Places of Interest || Monasteries

Lahaul and Spiti remote Himalayan valleys of Himachal Pradesh, lying on the Indo-Tibet border. Surrounded by the Kullu Valley in the south, Ladakh in the north and Tibet in the east, the twin valleys of Lahaul and Spiti are a region of nature at its wildest. This land duplicates, possibly exceeds in many ways, the magical ambience of Leh, Nubra and Zanskar valleys.

These valleys encompass glaciers, high ridges, broad valleys, pastures and have a minimum elevation exceeding 3000m. A high altitude cold desert, the region is dotted with famous monasteries, villages like little green oases in a stark, brown and dry landscape, miles of rolling pastures, 6000m peaks and swollen rivers which turn into mere trickles in winter. Between the Shivaliks and the Greater Himalayas is found another of India's last unexplored posts, Kinnaur. Situated on the old world trade route, its only link with the outside world is by way of the Hindustan -Tibet road through Shimla. This district spans the entire width of the Himalayas to the edge of the Tibetan plateau. These regions being utterly unspoilt and practically untouched by tourist traffic and outside influence remain a paradise for trekkers and motorists alike.

The valleys of Lahaul and Spiti are connected by the 4500m Kunzum pass. It is a fascinating land for Buddhist art and culture. The monasteries here are rich repositories of ancient murals, wood-carvings and golden images of the Padmasambhava. The people are charming and friendly with their own traditional dances, ballads, folk tales and legends.

PLACES OF INTEREST

Keylong
Keylong is located on a fertile plain and is a place to break the journey from Leh to Manali.
Keylong is the capital of Lahaul & Spiti. Keylong is very famous for its Gompas. The most beautiful & fascinating among the Gompas are:

Khardong Gompa: - 900 year old Gompa which is 4km from Keylong.
Shaspur Gompa: - 3km from Keylong, dedicated to Zanskari Lama.
Tayal Gompa: - 6km from Keylong, situated in the village of Satingri. Tayal means 'chosen place' in Tibetan and is 300 years old.

SARCHU: It is the last border point between Himachal and Ladakh, where HPTDC put up a tented colony for the convenience of the tourists during summer season. It is situated at a distance of 116 kms. from Keylong.

MONASTERIES

There are a large number of gompas in this valley but it has also some important and famous monasteries, a brief description is given.

DHANKAR MONASTERY
Dhankar Monastery was once the site of the ancient capital of Spiti. The Gompa has over 150 monks, some fascinating 'thangka' sculptures and a statue of the 'Dhyan Buddha'. Some of the Gompas were destroyed during a particularly harsh winter in 1989. There is a small lake about 3km to the back of the Dhankar village.

KYE MONASTERY
It is situated 12 kms. north of Kaza and serves the western population of Spiti. It is the oldest and biggest monastery of the valley and located at (4116 m) above Kye village. It houses beautiful scriptures and paintings of Budha and other goddesses. Lamas practice dance, sing and play on pipes and horns. Many Lamas get religious training here. It has murals and books of high aesthetic value.

TABO MONASTERY
It is another big gompa for serving the population of eastern side. It belongs to the tenth century and is located 50 kms. from kaza. It is a famous gompa next to Tholing Gompa in Tibet. It has about 60 Lamas and a large collection of Scriptures, wall paintings etc. Murals of this gompa have a great similarity to that of the Ajanta paintings.