This morning our vehicle will report at your hotel. Proceed to visit the Leh Palace. This palace was constructed by King Sengge Namgyal during the 17th century. By the mid-19th century, this place was abandoned due to the annexation of Ladakh by Dogra forces. This annexation led to the royal family living in this palace to move to the famous Stok Palace. This palace is currently ruined, and is undergoing restoration by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). There are nine storeys in this palace. The royal family lived in the upper floors, while store rooms along with stables are present in the lower floors. From the roof of this palace, tourists can take in an aerial view of the Leh Valley.
Next up, the Shey Monastery or Gompa and the Shey Palace complex are structures located on a hillock in Shey, 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) to the south of Leh in Ladakh, northern India on the Leh-Manali road. Shey was the summer capital of Ladakh in the past. The palace, mostly in ruins now, was built first in 1655, near Shey village, by the king of Ladakh, Deldan Namgyal, also known as Lhachen Palgyigon. It was used as a summer retreat by the kings of Ladakh. The Shey Monastery was also built in 1655 on the instructions of Deldon Namgyal, in the memory of his late father, Singay Namgyal, within the palace complex. The monastery is noted for its giant copper and gilded gold statue of a seated Shakyamuni Buddha. Shakyamuni Buddha is so named since Buddha was the sage (muni) of the Sakya people who resided in the Himalayan foothills and their capital was Kapilvastu. It is said to be the second largest such statue in Ladakh.
The monastery at Thikse also houses a 3 storey statue of the Future Buddha. There are some excellent views of the Indus valley and mountain ranges from here. Thikse Gompa or Thikse Monastery (also transliterated from Ladakhi as Tikse, Tiksey or Thiksey) (thiksok Nambar tak pe ling) is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Yellow Hat (Gelugpa) sect, located on top of a hill, approximately 19 kilometres east of Leh . It is the largest gompa in central Ladakh. The monastery is located at an altitude of 3,600 metres (11,800 ft) in the Indus valley. It is a 12-storey complex and houses many items of Buddhist art such as stupas, statues, thangkas, wall paintings and swords. One of the main points of interest is the Maitreya (future Buddha) Temple which is installed to commemorate the visit of the 14th Dalai Lama to this monastery in 1970. A 15 metres (49 ft) high statue of Maitreya, the largest such statue in Ladakh, covering two storeys of the building is deified in the monastery. A nunnery is also part of the complex.
The Hemis Monastery, the biggest in Ladakh, is full of ancient treasures, such as giant thangkas decorated with pearls and precious stones, a Buddha statue inlaid with jewels and fine Buddhist paintings. Hemis Monastery is revered as the largest monastic institutions in the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir in North India. The monastery has more than 200 branches with more than 1,000 monks in the Himalayan region. Situated in the foothills of Indus at a distance of 45 km from Leh, the monastery has access to motorable roads. Travelling to Hemis monastery itself is a thrilling experience and the surroundings make the journey a memorable one. Hemis Monastery is the wealthiest monastery in India and famous for its rich collection of ancient remnants like the statue of Buddha made of copper, stupas made of gold and silver. The Monastery also has other sacred Thangkas, murals and various artifacts. Stay overnight at the hotel.
