Tabo is a small town in the

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, ...

on the banks of 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 ...

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 ...

, India. The town lies on the road between Rekong Peo and

Kaza A kaza (, , , plural: , , ; ota, قضا, script=Arab, (; meaning 'borough') * bg, околия (; meaning 'district'); also Кааза * el, υποδιοίκησις () or (, which means 'borough' or 'municipality'); also () * lad, kaza , ...

(alternative spelling: Kaja), the sub-divisional headquarters of Spiti. The town surrounds a Buddhist monastery which, according to legend, is said to be over a thousand years old. 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 ...

has expressed his desire to retire to Tabo, since he maintains that the

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 ...

is one of the holiest. In 1996, the Dalai Lama conducted the

Kalachakra ''Kālacakra'' () is a polysemic term in Vajrayana Buddhism that means " wheel of time" or "time cycles". "''Kālacakra''" is also the name of a series of Buddhist texts and a major practice lineage in Indian Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism. The ...

initiation ceremony in Tabo, which coincided with the millennium anniversary celebrations of the Tabo monastery. The ceremony was attended by thousands of Buddhists from across the world. Tabo Monastery's spiritual head is Tsenshap Serkong Rinpoche.

Geography and climate

The village is situated at an altitude of 10,760 ft/ 3,280 metres. Climate in Tabo is very unpredictable as it ranges from cloudy to sunny and from snow to heavy snowfall. Summers are short from May to August and winters are longer from mid-September to April. Winter temperatures in Tabo can range from in the day to overnight. In summers, temperature ranges from at night to celsius in daytime.

Places of interest

Tabo Monastery -Tabo Spiti -Himachal Pradesh -D72 6869

The temples within the monastery complex in Tabo have a plethora of wall paintings and mud statues. 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 ...

(ASI) attempted to restore some paintings that were ravaged by time, but were not very successful. Photography, however, is not permitted inside the monastery. Near the monastery there is a souvenir shop.

Tourism

There are a few hotels in Tabo, of which the Banjara Camps retreat is the most luxurious. The temperatures here plummet at night. There are other hotels and hostels like Dekit Norphel Tiger Den Restaurant, Tashi Gangsar, Menthok Dumra at Tabo, including the monastery's own guest houses. Another View of Tabo Monastery Guest House

Another View of Tabo Monastery Guest House

Transport

Mobile phone networks do not work well in Tabo in Spiti Valley, except BSNL & Jio network. Tabo is connected to other major towns like Kaza and Kalpa with Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Network.

Notes

References

Deepak Sanan & Dhanu Swadi. 2002. ''Exploring Kinnaur & Spiti in the Trans-Himalaya''. 2nd edition. Indus Publishing Co., New Delhi. , pp. 147–153

External links

Tabo monastery

Practical Info about Tabo on the Net
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Lahaul and Spiti district Caves of Himachal Pradesh Geography of Lahaul and Spiti district