Thiksay Monastery

Sep 09, 2021

Noted for its resemblance to the Potala Palace in Tibet, Thiksey Monastery is the largest gompa in central Ladakh and a must-see place near Leh. One of the main attractions of Thiksey Monastery is the Maitreya Temple which was installed to commemorate the visit of the 14th Dalai Lama to this monastery in 1970. The temple has a 15m tall statue of Maitreya Buddha, which is the largest statue in Ladakh covering two storeys of the building.

Thiksey Monastery belongs to the Gelug or Yelloe Hat sect of Tibetan Buddhists. It is also known for its annual Gustor Festival held in October/November in which a trade fair is held at the base of the monastery where villagers from all over Ladakh come to barter and trade items and socialize.

History

According to a legend, Sherab Zangpo and Palden Zangpo wanted to build a more significant Tibetan monastery. While they were performing some rituals near the Yellow Temple and went to throw the Torma down the valley to complete the rituals, two crows came and flew away with the Torma offerings.
When Palden Zangpo and a few of his disciples started searching for the Torma, they reached Thiksey where they found the Torma to be carried by the crows and placed on a stone precisely the way they wanted to. They considered it to be a divine command and started setting up the Thiksey monastery here.

Structure

Thiksey monastery is the largest monastery in Central Ladakh. It comprises several buildings of varying heights starting from the base of the hill to the hilltop arranged according to the importance of each building. There is a statue of a Tibetan deity at the foot of the mountain and a stupa at the tip. Each of the buildings is painted red, white, and ochre colors and resembles the Potala Palace in Tibet.
The similarity is so substantial that Thiksey monastery is often known as the mini Potala. The monastery not only comprises different Buddhist statues, paintings and stupas but also houses 60 lamas whose quarters are located at the top of the hill. The interior of the monastery also comprises the statue of Maitreya Buddha, the Tara temple, an assembly hall, and the Lamokhang Temple.