Spiti's gompas: a visitor's guide

A thousand years in one valley

Spiti's monasteries, called gompas, are the reason many travellers come, and they are more varied than a first glance suggests. Some are museums of early Tibetan Buddhist art still in daily use; some are fort-like complexes on ridges; some are new buildings that serve town congregations. Together they trace how Buddhism reached and settled in this valley between India and Tibet.

The story usually starts with the western Tibetan kingdom of Guge in the late 10th century. Its kings sponsored the translator Rinchen Zangpo, who travelled to Kashmir to study and helped bring texts, teachers and artists back across the mountains. Tabo was founded in 996 CE on behalf of king Yeshe-Ö, and Nako's temples are linked to the same period. Later centuries brought the Gelug school, raids from outside, repairs and, in 1975, a damaging earthquake. Many gompas you see today mix very old halls with newer buildings beside them.

Tabo and Nako: the early temples

Tabo is the place to start. Its old complex, a group of mud-brick temples inside a walled enclosure, was founded in 996 CE and is described as the oldest continuously operating Buddhist monastery in India and the Himalaya. In the main assembly hall, life-size clay deities stand along the walls above painted scenes; the light is dim on purpose. Photography is not allowed inside. The newer monastery beside it is where today's monks hold morning prayers, and visitors can sit quietly at the back. The Dalai Lama held Kalachakra initiations here in 1983 and 1996.

Nako, a day's drive down the valley in upper Kinnaur, has four temple halls dated to 1025 CE and associated with Rinchen Zangpo, with sculptures of the Five Dhyani Buddhas. The halls are small and often locked; ask in the village for the caretaker, who will usually open them for a small fee or donation. Seeing Nako and Tabo on consecutive days, as the Kinnaur approach allows, is the best introduction to Spiti's early art.

monastery · 3,050 mTabovillage · 3,625 mNako

Dhankar and Key: gompas on the edge

Dhankar means fort on a cliff, from the Tibetan words for cliff and fort, and the old gompa lives up to the name. It sits on a spur of eroded earth about 300 m above the confluence of the Spiti and Pin rivers. Dhankar was the traditional capital of the Spiti kingdom in the 17th century. In 2006 the World Monuments Fund listed the gompa among the world's most endangered sites, and conservation work followed. A newer monastery below the village houses most of the monks today.

Key, also written Kye or Ki, is the largest monastery in Spiti and belongs to the Gelug school. Its whitewashed buildings stack up a conical hill above the Spiti river, about 12 km from Kaza. Key has survived Mongol raids in the 17th century, fighting in the early 19th century, damage by Dogra and Sikh forces in 1841 and the 1975 earthquake. It is home to many young monks; morning prayers around 7 am are the best time to visit. Its annual Chham masked dance is held in June or July.

Kungri, Kaza and the Lahaul gompas

In the Pin valley, Kungri gompa near Gulling is the main monastery and belongs to the Nyingma school, the oldest of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions. The Pin valley is also known for Buchen lamas, Nyingma performers of ritual theatre. In Kaza, the large Sakya Tangyud monastery was completed in 2009 and is the town's ceremonial centre; it takes its name from the much older Tangyud Gompa near Komic.

Across Kunzum La, Lahaul's gompas belong mainly to the Drukpa lineage. Kardang, across the Bhaga river from Keylong, is the most important. Its monks and nuns have equal rights, and many members spend summers farming family fields. Shashur, about 3 km above Keylong, was founded in the 17th century and hosts Tsheshu masked dances in June or July, as do several other Lahaul monasteries.

Etiquette inside a gompa

Monasteries are working religious communities, not museums, and a few habits make you a welcome guest. Most rules are the same across Spiti and Lahaul; when in doubt, watch what local visitors do.

• Walk clockwise around gompas, chortens and prayer wheels, and spin prayer wheels clockwise.
• Remove shoes and hats before entering prayer halls.
• Dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered.
• Follow photography rules: no photos inside Tabo's old halls and many others, and never use flash on murals.
• Do not touch murals, statues or butter lamps, and do not lean on old walls.
• Sit at the back during prayers, quietly, and do not point your feet at the altar.
• Ask before photographing monks, nuns or villagers.
• Leave a donation in the box; entry is often free and upkeep depends on visitors.

Words you will hear at a gompa

A few words help you follow what a guide or monk is saying, and show respect. Gompa itself means a monastery, from a Tibetan word for a solitary place. Lama is a teacher; in everyday speech in Spiti it is also used politely for monks. Chorten is the Tibetan word for a stupa, the whitewashed reliquary shrines you walk around clockwise at village edges.

Chham is the masked dance performed by monks at festivals, and torma is the ritual figure made of dough and butter that is offered or destroyed during ceremonies. Thangka is a painted scroll of a deity or teaching, often kept rolled and shown only on special days. Dukhang is the assembly hall where monks gather for prayers, and lhakhang is a temple or chapel. Juley is how people greet you across Spiti and Lahaul, as in Ladakh.

Planning your visits

Early morning is the best time almost everywhere: prayers are on, light is soft, and day-trippers from Kaza have not arrived. Many old halls are locked outside service times, so ask for the caretaker and be patient. Carry a small torch for dim interiors, and a little cash for entry fees and donations.

Remember altitude when planning. Key is at about 4,166 m and its upper terraces are reached by steep steps, so visit after at least one night in Kaza and climb slowly. Dhankar's old gompa has narrow ladders and uneven floors; it is not suitable for anyone unsteady on their feet. Festival dates for Chham and Tsheshu dances follow the lunar calendar and are set by each monastery, so check current status before you travel.