Alchi in January

The January story

The Alchi monastery complex houses some of the finest surviving examples of Kashmiri-Buddhist art anywhere in the world. The murals in the Sumtsek temple — three-storey wooden structure from the 11th century — depict bodhisattvas wearing clothing that art historians use to date Central Asian textile trade routes. In January, you see these in frozen silence, your breath visible, no other soul around. The preservation is partly thanks to Alchi being on flat ground (not a hilltop like most Ladakhi monasteries), and partly thanks to this brutal winter keeping humidity at zero. If you can handle -15°C and uncertain roads, January offers a spiritual and artistic experience no summer visit can replicate.