Key Monastery or Key Gompa is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery located at an altitude of 4,116 meters, on the heights of a hill near the Spiti River in the Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh. India.
This monastery belongs to the Jelupa sect of the Mahayana Buddhists. This monastery also invaded the Sikh and Dogra rulers in the 8th century. In addition to this After the earthquake in the year of 9, it has been safe. The monastery contains a collection of some ancient manuscripts and thangkas. In addition, some weapons are kept here. The ‘Cham Utsav’ is celebrated every year in June-July.
The monastery was built in the eleventh century by Dromton, the main disciple of the Buddhist monk Atisha. It was later rebuilt several times. The monastery was finally rebuilt in the 1840s, following the 1975 earthquake.
It is the biggest monastery of Spiti Valley and a religious training centre for Lamas. It reportedly had 100 monks in 1855
On the walls of the monastery, there are ancient wall paintings. The fourteenth-century monastic architecture of Chinese influence is evident here. There are many pictures of Lord Buddha in the museum The Spiti River flows in the vicinity of the monastery.
Today, the Buddhist monastery of Gelug tradition (that of the Dalai Lama) of Key is a classic of this valley for more and more tourists. It is less isolated than the picture suggests, being only 16 km from Kaza, the main city in the region.
Access : Coordinates: 32.297733, 78.011992 / Tourists can reach Manali via road. Leh-Manali Highway is the best. It is approximately 191 km from Manali. Accommodation is available in Kaza nearby.
Highlights :
- Layout : The main building has three floors. The first floor is mostly underground and serves as a warehouse. A room called Tangyur is richly decorated with murals. The ground floor has a beautifully decorated assembly hall and cells for many monks.
- Features : On the walls of the monastery, there are ancient wall paintings. The fourteenth-century monastic architecture of Chinese influence is evident here. There are many pictures of Lord Buddha in the museum The Spiti River flows in the vicinity of the monastery.
Note : Photography is not allowed inside the prayer rooms but is allowed in the outdoor areas.
Activities : The monks might give a guided tour / sightseeing / photo opportunities / trekking / landscape observation.
Go next : Kaza, the main city in the region / Komik village: This is a situated at a height of 4275m / Hikkim village / Kibber village.
