All Ladakh Gonpa Association (ALGA) is the central organisation of the Buddhist monasteries in

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu and ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It aims to preserve and strengthen the monastic institutions. It was founded by the

19th Kushok Bakula Rinpoche Ngawang Lobzang Thupstan Chognor (), commonly known as 19th Kushok Bakula Rinpoche (19 May 1918 – 4 November 2003) was a Buddhist lama, who also served as India's ambassador to Mongolia. He is mainly known for his efforts in reviving Budd ...

in 1949 and he acted as its president for 41 years, from 1949 until 1991. In 1949, the first meeting of the great monasteries was held and ten monasteries took part. All Ladakh Gonpa Association was registered in 1959 and is run by a governing body consisting of fifteen lama members belonging to all four major schools of

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

. There are sixteen major monastic institutions with hundreds of monks in each monastery.

List of monasteries

These are listed by the river valleys. These monasteries are located on the banks and mountain slopes of various rivers within

Indus river The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...

system. *

Shyok River The Shyok River is a tributary of the Indus River that flows through northern Ladakh and enters Gilgit–Baltistan, spanning some . The Shyok River originates at the Rimo Glacier, one of the tongues of Siachen Glacier. Its alignment is very ...

valley: *

Nubra River The Nubra River is a river in the Nubra Valley of Ladakh in India. It is a tributary of the Shyok River (a part of the Indus River system) and originates from the Siachen Glacier, the second-longest non-polar glacier in the world. In earlier Ti ...

valley: **

Diskit Monastery Diskit Monastery also known as Deskit Gompa or Diskit Gompa is the oldest and largest Buddhist monastery (gompa) in Diskit, in the Nubra Valley in the Leh district of Ladakh, India. It belongs to the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) sect of Tibetan Buddh ...

, north of Leh. ** Hundur Monastery, north of Leh, west of the

and east of

Thoise Thoise or Thoise Airbase is a military airfield and small village in Nubra region of Ladakh, India, occupying the only large piece of flat land in the area. The airstrip is a critical facility enabling a quick inflow of men and material from the ...

. ** Samstanling Monastery the main monastery in the valley and for viewing tall statue of

Maitreya Buddha Maitreya (Sanskrit: ) or Metteyya (Pali: ), also Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha, is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. As the 5th and final Buddha of the current kalpa, Maitreya's teachings will be aimed at ...

, northeast of Diskit Monastery and northwest of Leh. ** Ensa Monastery, north of Diskit and north of Leh. **

Turtuk Turtuk ཏུར་ཏུཀ་ is a village and the headquarters of an eponymous community development block in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. It is a small village sandwiched between Karakorum Range and Himalayas. and one of the northe ...

Monastery, west of Diskit and north of Leh. *

Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...

valley: ** NH-1 "Kargil-Haknis-Leh Road", listed in order of from Kargil direction to Leh. *** Mulbekh Monastery at , on Kargil-Leh Road southeast of

Kargil Kargil ( lbj, ) is a city and a joint capital of the union territory of Ladakh, India. It is also the headquarters of the Kargil district. It is the second-largest city in Ladakh after Leh. Kargil is located to the east of Srinagar in Ja ...

and west of Leh. It is the location of tall

Maitreya Maitreya (Sanskrit: ) or Metteyya (Pali: ), also Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha, is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. As the 5th and final Buddha of the current kalpa, Maitreya's teachings will be aimed at ...

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

statue - one of the three

statues of Ladakh, 1430 CE

kharosti The Kharoṣṭhī script, also spelled Kharoshthi (Kharosthi: ), was an ancient Indo-Iranian script used by various Aryan peoples in north-western regions of the Indian subcontinent, more precisely around present-day northern Pakistan and e ...

language

edict An edict is a decree or announcement of a law, often associated with monarchism, but it can be under any official authority. Synonyms include "dictum" and "pronouncement". ''Edict'' derives from the Latin edictum. Notable edicts * Telepinu Proc ...

s on the hill, two 800-year-old

gompas A Gompa or Gönpa ( "remote place", Sanskrit ''araṇya''), also known as ling (), is a Buddhist ecclesiastical fortification of learning, lineage and sādhanā that may be understood as a conflation of a fortification, a vihara and a universit ...

