Rizong Monastery

Rizong Monastery is a monastic building in a rocky valley north of the Indus in Ladakh, featuring a distinctive red and white facade with three large chambers. The structure sits integrated with surrounding service buildings and an adjacent nunnery community that together form a functioning religious complex.

Lama Tsultim Nima founded the monastery in 1831, transforming a collection of meditation caves into a structured center for Buddhist learning. This founding legacy continues to shape its role as an important learning hub in the region.

The monastery belongs to the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism and is inhabited by monks who meditate and study religious texts daily. This is a functioning center for Buddhist practice where visitors can observe daily routines and monastic life.

The monastery sits about 73 kilometers north of Leh and requires a drive of three to four hours through mountain roads that are manageable with patience and preparation for changing conditions. Visitors should expect challenging terrain and factor in the remote location when planning their time.

An adjacent nunnery with about 20 women lives on the grounds and manages agricultural work, tending fields and processing grains. This female community actively participates in learning programs and reveals a less visible side of the monastic structure on site.