Monastery Travel

Ladakh Monasteries Tour - Leh Ladakh in India is quite famous for a number of Buddhist monasteries or monastery in and around It

These are the main centres for worship, isolated meditation and religion teaching. These are the centres for Ladakh's Cultural Heritage and a Spiritual hub for all social activities. It plays a very important part in the Ladakhi society. The monks from the monastery are called during all the occasion for prayers and for blessing.

Thiksey monastery

About 2 0Km south of Leh. This Gompa is situated on the top of the hill and part of Gelukpa order. the disciple of Jangon Tsongkhapa, Sherab Zangpo of stod, first built the temple of Stagmo Lakchung at the top of Stagmo Lakchung at the top of the Thiksey valley. Then Paldan Sherab nephew of Sherb Zangpo, founded Thiksey monastery. There are sacred shrines and a many precious objects to be seen. The successive reincarnation of the Skyabje Khampo Ringpoche act as incharge of the monastery. Thiksey gustor (festival) held from 17th to 19th day of the 12th month. There are chance to see prayer in the early morning.

Tonde Monastery

The village of Tonde can be reached from Padum in a four to five hours hiking tour through a bare, desert like plateau. The monastery Marpa Ling stands high above the village on the way to the Ronde Pass. The originally Red Hat Monastery was reformed in time and belongs now to the Gelugpa school. Over 50 monks of this sect are working in Tonde.

Sankar Gompa

The monastery, a small under Gompa of Spitok, is staffed by twenty monks, and is the official residence of the Kushok Bakul, Ladakh's head of the Gelug-pa sect. Appropriately for such a high-ranking 'Rinpoche', his glass-fronted penthouse enjoys pride of place on top of the main building, crowned with a golden spire and a "Dharma Chakra" flanked by two deer, symbolizing the Buddha's first sermon in Sarnath.

A flight of steps leads from the courtyard to the Du-khang. Beyond the lords of the four quarters and wheel of life Mandala that adorn the verandah, one enters a high ceilinged hall whose walls writhe with lustrous multicoloured murals. Those on either side of the doorway are the most amazing: many armed pot bellied bovine monsters drink blood from skull cups, while the copulating "Yab-Yum" couples to the right are garlanded with severed heads and engulfed in swirling red and yellow flames.

Stok Monastery

17 km from Leh. Build in 1825 by king Tsespal Tondup Namgyal. Museum and monastery. stok is the present village where the royal family lives now. In the palace there is a museum which has artifacts associated with the Ladakhi history and culture. In the museum are shrines, the crown, ceremonial dress and jewellery of the king of Ladakh

Takthok Monastery

Around 46 Km from Leh, Takthok monastery was a meditation cave of mahasidhas “Kunga Phuntsog. Later, it started calling Takthok (rock roof) monastery. The festival of Takthok held on the 28th and 29th days of the 9th month.

Matho Monastery

Gompa is 26 Kms south of Leh on the opposite bank of Indus river, belongs to saskya order, founded about five hundred year ago by Lama Dunpa Dorjey. The festival called "Matho Nagrang" takes place every year on the 14th and 15th days of the 1st Tibetan month.

Alchi Monastery

69 km from Leh the only monastery built on flat ground. Also known as the choskor or religious enclave. Built in the 11th century by the great translator Ringchen Zangpo. This is very famous for its painting and architecture which has an Indian and Kashmiri influence in them.