Thikse Monastery

Listen first to the wind. Up here it moves across bare rock, catches the prayer flags, and makes them snap like small sails. The air is thin and dry, and it carries a faint smell of butter lamps and dust. Under your feet the stone steps are uneven, worn smooth by centuries of monks and pilgrims. Above you, white buildings climb the hill in tiers, each one stacked on the shoulders of the one below.

This is Thikse Monastery, on a hilltop in the Indus valley, a short drive east of Leh. Many travellers say it looks like a smaller cousin of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, the great former seat of the Dalai Lamas in Tibet. You can see why. The whitewashed walls rise in layers toward deep red buildings at the summit. From a distance the whole hill seems to be one building, almost like a fortress made of prayer.

Thikse belongs to the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism, often called the Yellow Hat order because of the yellow ceremonial hats its monks wear. This school traces its roots to the great teacher Tsongkhapa, who lived in Tibet in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries. The monastery itself dates from the fifteenth century. Its founding is linked to the circle of Tsongkhapa's followers, who carried his teachings west across the mountains into Ladakh.

Before you go inside, turn around and look out. The view is a large part of the reason this place was built here. Below you lies the green ribbon of the Indus valley, with fields, poplar trees, and small villages. Across the valley, other monasteries and old palaces sit on their own hills. On a clear day, the snow peaks of the Stok range stand to the south. A monastery on a hill could watch the valley, and the valley could always see the monastery.

As you climb, notice how the buildings are made. The walls are thick, built from stone and sun-dried mud brick, then covered with whitewash. Windows are small and framed in black, with colourful wooden lintels above them. This style keeps the rooms warm in the long Ladakhi winter, when the cold here is severe. The flat roofs are edged with dark bundles of twigs, a traditional detail of Himalayan monastery architecture.

The heart of many visits is the Maitreya temple. Maitreya is the future Buddha — the Buddha who, in Buddhist belief, will come to teach the world in an age still to come. Here he is shown as a huge seated statue, about fifteen metres tall. The figure rises through two floors of the temple. You enter at the lower level and see his body, then climb to the upper gallery to meet his face.

This is the first surprise for many visitors. The statue is not ancient. It was created in the 1970s, and it is often linked to a visit by the Dalai Lama to Thikse. So you are standing in a fifteenth-century monastery, looking at a modern masterpiece made in the old tradition. Look closely at the face. It is painted in gold, with calm, half-closed eyes and a soft expression. The crown is decorated with small figures and bright colours.

The second surprise is the pose. Maitreya is often shown seated on a throne with his feet on the ground, ready to stand and arrive. Here he sits in the lotus position, with legs crossed, more like a Buddha in deep meditation. Stand in the upper gallery for a moment. At this height you are level with his eyes, and the temple becomes very quiet. Many people find this the most personal moment of the whole visit.

Now move to the main assembly hall, called the dukhang. This is where the monks gather to pray. Long low benches run in rows across the floor, often with robes or cushions left on them. Thick pillars hold up the ceiling, wrapped in coloured cloth. Painted silk scrolls, called thangkas, hang from above. The walls are covered with painted deities, some peaceful and some fierce, in deep reds, blues, and gold.

If you can, come early in the morning. The monks hold a morning prayer, and visitors are usually welcome to sit quietly at the back. Before it starts, young monks may climb to the roof and blow long horns and conch shells across the valley. The sound is deep and low, and it travels a long way in the still air. Inside, the chanting begins — a slow, steady rhythm, with drums and cymbals. Monks may pass around cups of butter tea.

Thikse is not a museum. It is a living monastery, and many monks live and study here, including young novices in maroon robes. You may see them carrying water, sweeping the courtyard, or playing between lessons. Walk clockwise around the shrines and prayer wheels, as Buddhists do. Ask before taking photographs of people, and keep your voice low inside the halls. Small acts of respect matter here.

Each year the monastery holds a festival called Gustor, with masked dances known as cham. Dancers in heavy robes and painted masks move slowly through the courtyard, to the sound of horns and drums. The dances show stories of good defeating evil. The festival follows the Tibetan calendar, so its dates change from year to year. If your trip happens to overlap, the courtyard becomes very crowded, and very lively, with families from the villages below.

One practical thought before you leave. Thikse stands high in the Himalaya, and the air holds much less oxygen than at sea level. Climb the steps slowly. Stop often to catch your breath, and drink plenty of water. There is no reason to rush. The slower pace also lets you notice more — a painted doorway, a cat asleep in the sun, a monk turning a prayer wheel as he walks.

So take one last look from the rooftop terrace. Feel the wind again on your face, and listen to the flags above you. Below, the valley continues its ordinary day: a tractor in a field, smoke from a kitchen, a car on the road to Leh. This monastery has looked down on that same valley for more than five centuries. As you walk back down the steps, let your hand brush the prayer wheels — and let them turn behind you.