![Kachen Dugyal Memorial Old Aged - Handicapped Society, Spiti Monastery, 2004](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Kachen_Dugyal_Memorial_Old_Aged_-_Handicapped_Society%2C_Spiti_Monastery%2C_2004.jpg)
Kye Gompa (also spelled Kyi, Ki, Key, or Kee - pronounced like the English word ''key'') is a
Tibetan Buddhist
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 ...
monastery of the
Gelugpa
240px, The 14th Dalai Lama (center), the most influential figure of the contemporary Gelug tradition, at the 2003 Bodhgaya (India).
The Gelug (, also Geluk; "virtuous")Kay, David N. (2007). ''Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain: Transplantati ...
sect located on top of a hill at an altitude of above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
, close to the
Spiti River
Spiti (pronounced as Piti in Bhoti language) is a high-altitude region of the Himalayas, located in the north-eastern part of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The name "Spiti" means "The middle land", i.e. the land between Tibe ...
, in the
Spiti Valley
Spiti (pronounced as Piti in Bhoti language) is a high-altitude region of the Himalayas, located in the north-eastern part of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The name "Spiti" means "The middle land", i.e. the land between Tibe ...
of
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...
,
Lahaul and Spiti district
The Lahaul and Spiti district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh consists of the two formerly separate districts of Lahaul () and Spiti (; or ). The present administrative centre is Kyelang in Lahaul. Before the two districts were merged, ...
,
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 is the largest monastery of the Spiti Valley and a religious training centre for
lama
Lama (; "chief") is a title for a teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term ''guru'', meaning "heavy one", endowed with qualities the student will eventually embody. The Tibetan word "lama" means "hi ...
s. It reportedly had 100 monks in 1855.
The monastery is dedicated to Lochen Tulku, the 24th reincarnation of the great translator Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo.
It is about north of Kaza and from Manali by road.
History
Kye Gompa is said to have been founded by
Dromtön
Dromtön, Drom Tonpa or Dromtönpa Gyelwé Jungné (, 1004 or 1005–1064) was the chief disciple of the Buddhist master Atiśa, the initiator of the Kadam school of Tibetan Buddhism and the founder of Reting Monastery.
Early life and education ...
(Brom-ston, 1008-1064 CE), a pupil of the famous teacher,
Atisha, in the 11th century. This may, however, refer to a now destroyed
Kadampa
300px, Tibetan Portrait of Atiśa
The Kadam school () of Tibetan Buddhism was an 11th century Buddhist tradition founded by the great Bengali master Atiśa (982-1054) and his students like Dromtön (1005–1064), a Tibetan Buddhist lay master. ...
monastery at the nearby village of Rangrik, which was probably destroyed in the 14th century when the
Sakya
The ''Sakya'' (, 'pale earth') school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug. It is one of the Red Hat Orders along with the Nyingma and Kagyu.
Origins
Virūpa, 16th century. It depic ...
sect rose to power with
Mongol
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member of ...
assistance.
[Handa (1987), pp. 97, 99.]
Kye was attacked again by the Mongols during the 17th century, during the reign of the
Fifth Dalai Lama
Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (; ; 1617–1682) was the 5th Dalai Lama and the first Dalai Lama to wield effective temporal and spiritual power over all Tibet. He is often referred to simply as the Great Fifth, being a key religious and temporal leader ...
, and became a
Gelugpa
240px, The 14th Dalai Lama (center), the most influential figure of the contemporary Gelug tradition, at the 2003 Bodhgaya (India).
The Gelug (, also Geluk; "virtuous")Kay, David N. (2007). ''Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain: Transplantati ...
establishment. In 1830, it was sacked again during the wars between
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 ...
and
Kulu. In 1841, it was severely damaged by the
Dogra
The Dogras or Dogra people, are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group in India and Pakistan consisting of the Dogri language speakers. They live predominantly in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, and in adjoining areas of Punjab, Himachal ...
army under Ghulam Khan and Rahim Khan. Later that same year, it suffered more damage from a
Sikhs
Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism (Sikhi), a monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ...
. In the 1840s, it was ravaged by fire and, in 1975, a violent
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...
caused further damage which was repaired with the help of the
Archaeological Survey of India
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexande ...
and the State Public Works Department.
[Handa (1987), pp. 100-101.]
The walls of the monastery are covered with paintings and
mural
A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage.
Word mural in art
The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...
s, an example of the 14th century monastic architecture, which developed as the result of
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
influence.
