Places to see around

Around Leh there are several places to be savoured. Seventy kilometers from Leh, on the banks of river Indus, is the Alchi gompa dating back to the 11th century. It is one places to see for its widely renowned collection of paintings.

Another place to see around Leh is Hemis. It is one of the biggest gompas in Ladakh. Built in 1630, it belongs to the red sect, Brokpa. To commemorate the birth of the renowned Indian sage, Padmasambhava, the annual Hemis festival is held in the month of June/July and it attracts several travelers, tourists, and devotes to Leh-Ladakh.

Situated on the opposite bank of the Indus across Thikse, the Matho gompa is another place to see around Leh. It was established in the first half of the 16th century and has a valuable collection of old and beautiful thangkas. Its annual festival of oracles in early March is an important event in the Ladakhi religious calendar.

The Palace Monastery of Shey Gompa has the largest statue of Maitreya Buddha (the Buddha to come) in Ladakh. Erected in the mid-17th century, worked out of gold and gilded copper sheets with blue hair, it stands 17.5 m high. It is one of the must see places around Leh.

Amongst the other places to see around Leh are Spituk Gompa, Thikse gompa, Stakna, Stok gompa, Lamayuru monastery, Likir monastery, Phyang gompa, Bagso gompa, Chernry gompa, Mulbekh gompa, Thak Thog gompa and the town of Choglamsar.