Karsha Monastery
The monks’ quarters and temples of this biggest monastery of Zanskar can be seen crawling picturesquely up on a steep mountain slope. The monastery of Karsha belongs to the Gelugpa order and is looked after by Likir. Like in Likir, the abbot is a brother of the Dalai Lama. The Chamba Ling temple, which one encounters on the way to the monastery, dates back to the 11th century whereas, the monastery itself was built in the 15th century. Karsha monastery is the largest in Zanskar and is occupied by nearly 100 monks. The monks come from Karsha village and the outlying areas between Padum, Pibiting and Abran and return to their villages each autumn to receive contributions of grain and donations for the monastery.
