Rizong Monastery

Yuma Changchubling is the more fascinating name of one of the famous monasteries in the Ladakh region that is Rizong Monastery. To the west of Alchi on the road to Lamayuru is the location of Rizong gompa. Lined by the beautiful mountainous terrains, Rizong Monastery is perched on a rocky hill top north of the Indus River.

History

History says that before the establishment of the monastery in the year 1831, there was a hermitage for teaching the Buddhist religion to the monks. Lama Tsultim Nima was the person behind the construction of the hermitage and in the later stage, as the number of monks was increased, he started the construction of the current monastery, much bigger and expansive. Now, the monastery belongs to the powerful sect of Buddhism, Gelugpa, or Yellow Hat sect.

Structure

At the center of the monastery, there is a relic shrine that has another name as Sku- Gdung that preserves the relics of the founder of the monastery. The frescoes of Dharmaraja and other deities are all around the shrine. Shakyamuni Buddha’s statue is the main attraction of the assembly hall, as well as the idols of other deities, give the hall a complete sacred atmosphere. The sacred chamber, Thin-Chen shrine, etc have many other idols and all together create the harmonic serenity inside the monastery.