, and the annual Festival of the two Rongtsan oracles around Buddhist new year usually in the first half of March. ***

Lamayuru Monastery Lamayuru or Yuru Monastery ( "Eternal Monastery") is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Lamayouro, Leh district, Ladakh, India. It is situated on the Srinagar-Leh highway east of the Fotu La at a height of . History A. H. Francke states that, ...

, on

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

Leh Leh () ( lbj, ) is the joint capital and largest city of Ladakh, a union territory of India. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh, the seat of which was in the Leh Palace, the former res ...

highway east of the

Fotu La , photo = Fotu.La.01.jpg , photo_caption = Fotu La , map = India Ladakh#India , map_caption = Location of Fotu La in Ladakh , elevation_m = 4108 , elevation_ref = , traversed = Srinagar-Leh highway , location = Ladakh, India , range = H ...

and 19, km southwest of Khalsi. ****

Wanla Monastery Wanla Gompa is a historic Buddhist monastery on the ridge that crowns Wanla village in Ladakh, India. Its small but impressively preserved three-storeyed Avalokitesvara temple is one of the earliest known Drigung Kagyu prayer chambers to hav ...

, subsidiary of Lamayuru Monastery, located southwest of Lamayuru. *** Rizong Monastery, built in 1831 CE, north of

highway and north of Mangyu temple complex. ***

Mangyu temple complex The Mangyu temple complex located in the village of Giramangu, Mangyu, Ladakh is one of the earliest in Ladakh, India. Believed to be contemporaneous to the temples at Alchi Monastery and Sumda Chun, the earliest structures are supposed to be dat ...

, 11th-13th century CE complex on

highway southeast of Khalsi and 22 southwest of Alchi. ***

Alchi Monastery Alchi Monastery or Alchi Gompa (also Alci) is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, known more as a monastic complex (chos-'khor) of temples in Alchi village in the Leh District, under the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council of the Ladakh Unio ...

, 60 west of Leh on Leh-Kargil Highway. ***

Likir Monastery Likir Monastery or Likir Gompa (Klud-kyil) is a Buddhist monastery in Ladakh, Northern India. It is located at 3700m elevation, approximately in the west of Leh. It is picturesquely situated on a little hill in the valley, in Likir village nea ...

, west of Leh between Alchi and Basgo, west of Basgo and northeast of Alchi. *** Basgo Monastery, 36 west of Leh and west of Nimoo on Leh-Kargil Highway. ***

Phyang Monastery Phyang Monastery, Phyang (or Phiyang) Gompa is a Buddhist monastery located in Fiang village, just 15 or 16 kilometres west of Leh in Ladakh, northern India. It was established in 1515. Name The local name of Phyang Monastery is "Gangon Tash ...

, 16th century, at

Fiang Fiang (also known as Phyang) is a village in Leh district of Ladakh in India. It is in the Leh tehsil. The Phyang Monastery is in this village. This is one of the largest inhabited villages of Ladakh, comprising eight clusters: Phulungs, Phyang, ...

village west of Leh. ** Leh city: listed in order of north to south. ***

Spituk Monastery Spituk Monastery, also known as Spituk Gompa or Pethup Gompa, is a Buddhist monastery in Spituk, Leh district, Ladakh, northern India. 8 kilometres from Leh. The site of Spituk was blessed by the Arhat Nyimagung. It was founded by Od-de, the eld ...

, in Leh city, from city centre. ****

Sankar Monastery Sankar Monastery, or Sankar Gompa is a Buddhist monastery within an easy half-hour walk from Leh in Ladakh, northern India. It is a daughter-establishment of Spituk Monastery and the residence of the Abbot of Spituk, the Venerable Kushok Bakula, ...

