Home Pilgrimage Tabo Monastery
🏔️
India

Tabo Monastery

Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India
Altitude
3,050 m
Best time
June – September
Temperature
5°C – 25°C (summer) · closed by snow in winter
Country
India

About this sacred site

Founded in 996 CE by Rinchen Zangpo (the Great Translator), Tabo is one of the oldest continuously functioning Buddhist monasteries in the world — over 1,000 years old — and is often called the “Ajanta of the Himalayas” for its extraordinary murals. The nine temples contain the most comprehensive surviving cycle of 10th-century Kashmiri Buddhist art in the world. The original thangkas, stucco sculptures, and wall paintings in the Du-Khang (assembly hall) are of breathtaking refinement. H.H. the Dalai Lama has given Kalachakra initiations here and considered making Tabo his place of final retreat. The journey through Spiti Valley is itself a pilgrimage through an otherworldly high-altitude Tibetan landscape.

When to visit

Spring
5-20°C
Possible · Now
Summer
10-30°C
✓ Ideal
Autumn
0-20°C
Possible
Winter
-20-5°C
✗ Avoid

Getting there

1
Drive from Shimla (425km) via Kinnaur — spectacular mountain road, 2 days.
2
Or from Manali via Rohtang Pass (210km) — road open June–October only.
3
Spiti circuit: Manali → Kaza → Tabo → Reckong Peo → Shimla (or reverse).

Nearby Buddhist sites

Location

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