Sights in Ladakh
-
Stok Palace
Ladakh’s former royal family were stripped of their power in 1846 and now live a comparatively modest life, dividing their time between a private mansion in Manali and the stately Stok Palace. Vaguely potala-like and with wobbly, colourful window frames, the palace is photogenic despite a giant telecommunication tower that looms directly behind. The stylish palace cafeteria has a great open terrace. Above, several rooms on two levels form the palace museum displaying family treasures, including the queen’s ancient turquoise-and-gold yub-jhur (crown) and a photo of the young king in sneakers.
reviewed
-
A
Leh Palace
Construction of the nine-storey dun-coloured Leh Palace started in 1553. Built by the Buddhist kings of Ladakh, it was once the world’s highest building and bears more than a passing similarity to the Potala Palace in Lhasa (Tibet). The very sturdy walls are mostly unadorned and a few interior sections remain in a state of partial collapse; only the palace prayer room gives any sense of former grandeur. Nonetheless it’s gently thrilling to weave your way through the maze of dark corridors, hidden stairways and makeshift ladders to reach the rooftop for great views across the city. Carry a torch and watch out for holes in the floor.
reviewed
-
Spituk Gompa
Founded in the late 14th century as See-Thub (‘Exemplary’) Monastery, the extensive Gelukpa-order Spituk Gompa is incongruously perched overlooking the end of Leh airport (don’t photograph the militarily sensitive runway, soldiers are watching). The gompa’s multiple mudbrick buildings tumble appealingly down a steep hillock towards Spituk village on the Indus riverbank. Behind its central, gilt-roofed Skodong Lakhang shrine, the very colourful Chikang hosts a yellow- hatted statue of Tsongkhapa (1357–1419), who inspired Gelukpa Buddhism.
reviewed
-
Stakna Gompa
Small but visually impressive, the 1618 Stakna Gompa crowns a rocky outcrop just 800m across the Indus from Km449 (where Leh–Thiksey buses terminate), though the gompa’s winding access road adds another 900m. The narrow suspension bridge is just wide enough for small taxi-vans. Off the gompa’s small central courtyard, four rooms with vivid new Tantric murals can be visited. Behind the main prayer hall, smaller subshrines retain 400-year-old sandalwood statues, original frescoes and statuettes of the Bhutanese lamas who founded the monastery.
reviewed
-
Thekchhok Gompa
Chemrey village is dominated by the beautifully proportioned Thekchhok Gompa. A maze of pathways leads up to the main complex where the central 17th-century prayer hall has wonderfully wobbly wooden pillars. The Lamalakhang above has murals atmospherically blackened to semi-invisibility by butter-lamp smoke. On the penultimate floor the Gurulakhang has contrastingly vivid murals and a 3m-high golden Padmasambhava statue encrusted with turquoise ornamentation.
reviewed
-
Likir Gompa
15th-century Likir Gompa very photogenically covers a hillside with archetypal Tibetan structures. The first prayer hall to the right on entry has seats allocated for both the Dalai Lama and his brother, Likir’s honourary head lama. After two more colourful prayer halls you climb to the cute, one-room museum. The gompa is backed by a giant gilded 20th-century Maitreya statue that looks great from afar, though it’s peeling and looks rather gaudy closer up.
reviewed
-
Naropa Royal Palace
Once Ladakh’s summer capital, Shey is an attractively green, pond-dappled oasis from which rises a central dry rocky ridge, inscribed with roadside Buddha carvings. The ridge is topped by the small if photogenic Naropa Royal Palace. This mini-potala structure is undergoing considerable reconstruction, but its central shrine remains a very holy place, containing an inscrutably smirking two-storey gilded copper Buddha, originally installed in 1645.
reviewed
-
Wanla Gompa
Above Wanla village, tiny medieval Wanla Gompa is dramatically perched on a towering knife-edge ridge flanked by two shattered tower remnants of a now-destroyed 14th-century fortress. Its carved porch is reminiscent of Alchi’s and a single, spookily dark chamber contains three large statues backed by ancient smoke-blackened murals. If you’re driving to Lamayuru, Wanla is an easy 7km detour off the NH1D road: turn south at the colourful new photong (ceremonial residence).
reviewed
-
Matho Gompa
Sakya-Buddhist Matho Gompa is perched on a colourfully stratified ridge above Matho village. Most of the early-15th-century monastery has been replaced by more modern structures in recent years, but it’s still worth the trip for the stupendous valley views. During the monastery’s famous Matho Nagrang festival, blindfolded monk-oracles perform acrobatics, engage in ritual acts of self-mutilation and make predictions for the coming year.
