Visiting the beautiful Tabo Monastery is an absolute must on a Spiti Valley trip. The ancient place of worship was built by the Royal Lama Yeshe-O in 996 CE and is the oldest continuously operating Buddhist enclave in India. The Tabo Monastery is located in the high-altitude village of Tabo and is composed of nine temples, four stupas and multiple decorated cave shrines with elaborate frescoes that date back as far as the 10th century.
Presently, a few dozen monks still live and study at the Tabo Monastery, and hundreds of students study at the local Serkong School which is sponsored by it.
The interior of the monastery (from which cameras are forbidden) house scripts, paintings and murals that date back hundreds upon hundreds of years. For the ultimate Spiti experience, you stay in the Tabo Monastery Guesthouse, which is located right behind the main temple. Though basic, the rooms will give you a look into how the monks and monks in training live day-in and day out!
