Thiksey Monastery, Ladakh
Thiksey Gonpa (Buddhist Monastery) is one of the most beautiful and enchanting monasteries in Ladakh. Built in the fourteenth century AD, the monastery is spread across 12 levels on the hill side with 10 temples and houses for 100 monks of the yellow hat sect, who call Thiksey their home.
Thiksey Gonpa is also home to the 15 meter tall statue of Maitreya (future Buddha) made of clay and gold paint. This beautiful statue of Buddha was constructed in 1980 to commemorate the visit of His Holiness, Dalai Lama.
When I visited the monastery in 2006, I was taken aback by its beauty and cursed myself for the mistake of not entering the monastery premises in 2005 and instead returning from the parking lot, which by the way has a breathtaking view of the Manali – Leh highway.
Here are couple of more photographs of my visit to Thiksey Gompa:
Thiksey monastery is open daily between 6 am to 6 pm (lunch break between 1-1:30 pm) and is located 20kms from Leh, on the Manali – Leh highway. One can hire a taxi from Leh or take bus to Thiksey. One can also hire a scooter/motorcycle from Leh on hourly/daily basis.
