Gelug school of Tibetan BuddhismGelug, era of the Fifth Dalai LamaTiered fort-monastery in the Chinese-influenced 14th-century monastic manner
Sacred since
1000 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
present fort-monastery 17th c.; foundation traced to the 11th c.
Gelug, era of the Fifth Dalai Lama
History & significance
The largest monastery in the Spiti valley, perched at about 4,166 m above the Spiti river and home to some 250 monks. It is the valley's chief training centre for lamas and holds a notable collection of thangkas and murals.