Handwritten and block-printed books
Thiksay Gompa is the largest monastery in Ladakh. It is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Yellow Hat (Gelugpa) sect, set atop a hill, 19 km from Leh. It bears a remarkable resemblance to the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. One of the main attractions is the 15-meter-high statue of Maitreya. It is the largest statue in Ladakh and was locally crafted and installed in 1970 to commemorate the 14th Dalai Lama’s (the present Dalai Lama) visit to the monastery.
But for a true scholar of Buddhist studies, the main prayer room (that allows access only to men) with its impressive library of handwritten and block printed sacred texts will always be the focal point. The rare collection of handwritten and block-printed texts are priceless references, comparable to other manuscripts and books like the Ain-i-Akbari and Mughal texts that are replete with miniature paintings.