The Last Monk Filming Locations

Story THE LAST MONK is the journey of a young newly-married woman from the world of the newly-rich, 30-something IT engineers and corporate managers in New Delhi, to the vast, stark beauty of Ladakh in the Indian Himalayas. It is a journey from the superficial materialism of the new young Indian middle class to the universal mysticism of Buddhism. The otherworldly landscape becomes inseparable from the cosmic power of the physical and mystical universe as she discovers her own spirituality and a sexuality beyond the physical, led and mentored by a young khempo, or lay Buddhist monk vital, verbose, funny, and a fountain of cosmic truths. The Last Monk is part of a growing movement in Indian cinema, approaching the societal and spiritual issues raised by todays rapidly-changing India. It is also one of a growing number of Indian films made not in Hindi but in English. The Last Monk not only raises issues about contemporary India, but will have a lot of resonance and appeal to European audiences, where the search for spiritual values and the interest in Buddhism are growing rapidly Key Themes THE LAST MONK tries to address several issues which are both relevant to the New India and to the lives of everyone. The number of newly-rich, 30-something IT engineers and corporate managers in India is growing at a phenomenal rate. Material wealth and acquisitions are becoming the hallmarks of a successful and happy life, to the exclusion of more traditional, age-old values of the inner self and spirituality. The lead character, a young newly-married woman comes from this new young Indian middle class and its superficial materialism. She has to go to Ladakh in the Indian Himalayas, to take some final notes on her studies on cultural Buddhism. Buddhism has become very popular and fashionable in the west, probably in a search for spiritual values which established religions can no longer give, and for the answer to basic questions about our inner selves, universal truths and the spirit which they cannot answer Most people associate Buddhism with Tibet, but Tibetan Buddism actually came from India, and all of the original Buddhist writings were translated into Tibetan from Sanskrit. Ladakh is a predominantly Buddhist region with temples and monasteries through which Buddhism is kept alive. The film tries to highlight that Buddhsm is not confined to temples, rituals and artefacts, and only really takes on its true meaning in its mountainous home, with its stark, beautiful, otherworldy power. It is this physical and mystical universe which gradually infuses the young woman as she discovers not only her own spirituality, but a transcendant sexuality beyond the physical, led and mentored by a young kempo, or lay Buddhist monk vital, verbose, funny, and a fountain of cosmic truths.