Caves


A number of small caves, whose openings are easily visible on the hillside just above the main road, were once part of the old monastery complex. Access is a steep 200m walk starting up the steps opposite the Vijay Kumar shop.

The one mud-and-stone building here protects a cave known as the Phoo Gompa, with recently restored early murals. If the cave door is locked, you might find the key on top of one of the pillars supporting the roof.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Library

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A new but very much traditionally styled extension to the old gompa's Zal-ma is nearing completion and will eventually house a museum of the monastery's…

3. Tabo Gompa

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Founded in AD 996, and retaining five sub-temples dating back over 900 years, Tabo Gompa is reckoned to be the oldest continuously functioning Buddhist…

4. Dhankar Tso

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Offering beautiful reflections of the mountainscape plus chorten, this small lake sits high above Dhankar, accessed on foot by a steep 2km path that…

5. Lhalung Monastery

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Near the top of Lhalung village, this outwardly modest monastery is actually an antique gem. Beneath a yellow painted tin roof, the very atmospheric…

6. New Monastery

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Like a series of whitewashed limpets, the 1200-year-old Dhankar Gompa clings precariously to an eroded cliff-edge rock pinnacle, high above the beautiful…

8. Dhankar Fort-Palace

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On the very crown of the gompa crag stands the crumbling fort-cum-palace that gave Dhankar its name (khar means 'citadel' and dhak means 'cliff'). Now…

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