Lamayuru Monastery, one of the oldest in Ladakh, sits amid an extraordinary lunar-like landscape of eroded rock formations that has earned the surrounding terrain the nickname 'Moonland'. The monastery itself, built into the hillside above the village, is considered one of the region's most sacred sites, associated in legend with the Kashmiri Buddhist scholar Naropa, who is said to have meditated in caves here.
The dramatic, otherworldly rock formations surrounding the monastery are as much a draw for photographers as the monastery's religious significance, and Lamayuru's position on the main Leh-Srinagar highway makes it a natural stop for those travelling that overland route.
Tradition holds that Lamayuru was founded around the 10th-11th century, making it one of the oldest monastic sites in Ladakh, with its establishment closely tied to early accounts of Buddhist teachers meditating in the caves that dot the surrounding cliffs.
May to September.
About 125km from Leh, roughly 4-5 hours by road toward Kargil.
No reviews yet — be the first.
Sign in to leave a review — reviews are posted under your account name.