Key Monastery

Kye Monastery
Kye Gompa
Key Monastery Location within India
Coordinates	32°17′51.84″N 78°00′43.17″E / 32.2977333°N 78.0119917°E / 32.2977333; 78.0119917Coordinates: 32°17′51.84″N 78°00′43.17″E / 32.2977333°N 78.0119917°E / 32.2977333; 78.0119917
Monastery information
Location	Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh, Lahaul and Spiti district, India
Founded by	Dromtön
Founded	11th century
Date renovated	1840s after a fire. 1980s after 1975 Kinnaur earthquake
Type	Tibetan Buddhist
Sect	Gelug

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Kye Gompa (also spelled Ki, Key or Kee - pronounced like English key) is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery located on top of a hill at an altitude of 4,166 metres (13,668 ft) above sea level, close to the Spiti River, in the Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh, Lahaul and Spiti district, India.^[1]

It is the biggest monastery of Spiti Valley and a religious training centre for Lamas. It reportedly had 100 monks in 1855.^[2][3]

History

Kye Gompa is said to have been founded by Dromtön (Brom-ston, 1008-1064 CE), a pupil of the famous teacher, Atisha, in the 11th century. This may however, refer to a now destroyed Kadampa monastery at the nearby village of Rangrik, which was probably destroyed in the 14th century when the Sakya sect rose to power with Mongol assistance.^[4][5]

Kye was attacked again by the Mongols during the 17th century, during the reign of the Fifth Dalai Lama, and became a Gelugpa establishment. In 1830, it was sacked again during the wars between Ladakh and Kulu. In 1841, it was severely damaged by the Dogra army under Ghulam Khan and Rahim Khan. Later that same year, it suffered more damage from a Sikh army. In the 1840s, it was ravaged by fire and, in 1975, a violent earthquake caused further damage which was repaired with the help of the Archaeological Survey of India and the State Public Works Department.^[6]

The walls of the monastery are covered with paintings and murals, an example of the 14th century monastic architecture, which developed as the result of Chinese influence.

Kye monastery has a collection of ancient murals and books, including Buddha images.^[7]

There are three floors, the first one is mainly underground and used for storage. One room, called the Tangyur is richly painted with murals. The ground floor has the beautifully decorated Assembly Hall and cells for many monks.^[6]

Kye Gompa now belongs to the Gelugpa sect, along with Tabo Monastery and Dhankar Gompa, one of three in Spiti.

"The monastery of Kee, for instance, accommodates nearly 250 monks, who reside within the sacred walls in winter, and stay during the summer with their parents or brothers, working in the fields, or employed in carrying travellers' goods. These monasteries have their regular heads, or abbots, and the higher ecclesiastical titles can only be obtained by the candidates proceeding in person to either Shigatzee (Shigatse) or Lhassa (Lhasa)."^[8]

A celebration of its millennium was conducted in 2000 in the presence of the Dalai Lama.^[7] A new Prayer Hall was inaugurated on 3 August 2000 by HH The Fourteenth Dalai Lama.

Gallery

• 
  Kye Gompa and Spiti Valley
• 
  Kye Monastery in Spiti valley, from distance
• 
  Kye village
• 
  The entrance of Kye Gompa
• 
  The Spiti river and its valley from Kye Gompa
• 
  Kye Gompa with Spiti River flowing behind
• 
  Woman having head shaved before becoming a nun. Kye, Spiti. 2004
• 
  Kee monastery in Winter
• 
  Kye Monastery
• 
  Kachen Dugyal Memorial Old Aged - Handicapped Society, Spiti Monastery, 2004
• 
  New Prayer Hall plaque, Key Gompa, 2000

See also

• List of highest towns by country

Footnotes

References

• Handa, O. C. (1987). Buddhist Monasteries in Himachal Pradesh. Indus Publishing Company, New Delhi. ISBN 81-85182-03-5.
• Harcourt, A. F. P. (1871). On the Himalayan Valleys:— Kooloo, Lahoul, and Spiti. Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Vol. 15, No. 5, 336-343.
• Kapadia, Harish. (1999). Spiti: Adventures in the Trans-Himalaya. 2nd Edition. Indus Publishing Company, New Delhi. ISBN 81-7387-093-4.
• Janet Rizvi. (1996). Ladakh: Crossroads of High Asia. Second Edition. Oxford University Press, Delhi. ISBN 0-19-564546-4.
• Cunningham, Alexander. (1854). LADĀK: Physical, Statistical, and Historical with Notices of the Surrounding Countries. London. Reprint: Sagar Publications (1977).
• Francke, A. H. (1977). A History of Ladakh. (Originally published as, A History of Western Tibet, (1907). 1977 Edition with critical introduction and annotations by S. S. Gergan & F. M. Hassnain. Sterling Publishers, New Delhi.
• Francke, A. H. (1914). Antiquities of Indian Tibet. Two Volumes. Calcutta. 1972 reprint: S. Chand, New Delhi.
• Sarina Singh, et al. India. (2007). 12th Edition. Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-1-74104-308-2.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Key Monastery.

• Key Monastery travel guide from Wikivoyage
• 360-degrees panoramic images