Lamayuru Monastery

A must stop as you drive on Srinagar-Leh Highway, Lamayuru Monastery is the main seat of Drikung Kagyu school of Buddhism and also, one of the oldest and largest monasteries of Ladakh. The history of the monastery dates back to the 11th century, when Buddhist monk Arhat Madhyantika predicted the foundation of a monastery at Lamayuru, which was previously a lake. Later, Mahasiddha Naropa who had come to meditate at a nearby cave somehow caused the lake to dry up and thus, founded the Lamayuru Monastery here.

During the 16th century, the king of Ladakh, Tashi Namgyal introduced a law prohibiting any arrest in areas surrounding Lamayuru Monastery. Since then, the monastery has been named Tharpa Ling or the ‘land of freedom’. This rule was not only followed by the kings of Ladakh but also by Balti rulers and rulers of Kashmir.
The gompa which originally had five buildings, presently only has the main central building and the remains of the four corner ones. The premises still has the cave where Naropa used to meditate. Lamayuru is also famous for its colourful annual masked dance festival known as Yuru Kabgyat and its moon-like landscape which is a favourite of photographers.