Lahaul & Spiti - The Land of Wondrous Gompas by Ashok Thakur

Ashok Thakur belongs to the ruling family of Lahaul. He is presently 

the Principal Secretary (Culture and Tourism) to the Government of 

Himachal Pradesh. As such he is responsible for the preservation of 

some to the oldest monasteries of this remote Himalayan region. 

The Himalayan district of Lahaul–Spiti in the Indian state of Himachal 

Pradesh is one of the last refuges for Tibetan Buddhism in India. As 

one crosses over the Rohtang Pass from verdant Manali through the 

fluttering prayer flags and piled up mane stones one truly enters into a 

different world – a world of gompas, chortens and above all smiling 

faces with chinky eyes and warm hearts which is in stark contrast to 

the overall ruggedness of the landscape. Centuries of landlocked and 

hard existence have led these people to devise their own social 

institutions for their survival - polyandry, law of primogeniture and 

above all the monastic system of life all designed to keep population in 

check and at the same time to avoid fragmentation of land holdings. 

Even today the district is land locked for 5 months in a year as all the 

passes leading into the valley are blocked due to heavy snowfall from 

December to May each year, the only connection with the outside 

world then being a once a week helicopter service for medical 

emergencies. 

Amongst all the three institutions it is only the gompas which are still 

going strong thanks largely to the Dalai Lama who has been frequently 

visiting these areas and holding Kalachakra discourses for the people 

of this Himalayan district. 

I shall take you for a tour of the stunning gompas of Lahaul and Spiti. 

Let us first go to Lahaul. Around Kyelong, Lahaul’s headquarter, one 

can find some of the most exquisite gompa of the area. 

Located 8 kms from Keylong, Guru Ghantal is overlooking a precipice 

above Tandi village, where the Chandra and Bhaga rivers join to form 

the Chandrabhaga. The gompa is surrounded by a large number of 

rock caves. Locals claim that Guru Padmasambhava had meditated 

before here leaving for Tibet. Guru Ghantal is a double-storeyed 

structure made of wood, with pyramidal roofs and a big assembly hall, 

characteristic of monasteries in the Lahaul valley. 

The monastery has a black stone image of the Hindu goddess Kali, 

locally known as Vajreshwari Devi, the deity has been assimilated into 

the Buddhist pantheon. 

A few kilometres away is Shashur gompa. Founded in the 16th century 

by a Tibetan Lama, the place is named after the juniper trees growing 

in its vicinity. The original temple has been rebuilt several times; the 

last being about a hundred years ago after it was destroyed by an 

avalanche. This monastery has gigantic tangkhas, some over 4.5 m 

tall and numerous wall paintings, including that of the 84 Buddhists 

siddhas. 

Once the capital of Lahaul, the village of Kardang possesses a 900 

year old monastery built on the banks of the river Bhaga. It was 

renovated by a Tibetan master, Lama Norbu in 1912. The multi-

storeyed structure has four temples. 

Kardang’s library has a collection of musical instruments, beautiful 

tangkhas and ancient weapons. Unfortunately the old gompa has been 

demolished and in its place a more spacious and a modern one built 

has been constructed. 

In Satingiri village, Tayul gompa (or ‘chosen place’ in Tibetan) is 

famous for its 4 meter tall statue of Guru Padmasambhava. The prayer 

wheel at this gompa is reputed to have the divine power of ‘self 

turning’. According to resident monks, this last happened in 1986. 

Lahaul has the particularity to have two temples holy to both 

Buddhists and Hindus. The Mrikula Devi temple in Udaipur village is 

dedicated to the goddess Kali. This wooden temple was built in the 

11th century. The local priests claim that it was built much earlier. 

Overnight, the Pandava brothers would have constructed it from a 

single block of wood. 

A fascinating panel depicts the Assault of Mara, in which Buddha 

engages in battle with Mara the Tempter, flanked by Rama warring 

with the demon Ravana. 

The other temple is the 8th century Trilokinath temple across the 

Chandrabhaga river. It has a six-armed deity that is said to have been 

installed by Padmasambhava himself. It is worshipped as Shiva by 

Hindus and Avalokiteshwara by Buddhists. 

Officiating priests claim that those who pass through the narrow 

passage between the temple’s wall and the two pillars that stand at 

the entrance to the main shrine, wash off all the sins of all their 

previous births. 

The other valley of the district is the Spiti valley. Here you can find the 

most awe-inspiring gompas. Spiti’s early monasteries were built during 

the 11th and 12th century during an era of peace and renaissance. The 

great translator Rinchen Zangpo has been instrumental for the revival 

of Buddhism in the area. With the Mongol invasion in the 17th century, 

this peace was shattered and warfare affected the architecture of most 

of the gompas. During this period, the gompas were constructed on 

elevated ground, usually on hill peaks. Thus they gained the 

appellation ‘fort monasteries’. One of the most well-known examples 

of such construction is Kye, which was shifted from lower ground at 

Rangrik to a higher one. 

The uppermost rooms in the gompa are assigned to the khenpo (the 

abbot); this position indicates his superior status. The most sacred 

spaces in a gompa are the lha-khang (sacred shrine) and the dukhang 

(assembly hall). The gon-khang (chamber of protective deities) 

and zalma (chamber of picture treasures) are also of great 

significance. Lower down in monasteries are the monks’ cells. The 

verandas of the du-khang are usually most extensively decorated. A 

monastery’s courtyard, the site of all monastic festivals, is an integral 

part of the building. Every courtyard has a lungta (prayer flag) around 

which monks perform the annual cham (ritual dance). 

