Tabo, India

Please note: For the time being, I will place short descriptions of our travels for each entry. Although we are now in a more populated area, Internet access is patchy and slow. I will (hopefully) update entries and organize/correct pictures soon.

Summary: Tabo, in the central portion of the Spiti Valley was our next stop. The major attraction in this small village is the central monastery consisting of 9 separate temples that date back to 996 CE. The central temple was created in the shape of a mandala and contains wall paintings that are amongst the most important in Buddhist art. Unfortunately, photography is not permitted inside most temples.

Toto Tours Description: Today we enter the Spiti Valley, geographically and archeologically considered a living museum. The mountains here are devoid of any vegetation due to erosion by wind, sun and snow over thousands of years. Our vehicles climb up to the village Tabo at 10,000 feet. In 1996, the Dalai Lama performed a Kalachakra here, being closest point to Tibet he ever reached since his expulsion. The Chos Khor monastery at Tabo is the largest monastery in Spiti and one of the few remaining examples of the Golden Period of Buddhist Culture in the Himalayan Region and renowned for its beautiful wall frescos. The monastery houses more than 100 Lamas, a large number of scriptures and pieces of art, wall paintings, tankhas and stucco. It is one of the most important monasteries in the Tibetan Buddhist world, and is the place where the current Dalai Lama plans to retire. We reach Tabo by mid-day, visiting the monastery and nearby village in the afternoon. Overnight in Tabo.