Amidst the calm mountains of Himalayas, resides one of the oldest Buddhist monastery – TABO.

The name itself brings back memories of purple and green mountains with a quaint village in our mind. It was August 2017, and after crossing Nako where the road had washed off due to a massive landslide, reaching Tabo safe was a sigh of relief.  Along the way the vast purple mountains does not let you take your eyes off from them. The fragrance of freshly collected honey brings back the crave for sweet tooth. One can say, you have reached Tabo, by reading “Om mani padme hum” painted in white on the mountains near the village. We reached Tabo and took a stop-over at the 1022 years old famous Tabo monastery. Tabo being our first stop in the Spiti Valley, we also see a difference in physical features and lifestyle of people compared to other parts of Himachal. They are simple, humble and greet you with an enthusiastic “JULLEY” all throughout the day.

Walking around  the monastery with the fresh wind blowing, we wondered how did anybody built this amazing monastery in this remote place a 1000 years ago?  This place is one of the oldest and continuously operating monastery. We removed our footwear and entered “Tsug la Khang”, the main hall. We were asked not to click pictures or film inside to protect the integrity of the aged paintings. With due respect we went inside and the sweet fragrance of wood which is still fresh welcomed us. The idols and paintings are historic and what we captured with our eyes, no camera and words would have done justice to it. Apparently, one does not need a camera to capture these moments as they get etched for life in your memory. The room is lit only through a sky window, and most corners appears dark. The entire place is filled with so much positivity, that even His Holiness The Dalai Lama desires to retire in Tabo. Such is the beauty at Tabo and eternal serene from inside.

Talking about the importance of Tabo monastery, it plays a vital role in the Indo-Tibetan culture through Indian Mahayana Buddhism in Tibet. The monastery at present has 9 temples and 4 stupas. The mandala houses 32 clay sculptures, which makes this monastery stand out from others. Due to its history and beauty, with no second thought in mind this monastery can definitely be called as the “Ajanta of the Himalayas”.

Mesmerised by the view, we stepped out of the old temple. The monks sitting outside invited us to join for tea. We enjoyed their company talking about their culture and spending some time at a cafe adjacent to the temple. With the contentment we said “bye” to this majestic place and started our onward journey towards Dhankar.

TABO – Can one ask for more ?