Nako

Nako is a high village above the Spiti River, set among the dry mountains of the western Himalayas. Its Buddhist sacred compound contains four temples whose plain exterior walls conceal richly painted interiors and clay images. The oldest shrines date from around the eleventh and early twelfth centuries, when western Tibetan Buddhist culture flourished across the mountain valleys.

The main shrine is known as the Translator's Temple, a name associated with Rinchen Zangpo, the great translator of Sanskrit Buddhist texts into Tibetan. Five clay Buddhas occupy its principal wall, with Vairocana at the centre, while painted mandalas cover the side walls. The art of Nako draws on Kashmiri traditions adapted to Indo-Tibetan religious imagery, making the small complex a striking record of connections across the Himalayas.