, in Leh city, subsidiary of Spituk Monastery. *** Sumda Chun monastery at Leh, at height of 3500 mtr, is one of the most important surviving early Tibetan Buddhist temples of the Ladakh region, north of center of Leh. *** Namgyal Tsemo Monastery, 16th century complex in Leh city near Tsemo Castle. It has a three-story high gold statue of

Buddha and ancient manuscripts and frescoes. ** NH-3 "Leh-

Upshi Upshi is a village and road junction on the Leh-Manali Highway in the union territory of Ladakh in India. It is located to the southeast of Leh along the Indus river valley and Tanglang La on the Leh-Manali highway. Gya is also to the south. ...

Road", listed in order of moving from Leh towards Upshi. ***

Shey Monastery The Shey Monastery or Gompa and the Shey Palace complex are structures located on a hillock in Shey, to the south of Leh in Ladakh, northern India on the Leh-Manali road. Shey was the summer capital of Ladakh in the past. It contains a huge ...

, southeast of Leh. ***

Stok Monastery Stok Monastery or Stok Gompa is a Buddhist monastery in Stok, Leh district, Ladakh, northern India, 15 kilometres south of Leh. It was founded by Lama Lhawang Lotus in the 14th Century and has a notable library including all 108 volumes of the ...

, south of Leh on slopes on southern bank of Indus. ***

Thikse Monastery Thikse Gompa or Thikse Monastery (also transliterated from Ladakhi as Tiksey, Thiksey or Thiksay) is a gompa (Tibetan-style monastery) affiliated with the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It is located on top of a hill in Thiksey approximately e ...

, southeast of Leh, has high Budhha statue. ***

Stakna Monastery Stakna Monastery or Stakna Gompa is a Buddhist monastery of the Drugpa sect in Stakna, Leh district, Ladakh, northern India, 21 or 25 kilometres from Leh on the left bank of the Indus River. It was founded in the late 16th century by a Bhut ...

, southeast of Leh. *** Matho Monastery, southeast of Leh. ***

Hemis Monastery Hemis Monastery is a Himalayan Buddhist monastery (''gompa'') of the Drukpa Kagyu, Drukpa Lineage, in Hemis, Ladakh, India. Situated 45 km from Leh, it was re-established in 1672 by the Ladakhi king Sengge Namgyal. The annual Hemis festiv ...

, southeast of Leh and northwest of

. Hemis festival is held on the 10th day of the fifth month (''non'' or ''jyestha'') of the Monkey year of

Tibetan calendar The Tibetan calendar (), or Tibetan lunar calendar, is a lunisolar calendar, that is, the Tibetan year is composed of either 12 or 13 lunar months, each beginning and ending with a new moon. A thirteenth month is added every two or three years, s ...

i.e.

vesak Vesak (Pali: ''Vesākha''; sa, Vaiśākha), also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima and Buddha Day, is a holiday traditionally observed by Buddhism, Buddhists in South Asia and Southeast Asia as well as Tibet and Mongolia. The festival ...

. **** Chemrey Monastery, 6 km north of Hemis on Hemis-Durbuk Road, 46 km southeast of Leh and 24 km northwest of

. ****

Takthok Monastery Takthok Monastery (''tib.'' བྲག་ཐོག་ ''Wylie = Brag Thog'', ''pron. Trag Thog,'' "Stone Roof" in english) is a Buddhist monastery in Sakti village in Ladakh, northern India, located approximately 46 kilometres east of Leh. It is ...

, at Sakti village 21 km north of Hemis on Hemis-Durbuk Road, 61 km southeast of Leh and 24 km northwest of

. ***

Hanle Monastery Hanle Monastery is a 17th-century gompa of the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism located in the Hanle Valley, Leh district, Ladakh, India on an old branch of the ancient Ladakh-Tibet trade route. The valley is home to about a ...

, 19 km south of

LAC Lac is the resinous secretion of a number of species of lac insects, of which the most commonly cultivated is ''Kerria lacca''. Cultivation begins when a farmer gets a stick that contains eggs ready to hatch and ties it to the tree to be infes ...

