Tourist Attractions & Monuments North India

Located at an altitude of 4,625 metres, in the heights of the Chansgpa district, it is the first building to be seen from the airport. At the top of a small hill, it was built by the Japanese to symbolize peace (shanti) in the world. It is a high place of pilgrimage from where you can contemplate the city, the mountains and, in the distance, the Stok Kangri. The 15-minute ascent on very steep stairs is not recommended for travellers who have just arrived in Leh. It is better to go there at the end of the day, around 5pm, before sunset.

Built in the ^16th century, the Thiksey monastery marks the spirits by its remarkable architecture. Behind the entrance gate, there is a restaurant, a guesthouse and a souvenir store (on the left). Then, you will go up, by foot or by car, to the school and the various temples. The monastery shelters a community of a small hundred monks.

Chanpakhang Temple is open from 8am to 1pm and from 2pm to 6:30pm. One can admire a superb statue of Buddha Maitreya (future Buddha) in sitting position. Blessed by the Dalai Lama in 1980, it is more than 12 m high. Its construction involved 30 people working continuously for 3 years. The statue is only 30 years old, but the murals are much older.

Gompa. At the top of the Gompa, you can visit a very old library filled with Buddhist manuscripts. In the courtyard, take time to observe the colorful murals depicting the deities.

Themuseum is open from 8am to 1pm and from 2pm to 6:30pm, entrance fee: 30 Rs. It presents beautiful tantric objects.

And don't forget the Kutong Lhakang, which contains two silver stupas and sacred relics, the Dolma Lhakang, then the Dukhang Lhakang (or Assembly Hall) and finally, the Gonkhang (temple of the protectors). In the morning, the ceremony is open to the public wishing to meditate. In high season, tourists flock.

The festival of Gustor takes place every year in March. It celebrates the triumph of good over evil. Magnificent point of view to admire the valley of Indus.

Very popular with Indian tourists, this residence opens some of the pieces of the private residence of the former Prime Minister of India. You will see photographs and several personal objects that belonged to the mistress of the sites. In the garden, a glass window surrounds the very place where Indira Gandhi was murdered by her bodyguard in 1984.

As his name does not indicate, Indira Gandhi had no relationship with the Mahatma. She was the daughter of Jaharwal Nehru. His assassination follows the operation Blue Star launched on 30 June 1984 by Indira Gandhi inside the Sikh temple of Amritsar. At that time, some members of the Sikh community sought independence and had fled to the temple. The operation was a carnage despite the sanctity of the temple, and it was badly perceived by many Indians and Sikhs in particular. On October 30 of the same year, Indira Gandhi said in a speech, «If I have to die in the service of the nation, I will do so with pride». She was murdered the following day by her two Sikh bodyguards who criblèrent her body of 30 bullets.