Chemrey Monastery

Chemrey Monastery, affiliated to the Drukpa sect of Buddhism, was dedicated to King Sengge Namgyal during the time of its foundation in the mid 17th century. The monastery was founded by Lama Tagsang Raschen, who also founded Hemis Monastery. As a result, the head lama of both the monasteries was the same person. The monastery, housing a total of 20 monks, has two assembly halls (Dukhang) and a temple (Lhakhang). The gompa also has several shrines and scriptures.

Chemrey Monastery is famous for three things in particular—firstly, the impressively high statue of Guru Padmasambhava; secondly, the valuable collection of 29 volumes of sacred scriptures written in golden letters on silver; and lastly, its picturesque location. Around 40 km from Leh, the gompa hosts Chemrey Angchok, the festival of sacred dances, every year in November on 28th and 29th days of the ninth month of Tibetan calendar.