Phugtal Monastery, Phugtal Gompa or Phuktal Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery (gompa) in the Zanskar region of the Union Territory of Ladakh, northwest India. It belongs to the Gelug sect and was Founded by Gansem Sherab Sampo at the beginning of the 12th century.
Founded by Gansem Sherab Sampo at the beginning of the 12th century, the monastery has a unique architecture – it is built like a honeycomb in the rock. The monastery is located in the Zanskar mountain range, in the remote Tsarap valley (also called Lungnak, although for many authors this last river, one of the branches of the Zanskar River, only starts further south, at the confluence with the Kargyag), on a cliff at an altitude of about 3,900 meters in the gorge of the Tsarap River. The monastery is perched like a beehive and comprises a main temple, prayer rooms, a library containing rare sacred writings, residential quarters, teaching structures and a refectory, in addition to the original natural cave with its sacred fountain.
70 monks live in the monastery, there are prayer halls and a library, frescoes similar to those of Alchi Gompa. The memorial plaque commemorates Alexander Kyoryoshi Choma, the author of the first English-Tibetan dictionary, who visited these places in 1826-27.
Access : Coordinates: 33.266667, 77.183333 / Phugtal Monastery located in the remote Lungnak Valley in south-eastern Zanskar, in the Himalayan region of Ladakh, in Northern India.
Highlights :
- Housing about 70 monks, the monastery has a library and a prayer room. There is a stone tablet left at the monastery by Sándor Kőrösi Csoma, a Hungarian who explored and visited Tibet in 1826-27.
- Traditional religious festivities are an important part of monastery life. They are an occasion for the monks to interact with the villagers and for the villagers to visit the monastery. : Phukta Gutor is one of the most important festivals in Phugtal Monastery. / The Gadam Nagchod or Enlightenment Ceremony marks the anniversary of the death of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug sect. / The Yarnas or Varshavas Ceremony is a celebration during which the monks remain confined to the monastery and some areas in the immediate vicinity / The Vajrabhairava Initiation is a festival dedicated to the worship of Vajrabhairava (or Yamantaka), the most wrathful form of Manjusri. / The Gyalwe Jabstan, held after the Chonga Chodpa, involves a puja for the Dalai Lama’s long life. / Chonga Chodpa is celebrated immediately after Chudsum Chodpa and is a ceremony to celebrate the harvest. / Smonlam Chenmo, also known as Monlam Chenmo (“great prayer” in Tibetan) is the most important Tibetan Buddhist celebration of the year, marking the beginning of the New Year.
- The monastery maintains a traditional Tibetan medicine clinic that serves the local population and has an amchi (doctor). The clinic provides traditional medicines (Sowa-Rigpa), many of which are prepared in the monastery.
Go next : On the opposite bank of the Tsarap is the village of Darcha / Zangkul Gompa.
