Thiksey Monastery

‘Then there is Tikse, wonderful Tikse, with its gompa, perhaps the most picturesque and beautiful in all Ladakh, whose hundred buildings descend in steps from the top of a great ridge of rock right down to the plain below, which bristles with a forest of chorten.’ Giotto Danielli (1933: 275–76) This wonderful quote by Danielli beautifully describes how this monastery, one of the largest in Ladakh, leaves a lifelong impact. Rectilinear structures cascade down the south slope resembling a cubist collage. Thick black lines run along the roof, accentuate the dimensions of each structure. Small windows, framed with broad black bands, punctuate the overwhelming white of the buildings. The hill is crowned with buildings painted yellow and red to emphasize the hierarchy within the monastery. Spread over 12 storeys the building houses a 15 metre high Maitreya Buddha, a large assembly hall and even a nunnery.