Thiksey Monastery is a twelve-storey Gelug monastery at about 3,600 metres above the Indus valley, the largest in central Ladakh. It climbs a hill in tiers of white and ochre, and is often compared with the Potala in Lhasa. Morning prayers, open to visitors, are the best hour to be there.
Duke Kashmir Travels, registered with the J&K Department of Tourism as JKTA00003978 since 2011, builds Ladakh itineraries around the Indus valley gompas. Packages start near ₹6,350 per person, two to a room.
By Duke Kashmir Travels Team · Reviewed by Rayies Ahmad Zargar, Founder · Published · Updated
Key takeaways
- About 3,600 metres, on a hill above the Indus, roughly 19 km from Leh.
- Affiliated to the Gelug order of Tibetan Buddhism.
- The largest monastery in central Ladakh, built in twelve storeys.
- A two-storey Maitreya Buddha fills its own temple in the complex.
- Morning prayers are open to visitors.
- Old mud and stone fabric has been renovated in places with stone and marble.
What is inside the monastery?
Assembly halls, chapels, a library of Buddhist texts and the Maitreya temple with its two-storey seated Buddha.
The complex houses monks and, in a separate section, nuns. The upper terraces give a long view down the Indus valley towards Leh, which many visitors rate as highly as the buildings themselves.
When should you go?
Early, for the morning prayer assembly. The rest of the day is quieter but the ritual is the thing worth seeing.
Gustor, the monastery's masked-dance festival, falls in the Tibetan calendar and draws large crowds. We check the year's dates when planning a Ladakh trip.
How do you visit?
About 19 km from Leh on the Manali road, twenty-five minutes by car, with a short climb from the parking area.
Ladakh's altitude is serious: acclimatise in Leh for a day or two before climbing monastery stairs. Shey, Stakna and Matho are all on the same stretch of valley.
Booking this with us
The agency behind this guide, Duke Kashmir Travels, was registered with the J&K Department of Tourism in March 2011 (JKTA00003978) and joined IATO in 2016. More on the paperwork is on our About Us page.
Tell us when you are travelling and how many of you there are, and a costed itinerary follows. Reach us on +91 9018 44 0000, at info@dukekashmirtravels.com, or through the contact page.
About the founder
The agency was started in Srinagar in 2011 by Rayies Ahmad Zargar, who owns it to this day, helped found the JK Tourism Council, and reads every destination guide before it goes up. His LinkedIn profile is here.