Alchi Monastery

Alchi sits on flat ground beside the Indus rather than on a crag, which is unusual for Ladakh and is part of why its early buildings survived: they were never fortified, never rebuilt, and were superseded rather than replaced when the community moved elsewhere. The temples date from around the eleventh and twelfth centuries and their interiors carry painting and woodcarving in a Kashmiri idiom, with slender figures, fine line work and mandalas covering whole walls, that has almost entirely disappeared from Kashmir itself. The Sumtsek, a three-storey shrine with huge standing bodhisattvas, holds the most celebrated of it.

History

Tradition credits the founding of Alchi to the scholar and translator Rinchen Zangpo in the 10th century, part of the effort by the lama-king Yeshe-Ö of Guge to spread Buddhism in the Trans-Himalaya. Inscriptions in the buildings dispute this, however: one records the foundation by a king and a queen, who may be the couple in the royal drinking scene painted at the entrance of the Dukhang, dated to around 1200 CE (Wikipedia, Alchi Monastery).

What you'll find

• The Sumtsek - a three-storey shrine with colossal standing bodhisattvas.
• The Kashmiri-style murals - eleventh and twelfth century wall painting.
• The carved doorways - fine timber work on the temple entrances.
• The riverside setting - flat ground beside the Indus, unusual in Ladakh.

When to go

May to October; the site is open year-round but road access west of Leh depends on conditions. Interiors are dim at any time and there is no artificial lighting for preservation reasons.

Things to know

Photography inside is strictly prohibited. Interiors are very dark and details are hard to see; a torch is not permitted, so eyes need time to adjust. The complex is small and the visit short.

Nearby

Lamayuru lies west; Leh is east.

Key facts