58 experiences
Spiritual in the Himalaya
Monasteries, dhams, stupas and shrines
Rituals at their own hours, with guides who explain what you see and keep the visit respectful.
Photo: Divya Gupta (divya.co) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Across the Lidder to the Mamleshwar temple
A short walk over the Lidder bridge leads to Mamleshwar, a small old stone Shiva temple with a spring-fed tank, on the …
Photo: MateenSalimBhat · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Stop at the Charar-e-Sharief shrine
On the road to Yusmarg, Charar-e-Sharief holds the shrine of Sheikh Noor-ud-din Noorani, Nund Rishi, the founder figure…
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0 · Commons
Morning prayers at Lamayuru Monastery
Sleep in the village and walk up before the day-trip cars arrive, to sit at the back of the assembly hall while the mon…
Photo: Vinay Goyal, Ludhiana · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Shanti Stupa sunset over the Leh valley
A white peace stupa above Chanspa, completed in 1991 and reached by 555 steps or a road. Sunset lights the palace, the …
Photo: Aksveer · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Morning prayers at Thiksey Monastery
Leave Leh at 6 am for the 19 km drive to Thiksey, where monks gather for morning prayers on the roof and in the assembl…
Photo: KennyOMG · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Diskit Monastery and its giant Maitreya
The oldest and largest monastery in Nubra, founded in the 14th century on a ridge above the Shyok, and the 32 m Maitrey…
Photo: Gannu03 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Monastery walk in Bir's Tibetan colony
A gentle walk through Bir's Tibetan colony at Chowgan, visiting monasteries, prayer wheels and stupas, then out through…
Photo: Varun Shiv Kapur from New Delhi, India · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Day trip to Bharmour's Chaurasi temples
Drive 65 km up the Ravi and Budhil valleys to Bharmour at about 2,200 m, the old capital of Chamba and home of the Gadd…
Photo: TheSlumPanda · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Manikaran hot springs and langar
Walk or ride 4 km from Kasol to Manikaran, where boiling springs steam beside the Parvati. Visit the gurdwara and the R…
Photo: Reflectionsbyprajakta · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Hadimba temple and Old Manali on foot
A morning loop from the Mall up to the 1553 Hadimba temple in its cedar grove, then across the Manalsu stream to Old Ma…
Photo: (in search for a new country of residence) · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Tsuglagkhang temple and the monk debate
Walk the morning kora around the Dalai Lama's temple with Tibetan pilgrims, visit the main prayer hall and the Tibet Mu…
Photo: John Hill · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Kunzum La and its roadside shrine
Stop at Kunzum La, about 4,590 m, between Spiti and Lahaul, where drivers circle the small shrine to Kunzum Devi and th…
Photo: Pranav perspective · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Morning prayers at Key Gompa
Sit quietly at the back of the assembly hall as young monks chant at Spiti's largest monastery. Go early, before the da…
Photo: This Photo was taken by Timothy A. Gonsalves. … · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Walk to Kardang Gompa across the Bhaga
Cross the Bhaga river and climb through village fields to Kardang, Lahaul's main monastery, where monks and nuns share …
Photo: Sumita Roy Dutta · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Komic gompa at 4,587 m
Visit Lundup Tsemo gompa in Komic, one of the highest villages in the world reachable by road. Slow steps, butter lamps…
Photo: Prof Ranga Sai · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Kungri, the Nyingma gompa of Pin
Stop at Kungri near Gulling, the main monastery of the Pin valley, which follows the Nyingma school, the oldest of the …
Photo: Schwiki · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Climb to Tabo's meditation caves
A short, steep path from the village climbs to caves cut into the cliff above Tabo, once used by monks for meditation, …
Photo: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Narsingh temple and Jyotirmath in Joshimath
Visit Joshimath's two sacred centres: the Narsingh temple, which keeps an image of Badrinath through the winter, and Jy…
Photo: Anubha khare · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Tapt Kund dip and Badrinath darshan