, 255 km southeast of Leh, 208 km southeast of

and 75 km southeast of

Nyoma Nyoma is a principal village of southern Ladakh in India, the headquarters of an eponymous subdivision, tehsil and community development block in the Leh district.Tso Moriri Tso Moriri or Lake Moriri () or "Mountain Lake", is a lake in the Changthang Plateau (literally: northern plains) of Ladakh in India. The lake and surrounding area are protected as the Tso Moriri Wetland Conservation Reserve. The lake is at ...

area in

Changthang The Changtang (alternatively spelled Changthang or Qangtang) is a part of the high altitude Tibetan Plateau in western and northern Tibet extending into the southern edges of Xinjiang as well as southeastern Ladakh, India, with vast highlands and g ...

plateau **

Korzok Monastery Korzok, དཀོར་མཛོད་ (wylie dkor-mdzod) is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery belonging to the Drukpa Lineage. It is located in the Korzok village, on the northwestern bank of Tso Moriri (lake) in Leh District, Ladakh, India. The gom ...

, it is southeast of

, southeast of

, east of Meroo and south of Mahe. Korzok Gu-stor festival is held here. * Markha River Valley, on "Nimoo-Chilling-Markha Road", these are also accessible from Leh on 56 km long Leh-Chilling road: ** Lama Guru Monastery, 35 km southeast of Nimoo, 56 km southwest of Leh on Leh-Chilling-Markha road. **

Skiu-Kaya Skiu (also Sku and Skyu) and Kaya (elev. 3500 m) are adjacent villages in the Markha River valley in Ladakh, India. The villages contain 9 and 12 households, respectively; the boundary between the villages is not clearly defined.Himalayan Hom ...

, twin villages next to each other. *** Kaya monastery, 11th century, built by

Rinchen Zangpo __NOTOC__ Lochen Rinchen Zangpo (958–1055; ), also known as Mahaguru, was a principal lotsawa or translator of Sanskrit Buddhist texts into Tibetan during the second diffusion of Buddhism in Tibet, variously called the New Translation School, ...

, couple of km east of Chilling. *** Skiu monastery, 11th century, built by

, couple of km east of Kaya. ** Hankar Monastery and Fort, 35–40 km east of Chilling, east of Markha. ** Techa Monastery is one of the most important monastery in the Markha valley. * Kharnak valley, on "Pang-Kharnak-Khurna valley Road". ** Dhat Monastery, northwest of Pang. *

Zanskar River The Zanskar River is the first major tributary of the Indus River, equal or greater in volume than the main river, which flows entirely within Ladakh, India. It originates northeast of the Great Himalayan range and drains both the Himalayas and t ...

valley: ** "Padum-Shankoo-Kargil Road", listed in order of moving from Padum towards Kargil. ***

Sani Monastery Sani Monastery (also written Sanee), Sa-ni- ''tshog is located next to the village of Sani where the Stod Valley broadens into the central plain of Zanskar in Ladakh, northern India. It is about 6 km to the northwest of the regional centr ...

, northwest of Padum. ***

Dzongkhul Monastery Dzongkhul Monastery or Zongkhul Gompa is located in the Stod Valley of Zanskar in Ladakh, northern India. Like the Sani Monastery, it belongs to the Drukpa school of Tibetan Buddhism Dzongkhul has traditionally been home to famous yogins. It ...

, 30 km northwest of

Padum Padum (also known as Padam) is a town named after Padmasambhava. It is the only town and the administrative centre in Zanskar, Kargil district of Ladakh, India. It was historically one of the two main capitals of the Zanskar Kingdom, the other ...

. ***

Rangdum Monastery Rangdum Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery belonging to the Gelugpa sect, situated on top of a small but steep sugarloaf hill at an altitude of 4,031 m (13,225 ft) at the head of the Suru Valley, in Ladakh. It is next to the tiny v ...

, north of

Pensi La Pensi-la (Pensi Pass) is a mountain pass in the Ladakh union territory of India, which is known as the Gateway to Zanskar. Pensi La is above sea level and connects the Suru Valley region to the Zanskar Valley region. The summit at this end of ...

(pass to Zanskar valley) and near Zulidok at head of the Suru Valley,Schettler, Margaret & Rolf (1981), p. 150. It is on

Sankoo Sankoo is a town in the Kargil district of the union territory of Ladakh in India. The township is 42 km away towards south from Kargil City. Sankoo is located in a bowl-shaped valley drained by large tributary streams of the Suru River, ...

