Diskit Monastery & Maitreya Buddha
བདེ་སྐྱིད་དགོན་པ།
The oldest and largest Gelug monastery in the Nubra Valley, with a 32-metre Maitreya Buddha on the hillside overlooking the Shyok River valley.
Diskit Monastery was founded in the 14th century by Jamchen Chöje Sherab Sangpo, a disciple of Tsongkhapa. Its monastic quarters are stacked up the slope, and the top-floor prayer hall offers views over the whole valley and the dunes beyond. The Maitreya Buddha on the hill below the monastery stands about 32 metres tall. It was consecrated by the Dalai Lama in 2010, faces the Shyok River and is said to protect the village and bring peace. You can hear monks chanting in the early morning. Each year, in the twelfth Tibetan month (around February), the Dosmoche festival features masked dances. There is a small entrance fee. Please remove your hat when entering the prayer halls and do not use flash photography.
Opening hours
About 07:00–18:00
Nearby sights
- Hunder Sand Dunes
- Nubra Valley
- Hunder Monastery
- Yarab Tso
- Samstanling Monastery
- Ensa Monastery
- Panamik Hot Springs
- Turtuk