Spituk Monastery
In the 11th century, Od-De established a monastery on a hill near river Indus. This monastery, situated around 18 km from the town of Leh, was originally associated with the Kadampa School. However, during the rule of King Gragspa Bumide, the monastery was dedicated to Gelukpa order. Meanwhile, the monastery was visited by the great translator, Rinchen Zangpo who named it as Spituk meaning exemplary.

The prime as well unique attraction of the Spituk monastery is the chapel of Tara with 21 of her excellent sculpted images. The monastery is also the proud owner of a rich collection of ancient masks, antique arms, icons and numerous Thankas.

A little above the monastery, on the hill, is another shrine with Vajrabhairava as its presiding deity.

The fearsome face of the deity is shown to devotees only once in the year and that also during the annual festival held in January.

Ascending the steep steps from the main courtyard, the Dukhang or the main temple is reached. Pictures of powerful protecting deities occupy the walls, both inside and outside the entrance. Within the Du-khang are five rows of low seats for the lamas. A high throne at the far end reserved specifically for the Dalai Lama with manifestations of Lord Buddha behind is instantly noticeable.

The door near the throne leads to a low dark chapel which is dominated by images of Tsong-kha-pa, founder of the yellow-hat sect of Buddhism. Along with him, images of two of his chief followers as well as of the Buddha also find a place in the central position. The left side is graced by an image of Tara, the Saviouress and consort of Avalokitesvara while the right side has images of erstwhile headlamas of the monastery.

Returning back to the main courtyard, visitors can gain access to another courtyard which is smaller in size. This courtyard leads upto the Chokhang temple, another assembly hall quiet same as the Du-khang but several levels up. The large statue of Shakyamuni draws the first glance of the visitors. To the left of Shakyamuni is the statue of Guru Padmasambhava and to the right is the statue of the goddess Tara.

A small temple, Dolma Lokhang, with Tara, the consort of Avalokitesvara, as its presiding deity stands diagonally opposite the Chokhang. This temple is one of the prime attractions of the monastery housing

21 exquisite statues of Tara, all representing her different manifestations.

The Gonkhang is the largest temple of the monastery and is dedicated to Kali Mata or Mahakala, the fiercest Buddhist guardian divinity. Other images that are seen here in this temple include the Six-Armed form of Mahakala, the White Guardian, the Brother and Sister, Khyitra on his dog and the Goddess on her horse. For visitors to this temple, it is essential to carry a flashlight since there is very little light inside which makes it difficult to see anything.

Phyang Monastery
6 km away from the Srinagar-Leh highway and 17 km from Leh itself, a monastery, giving an appearnce of palace stands atop a hill. This is the Phyang monastery that was constructed in the later half of the 16th century by ruling Namgyal head. The monastery happens to be the first one that inroduced Degungpa teaching of 'Skyob Jigsten Gonbo' in the entire Ladakh region. The Degungpa teachings of 'Skyob Jigsten Gonbo' was founded by Chosje Danma Kunga.

The monastery belongs to the red hat sect of Buddhism and has around 50 monks residing in its premises. The belongings of the temple include hundereds of wooden and bronze statues of Buddhist gods and goddesses. This monastery is also home to the biggest thangkas, one of which is no less than five storey high.

The Phyang Museum is yet another attractions of the monastery. It showcases a wonderful collection of Chinese, Tibetan and Mongolian fire arms and weapons.

A little distance away from the monastery, Phyang Lake forms a different kind of attraction for visiting tourists.

Likir Monastery
The Likir monastery stand 6 km north of the main Leh -Srinagar highway, a little before the village of Saspol. From Leh itself, the distance is 62 km in the western direction.

It was during the rule of the fifth king of Ladakh, Lhachen Gyalpo, that land was offered to Lama Duwang Chosje, an eminent advocate of meditation, to construct the monastery. The lama graced the land and the monastery came up in 1065 AD.

