Tayul Monastery

Tayul Monastery is located above the village of Stingri on the Manali - Leh highway after Keylong and has a huge statue of Padmasambhava. This gompa houses full library of Kangyur. There are many thangkas in the gompa that depict various episodes from the life of Lord Buddha.
Tayul Gompa, written in Tibetan, translates to Ta-Yul means chosen place. It is one of the oldest Drukpa (Red hat sect) monasteries in Lahaul. Legend says that Rinchen Lama from Kham region of Tibet, founded this monastery in the beginning of the 17th Century.

There is a walking path to access this monastery, which passes through pretty potato and pea plantations. It is an uphill climb of almost an hour and there are juniper trees growing while you approach the monastery and a string of old shortens with fabulous views of the mountain on the other side. There is a chomo (female monk) gompa on top and a lovely monastery with old mud and stone construction nearby. Tayul Monastery itself isn't a huge monastery, but is prettily located and is beautiful with brightly-coloured doors and windows.
It is better to ask the locals about whereabouts of the lama before making the climb to Tayul Gompa.