Thiksey Monastery: A Sacred Sanctuary in the Heart of Ladakh (2024)

Standing as a sacred sanctuary, a spiritual gem that resonates with the heart of the Himalayas, Thiksey Monastery offers a profound journey into the heart of Ladakh’s cultural and spiritual heritage. In this post, you will uncover the stories and information of Thiksey Monastery, where the soul of Ladakh finds its sanctuary.

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About Thiksey Monastery

Situated about 20 kilometers from Leh, Thiksey monastery is one of the oldest monasteries in Ladakh. The monastery is also referred to as ‘Mini Potala’ as is a replica of the Potala Palace in Tibet.

Situated on top of a hill, the monastery is 12 storey high and is famous for its 2 storey (15 metres / 49 feet) statue of Maitreya Buddha. It is an awe-inspiring representation of the future Buddha and is one of the best places to do Ladakh Photography.

How did the Thiksey Monastery get its name?

As heard from one of the local guides of Ladakh, a very interesting story that narrates about how Thiksey monastery got its name:

Jangsem Sherab Zangpo and his disciple Palden Sherab were offering prayer services with a ritual cake about three kilometers from where the Thiksey monastery is. A crow flew away with the cake. When they searched, they found the ritual cake in perfect order at the top of the hillock. They believed it is an auspicious sign to build a monastery at this place. Hence the monastery got its name “Thiksey” meaning in perfect order.

Thiksey Monastery During Morning Prayers

One of the best opportunities and experiences that I got in Ladakh was to visit the Thiksey monastery during the morning prayers. The chanting and the sounds of drums and horns by the lamas (or monks) was a different kind of an experience that I had never witnessed.

The youngest lama was 3 years old and it was a delightful sight to see this cute lama participating the morning prayers with the older lamas. I highly recommend visiting the monastery to see and witness the prayers, its absolute divine.

• Best time to visit Thiksey for morning prayers: 6 AM.
• Entry fee: Rupees 30.
• Distance from Leh: ~20 kilometers.
• My visit to the monastery was arranged by the tour group Trails with Tales that I visited with but you can get more details on their official website.

As Thiksey monastery is a religious site, dress modestly and ensure to cover your shoulder and knees.

Favourite Moment

My most favourite moment of the morning prayers is of two cute young lamas (kids in the below picture).

The lama on the left looked at me curious to see what I was doing with my big heavy camera. I looked at the kid and made a gesture with my right hand to smile. Instantly in no time he had a smile for the camera and even told his friend sitting next to him to look at the camera and smile.

It was such a cute reaction and it shows kids are cute and innocent no matter where and what they are.

How to Get to Thiksey Monastery?

The best way to get to Thiksey Monastery is by taking a taxi. The monastery is around 20 kilometres from Leh city and the journey by road takes only around 30 minutes. You can easily get the taxi at Leh city.

Or you can also take a public bus from Choglamsar in Leh city. The buses are very frequent (intervals of 15 minutes) and will drop you at Thiksey monastery. This is an affordable way to reach the monastery.

Closing Notes

This was the highlight of my Ladakh trip and will always remain as one. It was such a nice and beautiful moment to see the prayers and see the cute little lamas. Have you been to Thiksey monastery? Let me know by sending me an email on Solopassport@gmail.com.

Also read

• Jammu and Kashmir Travel Diaries
• Thiksay Monastery Official website

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