The monastery was enclosed by the bodies of the two great serpent spirits or the naga- rajas, Nanda and Taksako. Because of this, the name of the monastery became Likir or the Naga encircled. Initially, the monastery was associated with the Kadampa sect, however, the year 1470 saw a conversion by a central Tibetan monk Lawang Lotos. This coversion resulted in the monastery being brought under the Gelukspa Order of the great Lama Tsongkhapa.

The monastery, as it stands today, is not the original structure that was constructed in the 11th century. A fire destroyed the original temple, and in its place, a new structre was erected in the 18th century. Because of this the monastery does not gives an appearance of being very old.

Clay Images of three Buddhas - "Marme Zat" (past), "Sakyamuni" (present) and "Maitreya" (Future) - dominate the Du-khang whereas the Gon-khang houses a statue of "Tse-Ta-Pa", the wrathful protector. Additionally, the impressive murals of "Yamantaka" and "Mahakala" too adorn the Gon-khang.

The monastery is also a repository of various old manuscripts, attractive collection of thankas, old religious and domestic costumes and implements. A huge Jupiter tree, amongst the few remaining ones of its species stands majestically in the courtyard.

Likir Monastery is not only large, it is pretty wealthy too. Around 100 monks reside in Likir and it also has another significant monastery, Alchi, as its branch.

The Du-khang, situated immediately to the right in courtyard, is reached after passing the entrance verandah. The verandah has paintings of the Guardians of the Four Directions and wheel of life mandala held by Yama. Inside the Du-khang are six rows of seats for the lamas and a throne reserved for Likir's head lama and visiting head lamas from other gompas.

Two large chortens with statues of Avalokitesvara and Amitabha are at the front. Also, in the front of the hall are three large statue of Sakyamuni (in the left and central position) and Maitreya (to the right).

Arranged on the shelves of glass-fronted bookcases in the Du-khang are the Kandshur and the Thandshur. Two large but rolled-up thankas hang from the beams close to entrance. The thankas, containing pictures of Sakyamuni and Likir's guardian divinity, are exhibited once every year, during the winter festival.

The "New" Dukhang, constructed around 200 years back, stands diagonally across from the courtyard's entrance. Prime image in this Du-khang is of Avalokitesvara with 1000 arms and 11 heads. On both sides of this statue are bookcases, stocked majorly with volumes of the Sumbum, which describes the life of Tsong-kha-pa. The left wall of the New Du-khang displays paintings of the 35 Confessional Buddhas while the right wall has central image of Sakyamuni flanked by his two chief followers. On both sides of the central image are the 16 Arhats, deserving ones who have attained Nirvana.

Out of the New Du-khang, a ladder to the left followed by a doorway leads to a courtyard which in turn leads to the Zinchun, the head lama's room. This is the place where the Dalai Lama puts up when he visits Likir. Within the room, numerous thankas and images of various lamas as well as the 21 Manifestations of the White Tara (the Saviouress and consort of Avalokitesvara) are seen.

The Gonkhang, dedicated to the guardian divinities, can be reached by climbing down the stairs outside the courtyard of the head lama's room. The walls inside depicts images of guardian divinities, Sakyamuni, his disciples and various lamas. A glass-fronted room in front of the Gonkhang houses images of the gompa's guardian divinities, however, they are wrapped by a cloth round the year and are shown only during the gompa's annual festival.

Rizong Monastery
Yuma Changchubling, better known as the Rizong Monastery, is not amongst the oldest monasteries of Ladakh. Infact, it is pretty recent construction, less than two centuries old, being built in the year 1829. The location of the monastery amidst remote end of a valley far away from any village is extremely stunning. It gives an impression of a rocky fortress to its visitors. From Leh, the monastery is around 72 km.

