Ladakh is predominantly inhabited by people of Tibetan descent, leading to a very rich Buddhist culture. There so many beautiful monasteries that dot this high altitude desert that you cannot but visit them to be awed by their architecture and history. These monasteries in Ladakh are truly a living heritage of the Buddha and definitely warrant a visit.
The Hemis Monastery is the largest Buddhist monastery in this region, belonging to the Drukpa or Dragon order. It stands on the western banks of the Indus River, about 50 kilometres southeast of Leh on the Leh-Manali highway. The monastery was founded in 1630 by the first incarnation of Stagsang Raspa Nawang Gyatso when he was invited by the then King of Ladakh, Singey Namgail and offered a religious estate. Beautiful statues and mural paintings adorn the monastery halls. It has a great collection of sacred thangkas and other artefacts in its 900-year-old museum. The most important festival here is the Hemis Festival where you can witness the enchanting sacred mask dance. It is held on the 9th and 10th day of the 5th month of the Tibetan calendar.
Built on the side of a hill, the Spituk Monastery also known as the Spituk Gompa was founded in the 11th century by Od-lde as a monastic community. Lotsava Rinchen Zangpo, the great translator of Sanskrit Buddhist texts into Tibetan, gave the monastery its present name, meaning exemplary, as he felt an exemplary religious community would arise here. The old gompa has been restored, while a new one has also been constructed within the monastery complex. The largest building, the Dukhang Hall, has seating along the wall with a throne at the far end. Miniature stupas and sculptures adorn the altar. A little higher up the hill is the temple of Goddess Vajrabhairva. The statue of the goddess is kept covered and is unveiled only once during the Spituk Festival.
One hundred monks reside in the monastery and during the annual two day Spituk Festival held in the 11th month of the Tibetan calendar, the monks perform masked dances representing good over evil and stories depicting the life of Buddha. Located just seven kilometres south-west of Leh, it is not a very difficult climb up to the monastery. The views of the airport and town below are spectacular, as are the sunrises and the sunsets visible from here.
This is undoubtedly the most beautiful of all monasteries in the region. A fine example of Ladakhi architecture, the Thiksey Monastery is located 17 kilometres south of Leh. It is a smaller version of the Potala Palace of Lhasa in Tibet. First built by Sherab ZangpoIt in Stakmo, it was later established on a hilltop by his nephew Paldan Sherab, where it stands now. The monastery belongs to Gelukspa or the Yellow Hat order.
There are 10 temples in this 12 storied monastery with the main prayer hall housing a 40-foot statue of Buddha seated on a lotus. Many precious and rare statues, mini stupas and swords are on display inside the monastery. There is also a temple dedicated to Goddess Tara here. The Thiksey Gustor Festival is held here during the 10th month of the Tibetan calendar when the sacred mask or Cham dances are performed by resident monks and nuns as a part of a ritual.
The Alchi Monastery, built in the 12th century, is the oldest Buddhist learning centre in Ladakh. Located 70 kilometres west of Leh on the banks of the Indus River, it is also the largest and most famous of the gompas built by Lotsaya Rinchen Zangpo. With the lack of a monarchy, he appointed four families to look after the monastery till the 15th century when it was taken over by the Lekir Monastery.
Different from other monasteries, this one is built on flat ground instead of on a hill top. It has three main structures. The Du-khang is the assembly hall and the largest part; the Sum-tsek is a three-storied structure with a four armed statue of the Bodhisattva occupying two storeys with figures of Maitreya Buddha, Avalokiteshvara and Manjushri on the ground floor; the third structure is Jampe Lhakhang, a temple of Manjushri. This temple also has a sculpture and painting of Rinchen Tsangpo.
