Ladakh Monasteries: Retaining The Age Old Buddhist Practices
These main centres for worship, isolated meditation and religion teaching belong to either the Red Hat sect or the Yellow-Hat sect of Tibetan monasticism. Over twelve monasteries are situated near the Indus, out of which the Lamayuru is considered the oldest monastery. It has been a sacred site for the pre-Buddhist religion known as Bon. These Gompas are undoubtedly beautiful and splendorous, but are perched dangerously on the edge of craggy mountain faces or rocks. A few popular monasteries/gompas in Ladakh are:* Alchi
* Namgyal Tsemo
* Sankar
* Shanti Stupa
* Likir
* Spituk
* Cave Monastery
* Thiksey
* Stok Palace
* Shey
* Lamayuru
* Phugtal
* Leh Palace
* Zongkhul
Apart from that, Phiyang, Hemis and Chemrey are a few other ancient monasteries that were founded under the patronage of members of the ruling Namgyal dynasty. It is suggested to cover your limbs and take off the shoes while entering the monasteries. Prior permission should be taken for photography inside the monasteries and drinking or smoking is stricly prohibited. A head is appointed in every monastery, who is called the "Kushak", which literally means a "Reincarnation". Your tour to Ladakh monasteries showcases the rarest collection of Buddhist relics like thankas, murals, sculptures, scriptures, etc.