Though Phyang Monastery may not immediately come to mind when thinking of Ladakh’s most notable landmarks, it holds its own as one of the two primary seats of the Drikung Kagyu tradition in the region. Locals know it as Gangon Tashi Chodzong, or “Auspicious Fort on the Blue Hill”—a name drawn from Gang Ngonpo, a Ladakhi term meaning “blue hill,” which rises behind the monastery. Most days, the hill wears its typical ochre and brown tones, but at certain hours, with the slant of light or a seasonal shift, it blushes into a surreal blue—adding an almost otherworldly dimension to the landscape.
Located 17 kilometers west of Leh, Phyang Monastery was founded in the 16th century by Lama Chosje Denma Kunga Drakpa, a revered Buddhist monk, with the support of King Tashi Namgyal, whom the Lama had cured of leprosy. The king, deeply humbled by his miraculous recovery, requested that the Lama stay as his royal teacher—or, at the very least, build a Drikung monastery in honor of Jigten Sumgon, the founder of the Drikung Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, as none existed in the vicinity at the time.
The Lama agreed and began searching for an ideal location. While meditating at Phyang, he experienced a vision of Achi Chokyi Dolma, the Dharma Protector of the lineage, seated on a horse and waving a flag from a nearby hill. Interpreting this as a positive omen, he chose that very hill for the monastery. Soon after, the king offered land and nearby villages to bring the monastery to life. Some accounts suggest that the grant may not have come solely from reverence. It is believed that the king carried a burden, as the lores state that he had once blinded his elder brother, Lhawang, and that this act of generosity might have been his quiet way of making peace.
The monastery follows the natural contours of the land, with whitewashed walls, dark timber frames, and touches of red plaster, typical of Ladakhi architecture. Below, the valley floor bursts into green, with rows of trees contrasting with the surrounding barren, rocky terrain.