The monastery, founded by Lama Tsultim Nima, follows the Gelukpa order and is quiet well known for its high standards of monastic disciplines. Currently, it is home to around 30 students ranging between the age group of 6 to 15 years. The monastery is headed by Rizong Shas Rinpoche III who, though, was born in Matho, spent most of his initial life in this monastery.

There are three rooms in the monastery which the incoming tourists make a point to visit. Two out of these three rooms house statues of Buddha while the third one has a stupa. The painting blocks of the biography of Lama Tsultim Nima, is yet another highlight of the monastery.

The Rizong Monastery is the only one in Ladakh which has a nunnery. The nunnery, Chomoling, is located little down the monastery and can be reached by an easy trek (or on the way to monastery). The nuns at the nunnery are responsible for the clothing of the lamas of the monastery and also work in the fields.

The other uniqueness of the monastery lies in it being the only one with no annual mak dance festival. The monastery believes in laying more emphasis on individual practices.

Lamayuru Monastery
At a distance of 120 km west of Leh lies one of the earliest existing monastery of Ladakh, the Lamayuru Monastery. It is situated on a high promontory overlooking the village and valley. Also known as the Yung-drung (swastika), the monastery has an interesting legend associated with it. As per this legend, the place where the monastery stands today was covered with lakewater during the era of Shakyamuni Buddha. However, Naropa, an 11th century Indian Buddhist scholar, meditated here for years in a cave and then caused the water of the lake to recede, thereby paving way for the construction of the monastery. Later, Rinchen Tsangpo not only enlarged the monastery but also adorned it.

In the sixteenth century, the status of the monastery was raised to that of a holy site. Now, even the criminals could seek shelter here without fearing apprehension. Because of this, the monastery came to be known as as 'Tharpa Ling', or the 'place of freedom' amidst the Ladakhis.

Today, most of the monastery is in ruins barring the main assembly hall, Dukhang and few more buildings. The monastery is a part of the Drikung Kagyu, a subsect of the Kagyu School.

The Du-khang lies to the right of the courtyard with the entrance verandah painted with a colourful depiction of the Guardians of the Four Directions. Murals on the left wall guides the lama as to the correct way in which they should lead their life. The wall on the right side has a small cave known as Naropa's cave. This is the same place where Naropa meditated for a number of years. Hence, his statue occupies a prominent position in the cave. Along with him, his student Marpa and his student's student Mila Ras-pa also have their statues placed in the cave.

Within the Du-khang, on the right side glass-fronted bookcases preserve three complete sets of the Kandshur, the 108 volumes of Buddha's teachings. The showcases themselves are quiet interesting with elaborate painted decorations above and below the shelves. A statue of Shakyamuni, sans his usual blue hair, occupy the central position of the right side wall.

Out of the Du-khang, right in the centre of the opposite side is a throne meant specially for Lamayuru's head lama. On the right side of the throne, there is a chorten along with statues of Padma Sambhava and Tungdup Tshogs-gyal, one of the earlier head lama of the monastery. On the back of it, thangkas representing Buddha's incarnation can be seen. To the left of the throne stand five statues of different red hat lamas. Infront of these statues, images of Amitabha, Padma Sambhava and Sakyamuni are erected.

The Gonkhang is situated behind the Du-khang. It is a temple dedicated to the guardian divinities of Buddhism. Glass fronted cases in the temple exhibits images of Mahakala, the fiercest guardian divinity; Apshi, a guardian of the gompa; Radha Shree, a founder of the religious sect to which Lamayuru is associated; three guardian divinities and lastly another Apshi riding a horse. In front of the cases is Tara, the consort of Avalokitesvara reflecting her twenty-one manifestations. In front of Gonkhang are three chortens with the larger one in the centre.

A small temple devoted to Avalokitesvara stands apart from the main building housing Du-khang. A recess on the side facing the entrance holds an immensly old eight foot high image of Avalokitesvara with 1,000 arms and eyes (symbolising his tremendous strength) and eleven heads (nine Bodhisattva heads, one head angry at the suffering in the world and a Buddha head on top).

