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The Alchi Monastery
Life, learnings and more from Ladakh
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Alchi Monastery
The creation of the Alchi temple complex has been attributed to Rinchen Zangpo (958–1055) a famous scholar – translator from the 10th century who has translated many of the Buddhist scriptures from Pali to Tibetan language.
The Alchi monastery is considered to be one of the foundations of Vajrayana Buddhism. The entire complex has 3 shrines, the ‘Dukhang’ or the Assembly hall, the Temple of Manjushri and the Sumtsek Temple. ‘Chorten’s’ or stupas can been seen scattered throughout the temple complex. Alchi is famous for the paintings on the temple walls and within the ‘chorten’s’. The thousands of miniature paintings of Lord Buddha on a wall remain the main attraction. The monastery is now under the care of the Gelugpa Sect, also known as the 'Yellow hats' which is a school of Buddhism. The beauty of the paintings here can be described as - stylishly created with an eclectic blend of Tibetan and Kashmiri features and clothes. Some of the paintings have been heavily damaged owing to the vulnerable architecture and leaky roofs. In 2008, The Alchi Tsatsapuri Conservation Project was carried out by German and Indian student conservators, in order to restore some of these paintings.
