Kashmir & Ladakh
Seen from Rangdum village, 5km west, this small, slightly raised monastery looks like a tiny island floating above the valley floor. Postcards are sold to raise funds for the next-door school.
The Kargil–Padum road passes right outside, and when driving by, you'll have to stop here anyway while police note your passport details in a ledger.
28.62 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…
26.69 MILES
This ancient Buddha carving is an impressive sight and all the more appealing for being unknown to most visitors. It's hardly a five-minute walk off the…
23.97 MILES
Mulbekh is overlooked by the impregnable site of King Tashi Namgyal’s 18th-century castle, high above the road. Burnt during an 1835 raid, the castle has…
23.59 MILES
Mulbekh's foremost sight is a 1000-year-old Maitreya Buddha relief, carved into an 8m fang of rock. It's right by the roadside, rising through the middle…
25.03 MILES
Built memorably into a cliff face, little Shargol Gompa's minuscule prayer chamber is lit by a single flickering butter lamp. To access the site from the…
23.06 MILES
This intriguing little monastery includes troglodyte cell rooms tucked improbably into pillars of unstable-looking composite rocks. It's backed against a…
23.06 MILES
This intriguing little monastery includes troglodyte cell rooms tucked improbably into pillars of unstable-looking composite rocks. It's backed against a…
23.59 MILES
Mulbekh's foremost sight is a 1000-year-old Maitreya Buddha relief, carved into an 8m fang of rock. It's right by the roadside, rising through the middle…
23.97 MILES
Mulbekh is overlooked by the impregnable site of King Tashi Namgyal’s 18th-century castle, high above the road. Burnt during an 1835 raid, the castle has…
25.03 MILES
Built memorably into a cliff face, little Shargol Gompa's minuscule prayer chamber is lit by a single flickering butter lamp. To access the site from the…
26.69 MILES
This ancient Buddha carving is an impressive sight and all the more appealing for being unknown to most visitors. It's hardly a five-minute walk off the…
28.62 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…