, to people brought up in the arid, remote areas of Ladakh, it must seem like a kind of heaven.

The campus is the brainchild of a Ladakhi Buddhist monk called Sanghasena. He has gradually, and with tireless energy, vision and enthusiasm, created a centre for a range of social activities designed to meet the most pressing needs of people from remote areas of Ladakh.

The site now comprises a hospital, a secondary school, boarding accommodation for girls and boys, a residential home for blind children, a home for elderly and severely learning disabled people; as well as accommodation for young Buddhist monks and nuns. Altogether the place is home to more than 1,000 staff and beneficiaries.

The Devachan project was not only initiated by Sanghasena, but his vision has continued to shape its development, and to inspire the staff and beneficiaries.

Sanghasena explains what motivates his work. 'Our students know that education is not just about passing exams. They understand that education is about the art of living: living with kindness and wisdom. We must teach children in a way that enables them to lead happy, fulfilled lives.’

Karuna began funding the Devachan project in 1996, when we made a grant of £12,000 for a series of eye camps, which performed cataract operations to save the sight of elderly people living at high altitude. Then in 2003 we agreed a five-year grant of £70,000 to build a new hostel and dining block to provide facilities to enable 200 girls per year to complete their secondary education.

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