Road, 103 km northwest of Padum, 87 km southeast of Sankoo and 196 southeast of Kargil. ** Padum area. *** Karsha Monastery, 11 km north of

. ** "Padum-Zangla-Lingshed Road", listed in order of moving from Padum to Lingshed. ***

Stongdey Monastery Stongdey Monastery, often written Stongde, Stongday, Tonday or Thonde, is a flourishing Buddhist monastery in Zanskar, Ladakh, northern India, approximately 18 km north of Padum, on the road to Zangla. The gompa was founded in 1052 by ...

, 18 km northeast of Padum. *** Tsazar Monastery, 6 km south of

Zangla Zangla is a village in Zanskar tehsil of Kargil district, in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. It is located 262 km from Kargil city, the district headquarter, 32 km from Padum, the capital of Zanskar and presently the headquarter of ...

and 26 km northeast of

. ***

Zangla Monastery Current day Zangla Village has no monastery, only a nunnery. Zangla Palace is sometimes called Zangla Monastery due to a mistake made first probably by Tivadar Duka, biographer of Alexander Csoma de Kőrös, and later by Ervin Baktay, an Indologi ...

, 262 km southeast of Kargil city, 32 km northeast of

, ***

Lingshed Monastery Lingshed Monastery or Lingshed Gompa is a Gelugpa Buddhist monastery in Ladakh, India. It is located near Lingshet village in the Leh district. It was founded in the 1440s by Changsems Sherabs Zangpo, disciple of Je Tsongkhapa, on a monastic si ...

, 84 km northeast of Padum. ** "

Nimmu–Padum–Darcha road Nimmu–Padum–Darcha road or Zanskar Highway is a road under construction between the Indian union territory of Ladakh and the state of Himachal Pradesh, passing through the region of Zanskar. It connects Nimmu in the Indus River, Indus Valley ...

", listed in order of moving from Padum to south towards Darcha in Himachal. ***

Bardan Monastery Bardan Monastery or Bardan Gompa is a 17th-century Buddhist monastery, approximately 12 kilometres south of Padum, in Zanskar, Ladakh, northern India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is th ...

, 17th century, 12 km south of

. Zongkhul Huchot festival is held on the 16th and 17th days of the fourth Tibetan month, i.e. the

's birth on

Vesak Vesak (Pali: ''Vesākha''; sa, Vaiśākha), also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima and Buddha Day, is a holiday traditionally observed by Buddhism, Buddhists in South Asia and Southeast Asia as well as Tibet and Mongolia. The festival ...

. ***

Phugtal Monastery Phuktal Monastery or Phuktal Gompa (often transliterated as Phugtal) is a Buddhist monastery located in the remote Lungnak Valley in south-eastern Zanskar, in the Himalayan region of Ladakh, in Northern India. It is one of the only Buddhist monas ...

, 52 km southeast of

(NPDR). Several festivals are held here throughout the year.

List of edicts

These are listed by the river valleys. These edicts are located in or near monasteries on the banks and mountain slopes of various rivers within Indus river system. *

valley: *

valley: ** Kargil-Haknis-Leh Road, listed in order of from Kargil direction to Leh. *** Mulbekh (also spelled "Mulbe") edict of King Bum Ide, 1430 CE, near Mulbekh Monastery and rock cut Buddha statue.Rizvi (1996), p. 238. ** Leh city: listed in order of north to south. *** ** Leh-Upshi Road, listed in order of moving from Leh towards Upshi. *** *

Tso Moriri Tso Moriri or Lake Moriri () or "Mountain Lake", is a lake in the Changthang Plateau (literally: northern plains) of Ladakh in India. The lake and surrounding area are protected as the Tso Moriri Wetland Conservation Reserve. The lake is at ...

area in

plateau ** *

valley: ** Padum-Shankoo-Kargil Road, listed in order of moving from Padum towards Kargil. *** ** Padum-Zangla-Lingshed Road, listed in order of moving from Padum to Lingshed.

References

{{Reflist Buddhist monasteries in Ladakh 1949 establishments in India Organisations based in Ladakh

List of monasteries

List of edicts

See also

References