Thiksey Monastery in Leh

You just cannot ignore the gracious presence of the Buddhist monasteries in Leh district. It gives an amazing opportunity for people to know about the Buddhism religion. You get to see the beautiful side of Leh by visiting the attractive monasteries located in different parts of the city.



Thiksey Monastery is one such beautiful Tibetan monastery located in Leh. Let us go through the details of this monastery.

About Thiksey Monastry

Monastery is the home for monks. It is a place where Tibetan people practise their prayers. Leh, the capital of Ladakh is a dwell for Tibetan people. Leh has the famous Thiksey Monastery. It is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery located in the heart of Leh and is considered to be the oldest and the largest monastery in the entire Ladakh city. It is located approximately at a height of 3500 metres above the sea level.

History & Background of Thiksey Monastry

The monastery’s location and existence has a very interesting background. One fine morning Jangsem Sherab Zangpo and his disciple were offering their morning prayers with a piece of cake. A crow suddenly flew and took away the cake piece. When they followed the crow they found the crow sitting at the top of a hill with the piece of cake. The idea of building a monastery in the exact same location came into their minds and hence Thiksey Monastery stands there today.

Appearance of Thiksey Monastry

The monastery is a twelve storey building with two chambers. The most interesting fact about this monastery is that it contains the famous statue of ‘Maitreya Buddha’. This statue is the largest statue in the entire Ladakh and this occupies nearly two storeys of the building.



This is a clay statue and is highlighted with golden colour. This particular statue of Lord Buddha marks him as sitting in a lotus. This is unlikely associated with Buddha statues since we have always associated Lord Buddha either standing or in some other sitting positions.

Inside Thiksey Monastery

Monasteries generally have a courtyard where the prayers and festivals take place. The inside walls of the monastery is engraved with Lord Buddha’s teachings. The monastery is attached to a huge prayer hall and the walls of this hall depict the paintings of Tibetan calendars. There is a temple inside the monastery associated with goddess Tara. This temple displays twenty one images of the goddess and her different ‘avatars’. There are total ten temples inside the monastery. The school for the nuns or the monks is located within the campus of the monastery and is generally looked after by the Ladakh state administration. The monastery provides home to almost two hundred monks or nuns. One can catch the beautiful view of the Indus valley from this monastery.

Festival of Thiksey Monastery

The annual festival of this monastery is Thiksey Gustor. This festival takes place in the month of December from the 17th to the 19th day. The main attraction during this festival is the local dances performed by Buddhists known as Cham. These dances depict the life story of Lord Buddha and the sacrifices made by him. The most eye catching attraction of this monastery is the sand Mandala. It takes days to create this but once made they put water in the sand that depicts the life cycle of an individual.

Timing & Entry Fees of Thiksey Monastery

The entry fee to this monastery is Rs. 20 per person. This monastery can be visited any day of the week from 7am to 7pm. One can stay inside the monastery for nearly three to four hours and enjoy the entire trip to the monastery. One can carry a camera inside the monastery.

Nearby Attractions to Thiksey Monastery

Leh Palace, the royal palace of Ladakh which is 2.3 km away from this monastery can be a great attraction for tourists and is mostly visited. Hall of Fame, a museum that attracts tourists a lot is just 1.6 km away from Thiksey Monastery and is never missed by people visiting this place.

Nearby Shops to Thiksey Monastery

Book worms can easily get into Ladakh Book Shop which is just 3 km away from this monastery. This book store offers wide range of books which you can choose from.
Leh Main Market is 1.4 km away from this monastery and one you enjoy shopping in this market for as long as you want.

Eating Out near Thiksey Monastery

KC Garden Cafe is just 1.8 km from Thiksey Monastery and is a common place that people chose in order to have a good course of food that they can enjoy.
Tenzin Dickey is in some meters away from Thiksey Monastery and it gives an option to people for eating Chinese and Tibetan course of meal.

Accommodation Options nearby Thiksey Monastery

Spic n Span a famous hotel which assures a comfortable stay and is 3.2 km away from Thiksey Monastery is chosen by people since it provides a good stay in a minimum cost.
Hotel lotus is also at a distance of 3.2 km from this monastery and people can also stay here and enjoy a great holiday.

How to reach Thiksey Monastery

Here are the different modes transport available to reach the Thiksey Monastery:

By Air: It is 3.2 km away from Leh Airport and bus and cab services are available.

By Train: Nearest railway station is Baijnath Mandir Railway Station which is 243 km away from Thiksey Monastery.

To make a Leh Ladakh trip more exciting and interesting one must add a visit to Thiksey Monastery in his list and enjoy the beauty of Buddhist culture and traditions.