• Key Monastery Distt Lahoul & Spiti Teh-Kaza 172114 Himachal Pradesh India.

Key Monastery, Spiti Valley Overview

The Key Monastery is a famous Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the Lahaul and Spiti District of India. Located at an altitude of 4,166 metres above sea level, the monastery is very close to the Spiti River in the Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh in India. Also known as the Kye Monastery and Ki Monastery, it is believed to have been founded by Dromton, who was a student of the famous teacher Atisha in the 11th century. It enshrines Buddha idols in the Dhyana position and has a collection of ancient books and murals.

The stunning Key Monastery is over a thousand years old and is also the largest monastery to be found in the entire Spiti Valley. The magnificent monastery doubles up as a religious training centre for the Lamas, and about 300 lamas receive their education from here. It has a long and fascinating history attached to it: a long history that involves numerous attacks that the place had to face. Nevertheless, Kye Monastery survived and celebrated the completion of its thousand years in the year 2000 in the presence of the Dalai Lama.

History and Significance of Ki Monastery

The Key Monastery was founded by Dromton, who was a pupil of Atisha, at some time in the 11th century. It has been attacked and damaged multiple times in its long history. The list includes the attack by the Mongols in the 17th century when the fifth Dalai Lama was in power. The monastery was sacked yet again in 1830 during the war between Ladakh and Kulu.

In 1841, the monastery was severely damaged by the Dogra army under the rule of Ghulam Khan and Rahim Khan. In the same year, it was destroyed due to the attacks of a Sikh regiment. Disaster struck the monastery yet again when the structure was damaged by a fire in the 1840s, and further damage was caused in 1975 when a massive earthquake occurred. The Archaeological Survey of India and the State Public Works Department then worked to repair and restore this historic structure.