Stongdey Monastery

Stongdey Monastery sits on a hilltop roughly 18 km north of Padum, overlooking the Stod Valley. Founded in 1052 by the translator Marpa Lotsawa and later taken over by the Gelugpa order, it houses around 60 monks and is Zanskar's second largest monastic institution. The main prayer hall holds a large Maitreya statue alongside centuries old murals. The climb to the monastery rewards visitors with some of the widest panoramic views in the entire valley.