Culture · Tabo, Spiti & Lahaul
The thousand-year-old halls of Tabo
Walk through the mud-walled temples of Tabo, founded in 996 CE, to see painted walls and clay deities that have survived a thousand years and an earthquake.
Photo: Arup1981 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · CommonsThe old complex at Tabo is a walled enclosure of nine temples, built of mud brick in the late 10th and early 11th centuries. The main assembly hall is the one to see: clay figures of deities are fixed to the walls above head height, and below them painted panels tell stories from Buddhist texts.
Light is low and photography is not allowed inside the old temples. Let your eyes adjust and look slowly. A monk or caretaker usually opens the halls in the morning and may explain the main images. Leave a donation in the box.
The walls are fragile mud and the paintings are old. Do not touch them, do not lean on the walls, and keep bags close to your body. After the old halls, visit the new monastery next door, where monks pray and study today, and the stupas outside the enclosure.
Good for
Also in Tabo
More days here
Photo: Schwiki · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Climb to Tabo's meditation caves
A short, steep path from the village climbs to caves cut into the cliff above Tabo, once used by monks for meditation, …
Photo: Nrr1729 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
The mummy of Gue, a detour from Tabo
In the small village of Gue, a shrine holds the seated mummy of a monk thought to have died in the 1500s. A half-day si…
Trips through Tabo
Do this on a trip
Each of these trips stops in Tabo. Tell us and we keep a slot for this day.
Photo: Sumita Roy Dutta · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Comfort
Spiti circuit: Kinnaur in, Kunzum La out
Private SUV with driver
Photo: Sumita Roy Dutta · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Saver
Spiti by HRTC bus, the slow Kinnaur way in
HRTC and local buses, with one shared taxi loop from Kaza
Photo: Sumita Roy Dutta · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Saver
Spiti village homestays: Dhankar to Langza
Shared car to Kaza, then local buses and short taxi transfers
Photo: Sumita Roy Dutta · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Signature
Gompas of Spiti, in and out by Kinnaur
Private SUV with driver, private guide
Questions
Before you book
Can I take photos inside Tabo Monastery?
No, photography is not allowed inside the old temples. Photograph the exterior, stupas and courtyard instead.
When does Tabo Monastery open?
The halls are usually opened in the morning and afternoon by a monk or caretaker. Times vary; ask at the monastery office or your guesthouse.
Why is Tabo called the Ajanta of the Himalayas?
Because of its old wall paintings and clay sculptures, which survive inside the original mud-walled halls.