Bathe in the hot springs of Tapt Kund, then join the queue for darshan of the black stone Badrinarayan image in its gil…
Photo: Asish Das75 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Evening aarti on the Bhagirathi at Gangotri
Watch the evening aarti of the goddess Ganga at her temple and on the riverbank as the gorge falls into shadow, then wa…
Photo: Harshit SR · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Walk to Mukhba, Ganga's winter home
Cross the Bhagirathi from Harsil and climb to Mukhba, the village where the goddess Ganga spends winter after Gangotri …
Photo: Shivam Kumar 766 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Evening aarti and the Bhairavnath ridge
Climb to the open-air shrine of Bhairavnath on the ridge above town in the late afternoon, look down on the temple and …
Photo: Shrvn.K · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Triyuginarayan and its eternal flame
A stone Vishnu temple in a village above Sonprayag, where Shiva and Parvati are believed to have married. A fire in fro…
Photo: Bhuvi Uniyal · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Evening Ganga aarti at Triveni Ghat
Every evening at sunset, priests at Triveni Ghat swing brass lamps over the Ganga while bells and chants fill the river…
Photo: Satbir 4 · Public domain · Commons
Climb to Hemkund Sahib and its glacial lake
A steep 6 km climb of about 1,100 m from Ghangaria to the star-shaped Gurdwara Hemkund Sahib and Lokpal Lakshman temple…
Photo: Atarax42 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Cooking prasad in the Surya Kund spring
At the temple, join pilgrims lowering cloth bundles of rice and potatoes into Surya Kund, a hot spring near boiling poi…
Photo: Enjoymusic nainital · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Chitai Golu Devta and the Katarmal sun temple
Two very different temples within 20 km of Almora: Chitai, hung with thousands of bells and petition letters to Golu De…
Photo: Lalitgupta isgec · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Down into the Patal Bhuvaneshwar cave
A narrow, steep passage leads down into a limestone cave 160 m long and 90 feet deep, where priests guide pilgrims past…
Photo: Amritamitraghosh · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Dawn walk through the Jageshwar temples
Walk among about 125 stone temples in the main Jageshwar compound at opening time, as priests begin the day's puja and …
Photo: ParthaPratimNath · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Mukteshwar Dham and the Chauli ki Jali cliffs
The old Shiva temple that gave Mukteshwar its name sits at the top of the ridge, and the overhanging cliffs of Chauli k…
Photo: 25 Cents FC · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
An early visit to Kainchi Dham
Kainchi Dham is the ashram of Neem Karoli Baba on the Shipra stream, 17 km from Nainital. Its Hanuman temple was consec…
Photo: Mrneutrino · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Bells of the Jhula Devi temple
On the road from Ranikhet to Chaubatia, the Jhula Devi temple is hung with thousands of bells offered by devotees. It i…
Photo: Nabin K. Sapkota · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Dawn kora at Swayambhunath
Climb the eastern stairway to Swayambhunath at first light and walk the circuit with the morning pilgrims. You see Newa…
Photo: Sumitbhatt222 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Butter lamps and kora at Boudhanath
Walk the evening circuit of Boudhanath with the Tibetan community, light butter lamps and climb to a rooftop for the st…
Photo: Samdesherpa · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Murals of Jampa Lhakhang and Thubchen
With your guide and a caretaker monk, visit the two great gompas inside Lo Manthang's walls, whose centuries-old wall p…
Photo: Nipendramaharjan · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Muktinath: 108 spouts and an eternal flame
Drive up from Jomsom to Muktinath, at about 3,760 m, where Hindus bathe under 108 water spouts and Buddhists honour Chu…
Photo: Steve Hicks · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Afternoon prayers at Tengboche monastery
Tengboche, at 3,867 m on a ridge a day's walk from Namche, is the largest gompa in the Khumbu. Arrive for afternoon pra…
Photo: Allie_Caulfield from Germany · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Golden Temple and Patan's hidden bahals
A morning walk through Patan's Buddhist courtyards, starting at the gilded Golden Temple and ending at Kumbheshwar's fi…
