About 1km northwest of town is the Drigungpa-school Dzongsar Monastery. A short but steep climb brings you to a monastery located on a jagged slope; its name soon becomes clear – the monastery is a converted dzong. Built originally as a five-storey fortress in 1603 to serve as the seat of the highest lama of Drigung Til, the original structure was destroyed in 1959 and rebuilt in 1985 in its present form. It's now home to 29 monks.
Apart from the usual statues of Guru Rinpoche and Sakyamuni inside the main assembly hall, there is a two-armed standing Chenresig, as well as the founder of the Drigung school, Jikten Sumgon (and his golden footprints). Below the hall in a protector chapel is an icon of Abchi, the white female protector of the region.
