Snigdha TiwariFounded in the 11th century by Mahasiddacarya Naropa, Lamayuru is on the Leh – Srinagar Highway and can be visited from Leh.
Lamayuru is a tiny village that’s popularly known as the Moonland of Ladakh. Lamayuru is immensely popular for housing one of the oldest and largest monasteries in Ladakh.
However, its claim to fame is accredited to the surreal breathtaking view of moonlike landscapes carved into the mountains. A large lake long ago dried up, and the protrusions looked like the surface of the moon.
While in Leh, you can take a day trip to Lamayuru, known for its Lamayuru Monastery and a stretch of land borrowed from the moon. Visit the monastery to witness the frescos and paintings it houses and the Moonland, for something a bit beyond extraordinary.
So, don’t miss visiting Lamayuru because people from various places visit this relatively serene destination to immerse yourselves in this scenic beauty. Now, let’s find out some of the best places to visit while you’re in Lamayuru.
Here are the 4 Best Places To Visit In Lamayuru:
1. Moonland
Moonland is an undulating series of mountains that resemble the surface of the moon. Since the land resembles that of the moon, Moonland near Lamayuru in the Ladakh region is fondly called like that.
A unique geographical feature appearing that attracts thousands of visitors every year. There is also a saying that during the full moon, the land becomes exotic and it would be an enchanting sight to behold and rare too.
So, if you plan to visit Lamayuru then you will not like to miss this surprising land. Lamayuru’s fame was dashingly enhanced because of this landscape carved into the Greater Himalayan ranges.
If you want to watch the glimpses of the Moonland so clear and closer then you can climb up to the Meditation Hill in Lamayuru. So, don’t miss seeing this unique geographical wonder while traveling to Lamayuru in the Ladakh region.
2. Lamayuru Village
Popular for its ‘lunar’ landscape and monastery, Lamayuru Village is a village that is settled inside a small, bowl-shaped valley formed out of a badland area.
Interestingly, this quaint little village is promoted as ‘moonscape’ for tourists; the reason being its incredible yet odd geographical formations. The landscape is certainly incredible with its spectacularly odd geological formations, though this is not unique to Lamayuru.
Lamayuru monastery is ancient, built into the ‘moonscape’ that has some beautiful frescoes and frightening masks where you can also see the glassed-in meditation cave of the Lama Naropa.
Lamayuru is a small village in Ladakh, but an ideal place to take a break from the journey from Kargil to Leh. Home of one of the oldest monasteries in Ladakh, legends believe that this place was once a lake that dried up. Remains on top of the Leh tourism charts, this tiny village has more to offer than it meets your eyes.
3. Mangyu
Mangyu has located about 50 km (airline) west of Leh in the Likir Tehsil. Mangyu is one of the picturesque villages in the western part of Ladakh that can be accessed by road.
The village is situated in a spectacular side valley of the Indus River valley. The upper part of the village consists of a number of houses situated above natural terraces with fields.
This part of the village preserves the remains of a monastery attributable to the period from approximately the mid of the 12th century to the early 13th century.
The temple complex comprises two temples facing southeast, situated adjacent to each other, and two chapels on both sides of the temples. In front of the complex lies an open courtyard. The temple on the right side is dedicated to Vairocana. The other one, with a painted Sakyamuni as its original main image, though today named after the sculpture of a much later eleven-headed Avalokitesvara, lies on the left side. These rather small assembly halls are flanked by two high chapels with large, iconographically, and stylistically different images of Bodhisattva Maitreya.
Mangyu is also known as Giramangu or Gaira Mangue. So, don’t miss to explore this picturesque village.
4. Themisgam
Temisgam village, popularly known as Tingmosgang is set amidst the breath-taking Himalayan valley of Sham along the northern bank of the mighty Indus river, in the lower Ladakh on the popular Liker-Khaltse route, 90 km west of Leh.
Themisgam is popular for trekking in the area and also recommended for experiential travelers. Temisgam is where guests arrive to get a feel of the Ladakh countryside and get an experience of a stay around remote villages.
So, don’t miss to visit this picturesque village in Leh that is surrounded by majestic hills & mountains and is also recommended for travelers who are looking to experience Ladakh countryside.
