Monasteries Older Than 500 Years

Himachal Pradesh

Tabo Monastery 996 CE — the Ajanta of the Himalayas. UNESCO-worthy murals in mud walls.

Ladakh

Alchi 10th century — finest Kashmiri-Buddhist art anywhere. Lamayuru moonscape monastery even older.

Ladakh

Hemis 1630 CE, Thiksey 15th century, Shey Palace. Leh is a monastery circuit unto itself.

Himachal Pradesh

Namgyal Monastery — seat of the Dalai Lama. Not ancient, but the living heart of Tibetan Buddhism in exile.

Himachal Pradesh

Kardang Monastery — 12th century, overlooks Keylong. Oldest in Lahaul, barely visited.

Ladakh

Diskit Monastery — 14th century, giant Maitreya Buddha, perched above the Shyok river valley.

Himachal Pradesh

Bhimakali Temple — not a monastery but a 7th century Hindu-Buddhist hybrid. Tower architecture unique in India.

Himachal Pradesh

Nako Monastery — 11th century, Rinchen Zangpo era. Crumbling murals in a village at 3600m.

Himachal Pradesh

Kalpa has small but ancient Buddhist temples mixed with Hindu ones — Kinnaur syncretic tradition.

Ladakh

Phugtal Monastery — built into a cliff cave, 12th century. Reachable only by foot. Worth every step.