Located just 15 kilometers south of Leh, this gompa is the residence of the Royal Family of Ladakh. It was founded in the 14th century by Lama Lhawang. The library at the monastery has 108 volumes of Buddha’s teachings. The entrance veranda has beautiful mural paintings of the guardians of the four directions. The main assembly hall is decorated with thangkas and banners. The walls have images of Vajrapani (the deity with the thunderbolt), Sukyamuni (Buddha as a sage) and Avalokitesvara (the four-armed deity). The Dalai Lama is believed to be a reincarnation of the Avalokitesvara.
The Palace has a museum with a collection of the king’s crown, the queens head gear with 108 turquoise pieces, royal dresses, jewellery, old currency, the wooden palanquin in which the queen arrived here when she got married and various other personal items of the Royal family. Early June sees a ritual mask dance being performed near the monastery. The two-day Stok Guru Tsechu Festival is held here every year in February. The interesting thing about this festival is that the prayers are not offered by a priest but by a common man, who is selected by the lamas and then groomed for the occasion.
En route to the Hemis Monastery, 15 kilometres from Leh is the Shey Gompa. Shey was originally the capital of Ladakh and Lhachen Spalgigon, the first king, built this hilltop fortress. In 1655, King Deldan Namgyal built the Shey Palace. There are hundreds of stupas and the Dresthang Gompa built around the palace. Currently, the palace is a monastery with the largest Buddha statue made of gilded copper, covering three floors of the building. Beautiful paintings and murals adorn the walls and the sculptures are marvellous. The lower chapel has a library with the largest collection of thangkas in Ladakh. Below the palace, along the roadside, are five Buddhas carved out of rock. Close to this monastery is the Druk Padma Karpo Institute, now renamed Rancho School. This was the school featured in the Hindi movie 3 Idiots. There are two festivals held at this monastery every year – Shey Srubla on the 30th day of the 1st month and Shey Rul-lo on the 10th day of the 7th month.
Diskit Monastery, also known as Deskit monastery is not only the oldest but also the largest Buddhist Gompa in the Nubra Valley, Ladakh. The prayer hall of the monastery consists of a statue of Maitreya Buddha, various images of other guardian gods as well as huge drum. This monastery is of the Gelugpa sect (Yellow Hat) of Tibetan Buddhism, founded by Changzem Tserab Zangpo, a disciple of Tsong Khapa, founder of Gelugpa, during the 14thcentury. The monastery’s cupola is same as the Tashilhunpo Monastery of Tibet. Every year this monastery plays host to the popular Dosmoche festival, held during the month of February, which is a famous tourist attraction.
Seventeen kilometres west of Leh, on top of a hill is the Phyang Monastery. It is one of the two monasteries that belong to the Dri-gung-pa sect of Buddhism. Legend has it that Denma Kunga Drakpa laid the foundation stone of this monastery. He pitched his tent on top of the hill and during meditation, saw the protector Achi riding her blue horse. He took this as a sign and built the monastery there. The monastery has a 900-year-old museum housing a vast collection of idols, firearms and weapons, old thangkas, wall paintings and murals of Mahakala. The old temple of Mahakala (the Gomkhang) was built at the time of the foundation of monastery. Phyang Monastery is home to a school, which imparts modern education along with Buddhist studies to its students. The Phyang Tseruk Festival held on the 2nd and 3rd of the 6th month of the Tibetan calendar attracts a large number of tourists. The spectacular Cham dance is the highlight of the event.
Situated around 9 kilometers from Leh, the Karma Dupgyud Choeling Monastery is one of the major Dharma centers in the Ladakh region. Founded by Lama Chime Dorje Rinpoche in 1973, this monastery is run by the Karmapa sect of Tibetan Buddhists. At present, there are 17 Karmapas in this region. This monastery has played an important role in the proliferation of the traditional Buddhist culture and values. It includes an original mud-brick complex housing the Dukhang (Assembly Hall) and living and working quarters including classrooms, office, kitchen and library. Since it was founded by a Tibetan national, it depends on the munificence of private organizations and individuals for monetary funds.
