Tabo

Getting there

Tabo is on the main road between Kaza and Kinnaur, about 47 km below Kaza. Coming in from Shimla, it is the first big stop in Spiti after Sumdo, and a good place to break the climb before Kaza. From Spiti Villa it is about 58 km.

The monastery

Tabo was founded in 996 CE by the translator Rinchen Zangpo, for the king of Guge in western Tibet. Its mud-walled halls look plain from outside, but inside almost every wall is covered with murals, and there are thangkas, manuscripts and statues from across its thousand years.

After the 1975 earthquake the monastery was repaired and a new assembly hall was built in 1983. The 14th Dalai Lama held Kalachakra ceremonies here in 1983 and 1996. The old complex is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Above the village, caves in the cliff were used by monks for meditation.

Good to know

• Tabo is lower than Kaza, at about 3,050 m, so it is a gentle first night if you come in from Kinnaur.
• The old halls are dark. Your eyes need a minute to see the murals; photography inside is restricted.
• Dhankar is on the same road, about halfway back to Kaza.