Description: Tabo Monastery is located at an altitude of 10,007 feet in the Lahaul and Spiti districts of Himachal Pradesh. It is an ancient monastery founded by the great Tibetan Buddhist translator Rinchen Zangpo in 996 AD. It is spread over an area of ​​6300 square meters. It is an important monastery and is called the Ajanta of the Himalayas. The complex consists of 9 temples and several stupas, all made of mud and standing for over 1000 years. The main temple is a meeting hall where monks pray together. All the walls of this hall are painted with Buddhist stories. There are stories of the lives of Shakyamuni (Buddha) and various bodhisattvas. Some of them date from the time when the monastery was built, but most of them are from a later period when conservation and restoration work was probably carried out. Other temples are usually closed, but monks may open them upon request. These temples are of Buddhist deities like Tara and Buddha Maitreya. Above the monastery are caves and rock formations that the monks use for meditation. Due to its archaeological and historical importance, the monastery is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. Another thing that sets Tabo apart from other monasteries is that it allows visitors to stay within its walls and get a first-hand experience of life in a monastery.