Ladakh
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 crumbling cliffsides are several unprotected caves, of which at least three remain covered with 10th-to-11th century Buddhist murals. Such caves were used as meditation retreat chambers as early as the 4th century BC.
To reach the caves, take the unpaved road north off the NH1 at Km371, then after 800m walk up the zigzagging footpath.
25.11 MILES
Bearing a passing similarity to the Potala Palace in Lhasa (Tibet), this nine-storey dun-coloured edifice is Leh's dominant structure and architectural…
2.03 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…
18.74 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…
25.12 MILES
Behind Leh’s central Jamia Masjid, winding alleys and stairways burrow between and beneath a series of old mud-brick Ladakhi houses and eroded chortens…
22.17 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…
22.7 MILES
Founded in the late 14th century as See-Thub (Exemplary) Monastery, impressive Spituk Gompa surveys the Sengye Tsangpo (Indus) Valley, with surreal views…
24.34 MILES
Dominating Leh from a high, rocky ridge, this gigantic white spired pudding of a stupa was built between 1983 and 1991 by Japanese monks to promote world…
20.34 MILES
Restored by the army in the late 1990s, this tiny white cube of a temple is said to date back to the time of the 'Great Translator' Ringchen Zangpo (10th…
0.33 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…
2.03 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…
3.34 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…
4.34 MILES
Though founded in 1065, this monastery’s current incarnation as a Gelukpa monastery originated in the 15th century. The main prayer hall to the right on…
6.93 MILES
Rising above Basgo village on a surreal collection of eroded earthen pinnacles are the photogenic stubs of a once-great palace dating from when Basgo was…
8.07 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.
8.29 MILES
The golden form of Ney's 21st-century Buddha statue is claimed to be 26m tall. In reality it looks about half that high but is still an impressive sight…
10.98 MILES
Originally King Dragpa-Bum's 15th-century fortress, Timishgan's three-storey palace site has an obvious defensive strength commanding the confluence of…