reviewed
-
Thiksey Gompa
The glorious Thiksey Gompa covers a large rocky outcrop with layered, whitewashed Tibetan-style buildings. It’s one of Ladakh’s biggest and most recognisable monasteries, a veritable monastic village incorpor-ating shops, a school, restaurant and hotel. Near the upper car park, the well-labelled monastery museum displays Tantric artefacts, some carved from human bones. Notice the 10 weapons symbolically used to combat evil spirits.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
B
Sankar Gompa
The timeless two-storey Gelukpa Sankar Gompa takes you between stone walls and attractive Ladakhi farmhouses following little streamlets and passing a pretty rural stupa. Sankar’s small, main prayer room features a portrait of Kushok Bakula Rinpoche (died 2004), Ladakh’s former head lama. His recently identified reincarnation will eventually move to the gilt-roofed photang (official residence) opposite the monastery.
reviewed
-
C
Community Centre
A visit to this thought-provoking community centre should be compulsory for all visitors to Ladakh! It campaigns to educate locals and foreigners alike about the remarkable balance of traditional Ladakhi society. Screenings of the excellent hour-long documentary Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh (admission by donation) at 3pm Monday to Saturday are followed by a discussion. Various other films screen at 11am.
reviewed
-
D
Shanti Stupa
Built by Japanese monks to promote world peace, this large, hilltop stupa has brightly coloured reliefs on its mid-levels and is topped by a spired white hemisphere (smoking is prohibited here). The greatest attraction is the stunning view of Leh. Ideally make the breathless 15-minute climb around 5.30pm when golden afternoon light still illuminates the city, while the steps up from Changspa are in cooling shadow.
reviewed
-
Phyang Gompa
Pretty Phyang is an emerald splash of tree-hemmed barley fields layered for miles up a side valley. There are stupendous views back towards the snow-topped pyramid of Stok Kangri. The white-and-ochre Phyang Gompa photogenically dominates the village centre despite some earthquake damage. Behind, dzos graze on idyllic meadowland.
reviewed
-
Yungdrung Gompa
Yungdrung Gompa is very photogenic. Behind glass within the gompa’s main prayer hall is a tiny cave in which 11th-century mystic Naropa meditated. Before that, legend claims, this whole area was the bottom of a deep lake whose waters receded miraculously thanks to the powerful prayers of Buddhist saint Arahat Nimagung.
reviewed
-
Stok Abagon
Across from the Stok palace, a short alley leads to the 350-year-old Stok Abagon, once home to the royal physician. Today the part-furnished mudbrick house is very decrepit, but caretaker-guide Jigmet offers interesting short tours by the light of his mobile phone (better to bring a torch).
reviewed
-
Diskit Gompa
Directly above Old Diskit, a 2km spaghetti of hairpins winds up to the fabulous 17th-century Diskit Gompa, a brilliant jumble of Tibetan-style box buildings piled higgledy-piggledy up a steep rocky peak that ends in a toe-curlingly vertical chasm.
reviewed
-
E
Donkey Sanctuary
Donkeys rescued from mistreatment or end-of-career abandonment retire to this semi-rural sanctuary. Bringing them carrots is a great excuse to wander around lovely, little visited upper Leh. Financial donations are also gratefully received.
reviewed
-
F
Chowkhang Gompa
Hidden in a large courtyard behind Main Bazaar, this small, 20th-century Chowkhang gompa has a distinctive gilt-roofed prayer room strung with hundreds of prayer flags. It’s the headquarters of the Ladakh Buddhist Association.
reviewed
-
Chamba Gompa
The Chamba Gompa has spectacularly restored mural work covering walls and ceilings around a cartoon-like two-storey statue of Maitreya, whose expression embodies the spirit of detachment.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Takthog Gompa
Takthog Gompa is the region’s only Nyingmapa monastery. Its prayer chamber is set in a highly revered cave where the great sage Padmasambhava supposedly meditated in the 8th century.
reviewed
-
Tsemo (Victory) Fort
A giddying 15-minute climb starting opposite Chenrezi Lakhang zigzags up to the ruinous medieval Tsemo (Victory) Fort, a structure that’s visible from virtually everywhere in Leh.
reviewed
-
Hall of Fame
About 1km beyond the airport terminal on the Spituk–Kargil road, this small museum has displays on Ladakhi culture and the war with Pakistan over the disputed Siachen Glacier.
reviewed
-
Sar-Zung Temple
Slightly downhill, behind the palace remnants, darker and even more atmospheric Sar-Zung Temple hosts another outsized Maitreya statue and a library of wrapped scriptures.
reviewed
-
Rizong Gompa
Clinging to the walls of a steep, arid amphitheatre, the two old prayer halls of intriguing Rizong Gompa have soot-darkened but highly regarded murals and gilded statues.
reviewed
