Travelogues

Alchi Monastery

Location                     : Approx 67 Km on west side of  Leh

Founded By              : Rinchen Znagpo

Founded in               : 1000 AD

How to reach there : Taxi/Bus

Alchi Monastery  is located on bank of river Indus, placed at  67 KM away from Leh on west side.

Alchi Gompa dates back to the year 1000 AD and was built by the Translator, Rinchen Zangpo. He even made a reference about the monastery in his biographies. It is written that he brought thirty-two sculptors and wood carvers from Kashmir, for the construction of the Alchi Monastery of Leh Ladakh. The monastery is sited at a distance of around 67 km to the west of Leh. Anyone can see an Indian touch in this monastery, especially in the way its paintings have been painted. One of its walls features thousands of miniature sized pictures of Buddha

Three sacred temples, with the main one being that of Rinchen Lhakhang at Lotsa Lhakhang, make up a major part of the Alchi Gompa. However, there are other temples also, namely Jamyang Lhakhang, Sumtsag Lhakhang and more.

There are a number of images inside the monastery. However, the main one is that of Vairocana. The other images include the ones of the five Buddha Families, along with their attendant deities. Monks from Liker monastery take care of this Gompa, as it is no longer an active religious center.

This is the only monastery out of 34 in Ladakh, which is not located on hilltop.

Chemrey Gompa