In most monasteries, the inside walls, windows and doors are painted 

in vivid colours like black and red, in contrast to the white exterior. 

These sharp, alternating colours are a feature of Tibetan architecture, 

and derive their philosophical basis from Tantra, which emphasises the 

union of opposites. 

Kye gompa is situated 7 kms from Kaza, Spiti’s headquarters. It is the 

first fortified monastery in Spiti. The entire complex is located on the 

slope of a hill. Kye’s garrisoned architecture still bears stark testimony 

of the Mongols’ attacks in the region. As late as the 19th century, Kye 

was subjected to more assaults during the Kullu-Ladakh, the Dogra 

and Sikh wars. 

Kye is also a vibrant centre of Buddhist cultural tradition. Its elaborate 

du-khang was rebuilt after the original was destroyed in the 

earthquake of 1975. 

Not far away at Komic is Tangyud gompa at an elevation of 4,587 m. 

It is one of the highest in the world. This monastery is over 500 years 

old and has about 45 monks in residence. 

According to a legend its construction was foretold in Tibet, as a 

monastery built between two mountains, one shaped like a snow lion 

and the other like a decapitated eagle. The space between the 

mountains would resemble the eye of a snow cock, and, the name 

Komic in fact derives from this – ko means snow cock and mic, eye. 

India’s oldest functioning monastery is Tabo gompa, some 47 kms 

from Kaza. This monastery is an architectural illustration of the 

concept of the mandala. The monastery celebrated its 1,000th 

anniversary in 1996 when the Dalai Lama performed the Kalachakra 

initiation in Tabo. 

The gompa is known as the ‘Ajanta of the Himalayas’, holds treasures 

in its dimly-lit interiors. Its walls and ceilings are a canvas for 

astounding mural paintings. Sharp lines, earthy colours and distinctly 

Indian features are characteristic of the paintings from this early 

period. The du-khang is the most elaborately decorated, with its walls 

divided into 3 tiers. The life of Buddha is depicted on the lowermost 

tier, followed with 32 stucco images on pedestals in the middle tier, 

and 3 rows of Boddhisattvas on the uppermost tier. 

From a considerable distance, Dhankar gompa stands out because of 

the solidity of its construction, which led the 19th century traveller, 

Trebeck, to refer to it as a ‘cold fort’. Dhankar was originally called 

Dhakkar or ‘Palace on a Cliff’. Dhankar was once the capital of Spiti. 

This gompa has been enlisted as one of the World Endangered 

Monument. 

A two-hour drive from Dhankar is Lha-lun gompa (literally the ‘Land of 

Gods’). It is one of Spiti’s oldest monasteries which is believed to have 

been constructed overnight by the gods after Lotsava Rinchen Zangpo 

planted a willow tree here, stating that if it lived through the year, a 

temple had be built next to it. The tree still stands outside the gompa. 

As a result of the sectarian strife in Spiti most monasteries belongs to 

the Gelukpa sect. Only in Pin valley, particularly at Kungri and Mud, 

one does find monasteries of the Nyingmapa tradition. This is probably 

because this region was very isolated, the only entrance being through 

the Pin river. The Kungri gompa has a large retinue of monks in 

residence. The dilapidated, mud-walled old building is flanked by a 

recently built hall decorated with paintings and woodwork. 

The monastic history of the region makes it clear how links with 

Tibetan culture were (and are) maintained and balanced with the local 

ethos. This is an indication of the ‘sacred geography’ that extends 

across countries. In Ladakh, for example, the Stakna monastery 

maintains a link with Guru Ghantal and with their mother monastery at 

Pangtang Dechinling in faraway Bhutan. If a monk desires higher 

education, for which facilities are not available in Lahaul, he goes 

there. 

My earliest association with gompas of Lahaul-Spiti was as a child in 

Gemur gompa in Lahaul where I learnt the Tibetan alphabet under the 

guidance of my grand father Thakur Mangal Chand, the Rais (or Wazir) 

of Lahaul. He was the one responsible for inculcating in me interest in 

Lahauli history and culture. He himself was a multifaceted personality: 

being an accomplished administrator, a renowned amchi [Tibetan 

traditional doctor], a master of Thanka painting and an explorer who 

led expeditions successfully into Tibet with British officers. For this 

reason, he was appointed as the British Trade Agent at Gartok. 

My later association with the region and its gompas was in my official 

capacity as the Deputy Commissioner Lahoul Spiti which means that as 

head of the District, I was also responsible for the gompas and their 

restoration and upkeep. I continue doing so today as the head of the 

Department of Culture in the State of Himachal Pradesh. 

And do not forget, Himachal is the land of hospitality; we will be 

delighted to take you around our wonderous gompas. 

Glossary 

Mani Stones carved with the sacred chant Om Mani Padme Hum are 

stacked one on top of the other to form walls. Often, the mani wall 

ends at the entrance to a village or on the top of a pass. 

Gompa or monastery is supposed to be located in solitary place, far 

away from social settlements. 

Chorten, Tibetan for stupa, is a Buddhist reliquary structure that 

commemorates an auspicious occasion or ceremony, or is a repository 

of the relics of important monks and saints.