Along with the image of Avalokitesvara, the recess also contains images of Padme Sambhava and smaller statues of 8 Bodhisattvas. The walls on the right and left of the recess have paintings of Avalokitesvara, again with 1,000 arms and eleven heads and Buddha's incarnations respectively. The right side wall also has a mural of the various divinities a Buddhist will see after his death.

The significance of the Singhe Ghang Temple is immense. It is believed that when Naropa emptied the lake, he discovered a dead lion. It was on this spot that he built the first temple of the monastery and named it Singhe Ghang or the Lion Mound. The temple has an image of Vairocana or the Teaching Buddha as its highlight. The image of Vairocana is seated on a lion serving as a throne and a garuda (mythical bird) and sea monsters surround his head. Behind it, the wall has displays of stucco images of the Buddhas of the Four Directions. The left wall has a mural of an 11-headed Avalokitesvara along with a mandala painting of Vairocana but the murals on the right wall have been almost totally washed away by water.

Bardan Monastery
An impressive monastery clinging to a huge rock that overlooks the Lingti river - that's Bardan Monastery. Around 12 km south of Padum, it was founded in the 17th century and happens to be the first ever centre of the Dugpa-Kargyud monastic order in Zanskar.

The monastery consists of a large assembly hall which displays worth appreciating images of Buddhist divinities and small stupas in clay, bronze, wood and copper. The other structures of the monastery stand around the assembly hall. A shrine devoted to Maitreya, the Buddha of future ages, stands on the first floor. The highlight of the monastery is the its giant prayer wheel which is around 1.8 mtrs high.

The monastery, home to some 50 monks, is a branch of Stakna Monastery and looks after the functioning of other smaller monasteries like Sani.

Karsha Monastery
A small village by the name of Karsha, at a distance of 10 km from Padum, is home to the largest and wealthiest monastery of Zanskar region. The original monastery, it is believed, was founded in the 10th century by the great translator, Rinchen Zangpo and its remnants are still seen spread around the nunnery Dorje Dzong. This nunnery is located to the west of the monastery atop a hill. The present structure was constructed in the 14th century.

The gompa complex, which clings along the the mountainside above the village, is an impressive set of whitewashed buildings consisting of numerous chapels as well as residential cells. The residential cells are occupied by approximately 150 lamas who adhere to the Gelukpa order, an orthodox order associated with Tibetan Buddhism and the Dalai Lama.

In the centre of the complex stands the main assembly hall with a beautiful throne reserved for the head lama. Nearby are three chapels housing a number of statues. Worth noticing here is a wonderful set of silver and copper chortens. The complex also houses a large temple, Lhabrang, which is reached through a vent in the roof. The walls of this temple are decorated with frescoes considered to be more than three centuries old. These frescoes display five different form of Buddha.

Phuktal Monastery
The Phuktal Monastery appears to be sprawling out from a huge cave high up in the steep cliff. It is this location that makes it completely different from other monasteries of the Zanskar valley. Also, it is the unique setting of the monastery that lends it the name Phuktal meaning through caves. The foundation of the monastery, made up of twigs and muds, was laid way back in the 12th century. Today, the monastery is home to around 70 monks who are extremely friendly and love to show the visitors around. They even take the trouble of arranging for a stay for the visitors in the gompa willingly.

The highlights of the monastery include frescoes and ceiling decorations in an old chapel which seems to belong to same era as that of Tabo Monastery and Alchi Monastery. There are also three large and one small prayer room and a library. A huge attraction here is a hollow in the rock in the cave over the monastery. The level of water in this hollow never drops despite any amount of water being drawn from it. Moreover, this water is believed to have curative powers. A stone tablet left behind by Alexander Cosmo de Koros, a Hugaraian who visited Tibet and later stayed in this monastery between the period of 1826-27, is on the must see list of the tourists visiting the monastery.

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