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Durpin Monastery and Deolo Hill viewpoints
Visit Zang Dhok Palri Phodang, the Nyingma monastery on Durpin Hill consecrated by the Dalai Lama in 1976, then cross t…
Photo: Joydeep · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Morning prayers at Lava's Kagyu monastery
Walk up from Lava bazaar at dawn to Kagyu Thekchen Ling, the monastery on the hill, for morning chanting, butter lamps …
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Ghum Monastery and its Maitreya Buddha
Visit Yiga Choeling, the Gelug monastery at Ghum founded in 1850, about 10 km from Lepchajagat, to see its 15 ft statue…
Photo: PrashansaGurung · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Climb to Bokar Monastery above the lake
Walk up from Sumendu Lake to Bokar Monastery, a Kagyu monastery at about 1,768 m, the highest point of Mirik. Sit in on…
Photo: Anjan Kumar Kundu · CC BY 4.0 · Commons
Rumtek monastery and the golden stupa
Cross the valley to Rumtek, the largest monastery in Sikkim, rebuilt in the 1960s as the seat of the Karma Kagyu lineag…
Photo: Jeetpswiki · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Prayer flags and offerings at the lake shore
Stand at the shrines by the lake where Buddhist, Sikh and Hindu pilgrims leave offerings and carry home water. Learn th…
Photo: Prof Ranga Sai · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Lachen monastery above the village
Climb to the village monastery above Lachen, a Nyingma gompa at the heart of Lachenpa religious life, with painted wall…
Photo: Amitabha Gupta · CC BY 4.0 · Commons
Morning at Lachung monastery
Walk or drive up to the village monastery above the Lachung Chu before your Yumthang trip or on a spare morning. It is …
Photo: Amitabha Gupta · CC BY 4.0 · Commons
Pemayangtse and its wooden heaven
Visit Pemayangtse, founded in 1705 by Lhatsun Chempo and one of Sikkim's most important monasteries. Climb to the top f…
Photo: Revant Singh Rathore · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Buddha Park and the 130-foot statue
Walk the gardens and pilgrimage path of Buddha Park, or Tathagata Tsal, where a 130-foot statue of the Buddha stands on…
Photo: Myself (Ambuj Saxena) · Public domain · Commons
Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir
Stop at the shrine honouring Harbhajan Singh, an Indian Army soldier who died in this area in 1968. Soldiers posted on …
Photo: Christopher J. Fynn · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Jambay to Kurjey: the temple walk of Choekhor
A gentle 3–4 km walk up the Choekhor valley linking Jambay Lhakhang, Kurjey Lhakhang and, across a footbridge, Tamshing…
Photo: Doctor 17 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Membartsho, the Burning Lake in Tang valley
A short drive and a five-minute walk lead to a deep pool in the Tang Chhu gorge, revered as the place where Pema Lingpa…
Photo: Leovdvxxx · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Lhakhang Karpo, Nagpo and the three brother hills
Visit the White and Black temples at the foot of Miri Punsum, the three brother hills that guard Haa, and hear how a lo…
Photo: David Broad · CC BY 3.0 · Commons
Morning prayer wheels at Kyichu Lhakhang
One of Bhutan's two oldest temples, a few minutes north of Paro town, where villagers walk circuits and spin prayer whe…
Photo: Afifa Afrin · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Zangdopelri temple and the evening town walk
Walk from the gate to the three-storey Zangdopelri Lhakhang at the centre of town as Bhutanese families circle it with …
Photo: Stephen Shephard · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Tea stop at Chendebji Chorten
Break the drive between Pele La and Trongsa at an 18th-century white stupa built in the style of Kathmandu's Boudhanath…
Photo: Rohit Sharma · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Evening prayers at Bomdila's upper gompa
Climb above the market to Bomdila's large Tibetan-style monastery as the light softens, listen to evening chanting and …
Photo: Quentin Talon & Mario Geiger · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Morning at Samten Yongcha monastery
Walk or drive up to the old Memba monastery above Mechuka for morning prayers, butter lamps and a wide view over the Si…
Photo: Rumelade · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Morning prayers at Tawang Monastery
Join the early assembly at India's largest Buddhist monastery, when young monks chant in the prayer hall and butter tea…
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