Alchi

Alchi, a small village on the banks of the Indus in Ladakh, is world-famous for its ancient monastic complex and paintings, which are among the oldest and finest in the entire Himalayan region. Unlike most Ladakhi gompas built on dramatic hilltops, Alchi Monastery (Alchi Choskor) lies on flat ground inside the village, hidden among apricot and willow trees. From outside, the temples look simple and low, but inside they are covered with extraordinarily detailed murals and filled with old clay statues.

Most scholars date Alchi’s main temples to around the 11th–12th centuries, during the period known as the “second diffusion” of Buddhism into Tibet and Ladakh. The site is traditionally linked to the great translator Rinchen Zangpo, and the art style clearly shows a strong influence of Kashmiri and North Indian artists—with refined faces, rich jewellery and complex mandalas that feel different from later Tibetan works.

Over the centuries, as political power shifted to other centres like Basgo and Leh, Alchi lost strategic importance and remained a quiet village. That relative isolation actually helped preserve its artwork, because it was never heavily rebuilt in later styles. In the 20th century, art historians and travellers “rediscovered” Alchi, and today it is protected as one of Ladakh’s most precious early Buddhist art heritage sites, attracting visitors from all over the world.