Covering a conical hillock with an array of whitewashed monastic buildings, Ki (Kee, Key) is the largest gompa in Spiti. Views of it from the south are particularly photogenic. On request, the monks will open up some of the medieval prayer rooms that survived when the main prayer hall (now rebuilt) was ravaged by fire.
In the Zimshung Lhakhang, the upper library, is the bed that was slept in by the Dalai Lama during his visits in 1960 and 2000. Around 350 monks, including many students from surrounding villages, live here. An atmospheric puja is held in the new prayer hall every morning at around 8am. Dance masks are brought out for the annual Ki Chaam Festival and again for Losar.
