Kardang
town · 4.5 km away
temple16 min from Keylong
Guru Ghantal Monastery
Guru Ghantal Monastery near Gondhla is linked by local tradition to Padmasambhava in the 8th century, and to a Kushan-era relic in the British Museum.
What it is
A Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Drukpa Kagyu lineage near Gondhla village, older than any of Keylong's own monasteries — local tradition and the Padma bka'i thang, a terma text discovered in 1326, both link the site to Padmasambhava in the 8th century.
Getting there
A short drive from Keylong along the same road as Gondhla Fort, which sits a short walk from the monastery itself.
The visit
A copper goblet — the "Kulu Vase" — found near the monastery in 1857 by a British officer is now kept in the British Museum. It's cited as evidence the site may have hosted Buddhist monks even before Padmasambhava's era, possibly as far back as the Kushan period.
Inside the monastery today are three pieces worth pausing over. A damaged marble head is attributed to the second century. A black stone image shows the goddess Vajreshvari. A wooden Buddha statue is said to have been installed by the 11th-century translator Rinchen Zangpo — among the oldest attributed relics anywhere in the valley.
> less-visited site like this doesn't always have someone on hand to open the inner hall.
When to go
April to June and September to October, matching the rest of the valley.
Around it
Gondhla Fort is a short walk away. Keylong is a short drive back down the valley. This pair of stops makes up day two of the two-day classic plan and the three-day full-valley plan, after Shashur and Kardang on day one.
Plans that include this
All 2 plans that stop here →
1 night · 2 days · First visitClassic
Two days in Keylong — monasteries on both sides of the valley
A two-day Keylong plan: Shashur, Tayul and Kardang on day one, Guru Ghantal Monastery and Gondhla Fort on day two. Free, copyable plan on HimLocal.
Best Apr–Jun · Sep–Oct
See the plan →
2 nights · 3 days · First visitClassic
Three days in Lahaul — Keylong's monasteries and the highway villages
A three-day Lahaul plan from Keylong: monasteries and Gondhla Fort on days one and two, Sissu, Jispa and Darcha on day three. Free on HimLocal.
Best Apr–Jun · Sep–Oct
See the plan →Nearby places
Questions people ask
Why is Guru Ghantal Monastery significant?
Local tradition and the terma literature associate the site with Padmasambhava in the 8th century, and a copper vase found nearby in 1857 — now in the British Museum — is cited as evidence of an even older, possibly Kushan-era monastic presence here.
How far is Guru Ghantal Monastery from Keylong?
About 16 minutes by road, near Gondhla village — close enough to pair with Gondhla Fort, a short walk away, on the same half-day out, rather than making two separate trips from Keylong on two different days of a short visit.
What is kept inside Guru Ghantal Monastery?
A damaged marble head said to date from the second century, a black stone image of the goddess Vajreshvari, and a wooden Buddha statue attributed to the 11th-century translator Rinchen Zangpo — among the oldest attributed pieces anywhere in the valley.