Manggyu Temple Complex

Ladakh


The trio of millennium-old temple chambers at Manggyu share many of the features that you'll see at the world-famous Choskhor temple complex at Alchi but have none of the crowds. The central temple features four-headed Vairocana, while a tiny door to the right accesses a 5m glossy-faced clay Chamba statue, also 10th-century. The left chamber features mandala wall murals. No photography allowed.

To gain access, ask at the village's tiny central shop. Manggyu is a scenic 15km drive off the NH1 via the Alchi Bridge. A new bridge means you can now take a shortcut from Manggyu to the main NH1 highway near Km362 and continue from there to Lamayuru.

There are a couple of homestays in the charming village.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Ladakh attractions

1. Timishgan Khar

4.17 MILES

Originally King Dragpa-Bum's 15th-century fortress, Timishgan's three-storey palace site has an obvious defensive strength commanding the confluence of…

2. Wanla Gompa

7.54 MILES

Above Wanla village, tiny medieval Wanla Gompa is dramatically perched on a towering knife-edge ridge flanked by two shattered tower remnants of a now…

3. Rizong Gompa

8.59 MILES

Stepped handsomely within a hidden amphitheatre of rocky cliff, this lonely but much-revered little 19th-century monastery is famous for its code of…

4. Yungdrung Gompa

10.7 MILES

Lamayuru's gompa is one of the most photogenic Buddhist monasteries in Ladakh. Behind glass within the gompa’s main prayer hall is a tiny cave-niche in…

5. Saspol Caves

11.49 MILES

The orchard town of Saspol is backed by a conglomerate promontory topped with the ruins of Toyos Khar fortress-palace. Somehow still surviving in the…

6. Saspol Chamba

11.51 MILES

Almost opposite the small SBI Bank (not the ATM, which is 200m further east), a small shop hides the entrance to an unexpectedly impressive trio of 5m…

7. Choskhor Temple Complex

12.71 MILES

The original murals and statues within these four outwardly modest 11th-century temples are considered the crowning glory of Ladakh’s Indo-Tibetan art…

8. Sumdha Chun Temple

14.52 MILES

The remote monastery at tiny Sumdha Chun boasts some splendid Alchi-style carvings that are directly linked to Tibet's 'Great Translator' Ringchen Zangpo.