Buddhist monasteries in Ladakh

Ladakh's Buddhist Gompas

Ladakh’s spiritual landscape is defined by its ancient gompas, many perched on dramatic rocky outcrops overlooking the Indus Valley. This collection spans centuries of Buddhist heritage, featuring architectural marvels like the 12-story Thikse Monastery and the 17th-century Hemis Gompa, the region's wealthiest. Highlights include Alchi’s rare 11th-century Indo-Tibetan wall paintings and the white-domed Shanti Stupa. These sites represent various schools of Tibetan Buddhism, housing significant collections of ancient manuscripts, thangkas, and colossal statues of Maitreya Buddha.