Kye monastery has a collection of ancient murals and books, including
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 ...
images.
[SurfIndia.com - Kye monastery](_blank)
There are three floors, the first one is mainly underground and used for storage. One room, called the
Tangyur
The Tengyur or Tanjur or Bstan-’gyur (Tibetan: "Translation of Teachings") is the Tibetan collection of commentaries to the Buddhist teachings, or "Translated Treatises".
The Buddhist Canon
To the Tengyur were assigned commentaries to b ...
is richly painted with murals. The ground floor has the beautifully decorated Assembly Hall and cells for many monks.
Kye Gompa now belongs to the Gelugpa sect, along with
Tabo Monastery
Tabo Monastery (or Tabo Chos-Khor Monastery) is located in the Tabo village of Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh, northern India. It was founded in 996 CE in the Tibetan year of the Fire Ape by the Tibetan Buddhist ''lotsawa'' (translator) Rinche ...
and
Dhankar Gompa
Dhankar Gompa (also Dankhar, Drangkhar or Dhangkar Gompa; ''Brang-mkhar'' or ''Grang-mkhar'') is a village and also a Gompa, a Buddhist temple in the district of Lahaul and Spiti in India. It is situated at an elevation of 3,894 metres (12,7 ...
, one of three in Spiti.
:The monastery of Kee, for instance, accommodates nearly 250 monks, who reside within the sacred walls throughout the year. Some monks go to South Indian Monasteries during winters, the rest of them stay inside the monastery walls. These monasteries have their regular heads; these heads are the reincarnations of Guru Rinpoche. The current head of Kee Monastery is from Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh. He is 19th birth of Guru Rinpoche.
A celebration of its millennium was conducted in 2000 in the presence of the
Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...
.
A new Prayer Hall was inaugurated on 3 August 2000 by the
Fourteenth Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama (spiritual name Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, known as Tenzin Gyatso (Tibetan: བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་, Wylie: ''bsTan-'dzin rgya-mtsho''); né Lhamo Thondup), known as ...
.
It was presented through a tableau in the 69th Republic Day celebration held at Delhi.
In recent times the monastery has also hosted the "Kachen Dugyal Memorial Old Aged - Handicapped Society" which provide accommodation for a number of elderly and disabled people.
Gallery
File:Kye Gompa-10-Klosterburg-gje.jpg, Close-up
File:Kye Gompa-12-Dorf-gje.jpg, Kye village
File:Kye Gompa-34-Symbol-gje.jpg, Spiritual signs
File:Kee monastery Spiti Valley (edited).jpg, Covered in snow in winter
File:Dedication plaque for New Prayer Hall 2000 Key Gompa.jpg, Dedication plaque
See also
*
List of highest towns by country
This is a list of the highest settlements by country. Many of these are too small to be regarded as towns or cities. Only permanent settlements occupied year-round are included. When possible, the highest point in the contiguous year-round settl ...
Footnotes
References
*Handa, O. C. (1987). ''Buddhist Monasteries in Himachal Pradesh''. Indus Publishing Company, New Delhi. .
*Harcourt, A. F. P. (1871). ''On the Himalayan Valleys:— Kooloo, Lahoul, and Spiti.'' Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Vol. 15, No. 5, 336–343.
* Kapadia, Harish. (1999)
''Spiti: Adventures in the Trans-Himalaya'' 2nd Edition. Indus Publishing Company, New Delhi. .
* Janet Rizvi. (1996). ''Ladakh: Crossroads of High Asia''. Second Edition. Oxford University Press, Delhi. .
* Cunningham, Alexander. (1854). ''LADĀK: Physical, Statistical, and Historical with Notices of the Surrounding Countries''. London. Reprint: Sagar Publications (1977).
*Francke, A. H. (1977). ''A History of Ladakh''. (Originally published as, ''A History of Western Tibet'', (1907). 1977 Edition with critical introduction and annotations by S. S. Gergan & F. M. Hassnain. Sterling Publishers, New Delhi.
*Francke, A. H. (1914). ''Antiquities of Indian Tibet''. Two Volumes. Calcutta. 1972 reprint: S. Chand, New Delhi.
*Sarina Singh, et al. ''India''. (2007). 12th Edition. Lonely Planet. .
External links
{{Buddhist monasteries in Himachal Pradesh
Buddhism in Lahaul and Spiti district
Buddhist monasteries in Himachal Pradesh
Buildings and structures in Lahaul and Spiti district
Gelug monasteries and temples