Tingmosgang monastery, Buddhist monastery in Sham Valley, Ladakh, India

Tingmosgang is a fortress in Temisgam village on the bank of the Indus River in Ladakh, 92 km west of Leh near Khalatse and north of the present main road. The village has a palace and a monastery set on a hillock above the river.

The monastery was founded in the 15th century under King Drag-pa-Bum, who made this site his capital. A peace treaty reached in 1684 later shaped the region's relations with neighboring territories through important trade agreements.

The monastery sits above Temisgam village on the Indus, with the palace and gompa on a hillock. The 1684 Treaty of Tingmosgang, signed here between Ladakh and Tibet, gave Ladakh the exclusive right to trade in Tibetan pashmina wool, exchanged for brick tea from Ladakh. Ladakh also sent periodic missions to Lhasa bearing presents for the Dalai Lama.

The monastery is situated in a remote location roughly 90 kilometers west of Leh, at high altitude where the air is thin. Plan for travel time and prepare yourself for the mountain conditions.

A peace treaty signed here in 1684 settled wool trading rights between neighboring regions after a territorial conflict. This historical event makes the site more than just a religious center.