Sankar Gompa

Leh


The timeless two-storey Sankar Gompa is Upper Leh's modest main monastery. It's a calming, meditative place, and the walk to reach it from Sankar Lane takes you past a curious stupa-monument.

The small main prayer room features a portrait of Kushok Bakula Rinpoche (died 2004), Ladakh’s former Gelukpa head lama. His reincarnation, still a child, will eventually move to the gilt-roofed residence opposite the monastery.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Leh attractions

1. Ladakh Rocks & Minerals Museum

0.02 MILES

This sweet one-room museum outside Sankar Gompa presents labelled examples of Ladakh's geological curiosities, including a natural lingam (phallic image…

2. Sankar

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For a charming wander, follow canal streams in the captivating yet relatively accessible area around little Sankar Gompa and the one-room geological…

3. Gomang Stupa

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This large 9th-century whitewashed stupa rises in concentric serrated layers flanked by numerous chortens. The charming, shady setting retains a…

4. Tsemo Gompa

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Namgyal Tsemo Gompa consists of two little 15th-century temple buildings directly beneath the Tsemo Fort ruins. One enshrines an 8m-tall gold-faced…

5. Tsemo Fort

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Visible from virtually everywhere in Leh, 16th-century Tsemo (Victory) Fort is a defining landmark that crowns the top of Palace Ridge, though there's…

6. Tisseru Stupa

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Ladakh's largest stupa is unlike anything else in the region – a giant, bulky mud-brick structure that looks like a half-built ziggurat (stepped pyramid).

7. Leh Palace

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