India Mint Stamp

Lokith Philately

Permanent Pictorial cancellation of Himachal Pradesh

Permanent Pictorial Cancellation inaugural day covers

Date of issue: 22.03.2022

Pin code: 172114

Status: Active

PO Name: Kee Gompa

Description: Covering a conical hill with a series of white-painted monastic buildings, Kee Gompa is the largest in Spiti Valley. The Gompa is reached by road from Kaza only 12 km. The Kee Monastery, overlooking the Kaza from a height of approximately 13,500 feet, exerts a powerful influence over the most populated part of the valley around the Kaza. The Gompa is an irregular pile of low rooms and narrow corridors on a monolithic conical hill. From a distance, it resembles the Thikse Monastery near Leh in Ladakh. Dromton or Brom-stone, a disciple of the famous Buddhist teacher Atisha, founded this Gompa in the 11th century. Since that time It has been damaged by fire and attackers. Now It is the joint effort of the Archaeological Survey of India and the State Public Works Department that the monastery is still unaffected by these disasters. The Dalai Lama also visited in the 1960s and 2000. About 350 monks live here, including many students from nearby villages.