Tabo Monastery

Tabo Monastery is an ancient monastery that was established in 996 CE. It is considered to be an important monastery and is often referred to as the Ajanta of the Himalayas. The complex has 9 temples and many stupas—all of which are made in mud and have been standing like this for more than 1000 years. The main temple is an assembly hall where monks used to pray together. This hall has all its walls painted with Buddhist stories. There are stories of the life of Shakyamuni (the Buddha) and various Bodhisattvas. There are also 33 stucco sculptures of Bodhisattvas on the walls with their names mentioned for recognition. You can go around the hall and admire the paintings, some of which date back to the time when the monastery was built, but most of them are from a later period when probably conservation and restoration work was carried on. The paintings do seem to be inspired from Ajanta paintings though the style of is a bit different. Other temples are usually closed, but monks might open them for you on request. These temples belong to Buddhist deities like Tara and Buddha Maitreya. No photography of the paintings is allowed at Tabo Monastery though you can take pictures of the complex outside. However, picture postcards of these beautiful paintings are available with monks for sale.