Located around 26 kilometers away from Leh, on the picturesque Indus Valley, Matho Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery built under the Saskya Monastic Establishment. It was constructed around 500 years ago. It was established by Lama Dugpa Dorje in 1410, who belongs to Sakya order. It houses a marvelous collection of ancient Thangas and known for its Matho Nagrang Festival. It is an annual festival which takes place in the first half of March. It is a nice place where you can understand Buddhist teachings and philosophies. The nearby attraction of this place is Stakna Gompa.
Located on the main highway between Bodhkhabru and Kha-la-che, at an altitude of 3.510 meters, Lamayuru Monastery is amongst the oldest monasteries in Ladakh. It is said to have been built around the same time as Alchi monastery. It was founded by Mahasiddhacharya Naropa in the 11th century and belongs to Red-Hat Sect of Buddhism. There are several legends associated with this Gompa. One such legend is that Lamayuru was a lake that drew back up to the mountains after blessings from a lama, in order to evacuate space for this monastery. It features a rich collection of wall paintings and Thangkas.
Nestled at an altitude of 11,998 feet above the sea level, Rangdum Gompa is situated halfway between Kargil and Padum. It was founded by Losang Geleg Yeshe Drogpa in the 18th century. It rises above a centrally ascending mountain, established around the diverged route of a mountain stream. It appears like an ancient fortification, which stands as a guardian of a mystical mountain valley. It is located alongside Julidok village and around 25 kilometers from the Pensi La pass which leads to Zanskar. This monastery is home to around 30 monks and monasteries.
Likir Gompa, around 62 kms to the West of the main city of Leh. The 5th king of Ladakh, Lhachen Gyalpo ordered the establishment of this monastery and thus it was established in 1065 by Lama Duwang Chosje. The monastery is of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. In the times of today, Buddhist teachings and the three basic Pratimoksa disciplines are preached on the site. The monastery also plays host to the annual festival that is in the 12th months of the Tibetan Calendar, from the 27th to the 29th . During the festival, religious dance performances are given by the local artists.
Rizong Gompa, also known as Rhizong monastery belongs to Gelugpa or Yellow Hat sect of Buddhism is situated on the hilltop of a rocky valley to the north of river Indus. It is also known as the Yuma Changchubling in Ladakh region. Established at Ri-rdzong in 1831 by Lama Tsultim Nima under the Gelukpa order, today it has around 40 monks who have to abide by very strict rules and regulations. It is also famous as ‘the Paradise For Meditation’. It is around 73 kms from the main city of Leh. The monks residing in this monastery cannot own anything except books. The complex also consists of a number of religious shrines.
Stakna Gompa or Stakna Monastery is a buddhist bonastery located approximately 45 km from Leh. Enshrined by Chose Jamyang, a Bhutanese saint and scholar who established the monastery in the second half of the 16th century, this gompa is a visual display of the religious and cultural heritage of India and Buddhism. As it is erected on a hill looking like a tiger’s nose, Stanka Monastery derives its name from the same hill. The monastery inside has the image of Arya Avaloketesvara from Kamrup (Assam). The Stakna Gompa belongs to the Dugpa sect of Buddhism and is the residence of about 30 Monks.
On entering the courtyard, there is a big assembly hall known as Dukhang whose walls are adorned with beautiful paintings of Sakyamuni, Tsephakmad and Amchi. On to the right of courtyard, there is a seven feet tall silver gilded chorten having figure of Lord Buddha with some notes. Then parallel to the hall there are paintings of Bodhisattva, Tshong-san-Gompa and Padma Sambhava. The successive reincarnations of Stakna Tulku serve as the incumbents of Stakna Monastery and they spread the teachings of Dugpa order. This monastery also has a number of sister monasteries, 3 of which are in Zanskar-Bardan, Stakrimo and Sani. From the roof of Stakna Monastery tourists can have a striking view of Indus valley and river. There is also a Tathok Moonastery nearby Stakna, an attraction 50km from Leh where Guru Padmashmbhava mediated.