Kashmir & Ladakh
Zanskar’s oldest gompa comprises a small, two-storey prayer hall ringed by a curious tunnelled cloister. The stupa out back dates back to Kushan King Kanishka (2nd century AD), making it the oldest Buddhist monument in Zanskar.
The complex is around 8km north of Padum, beside the main road to Kargil, so it makes an easy stop if driving in or out of Zanskar. It's around 300m west of Sani's colourful pondside Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) statue.
A one way/return taxi from Padum costs ₹600/900.
10.22 MILES
One of Zanskar's most important monasteries, Stongdey Gompa doesn't look like much when viewed from below, but it crowns a bird’s-eye perch with…
14.67 MILES
The three-storey ruin of a 17th-century royal palace sits on a crag surveying Zangla village and the valley looking north towards Hanamur. From 1823,…
9.7 MILES
Bardan Gompa is a fortress-like monastery with a spectacular setting atop a rocky outcrop commanding an S-bend in the Lugnak Valley. The main prayer hall…
5.82 MILES
At the far side of a wide plain around 2½ hours’ walk from Padum, Karsha Gompa is Zanskar’s largest Buddhist monastery. Dating to at least the 10th…
5.85 MILES
The Dukhang Yokma, Karsha Gompa's main prayer hall, was demolished in 2009 due to irreparable structural damage. In so doing, an astonishing discovery was…
5.63 MILES
Karsha's Konchod Drubling Nunnery is only a few decades old, but it occupies the site of a far older settlement containing the upper ruins of a fortress,…
5.17 MILES
The oldest section of Padum is a chaos of rocks, abandoned old buildings, shrines and large assorted kani (tunnel-stupas) climbing a modest hillock. The…
26.88 MILES
A spectacular 2½-hour walk from Cha is amply rewarded by the sight of this 15th-century monastery, hanging miraculously on a cliff face beneath a gaping…
4.78 MILES
This monastery just behind Padum makes for a nice hour-long (5km) hike from the centre and offers fine views over the valley towards Pibiting and beyond.
4.99 MILES
Around 2km northeast of the main market, Pibiting has the most authentic feel of Padum's surrounding villages. It's easy to spot thanks to a hilltop Guru…
5.17 MILES
The oldest section of Padum is a chaos of rocks, abandoned old buildings, shrines and large assorted kani (tunnel-stupas) climbing a modest hillock. The…
5.21 MILES
A large rock set above the Lungnak River bank, southeast of Padum, is inscribed with a row of five seated Buddha figures in Gandharan style, clumsily…
5.63 MILES
Karsha's Konchod Drubling Nunnery is only a few decades old, but it occupies the site of a far older settlement containing the upper ruins of a fortress,…
5.82 MILES
At the far side of a wide plain around 2½ hours’ walk from Padum, Karsha Gompa is Zanskar’s largest Buddhist monastery. Dating to at least the 10th…
5.85 MILES
The Dukhang Yokma, Karsha Gompa's main prayer hall, was demolished in 2009 due to irreparable structural damage. In so doing, an astonishing discovery was…
7.19 MILES
On the east bank of the Lungnak River, southeast of Padum, the village of Shilla is backed by a crag with ruins at the top and a substantial waterfall…