Lamayuru

Lamayuru Monastery rises on a rocky spur above its village in western Ladakh. Known as Yungdrung Tharpaling, it is a major centre of the Drikung Kagyu tradition. Local legend tells of a lake drained by a Buddhist holy man before the monastery appeared; a cave at the site is associated with the Indian master Naropa. The Lion Temple, the oldest surviving shrine, dates from the early fourteenth century.

In the sixteenth century the Drikung teacher Denma Kunga Drakpa came to Ladakh and received a royal residence and surrounding land at Lamayuru. He established a monastery there, helping the Drikung tradition spread in the kingdom. The rulers of Ladakh and Baltistan granted the place a reputation as a sanctuary: according to the monastery's account, even a condemned person could seek protection by reaching it before judgment.