Phugtal Gonpa

Phugtal is one of the few monasteries in Zanskar that is still inaccessible by car. The fastest route for visitors and monks alike to reach the Monastery is an approximately 45-minute hike up to the cave where the sprawling campus is built. Phugtal Monastery is a perfect example of site-specific architecture built in response to natural context. The monastery was founded by Lotsawa Phagspa Sherab and Lama Jangsem Sherap Zangpo in 1080 AD. It is said that the cave location was chosen as an auspicious spot after an Indian siddhas meditated and retreated there. Scholars have analyzed its murals to identify images of Rinchen Zangpo in an early Indian Buddhist style, suggesting that Phugtal may have existed at least before the 11th-12th century. Since the 15th century, Phugtal has been part of the Gelugpa sect. Above the cave, there is a Juniper tree with an evergreen leaf, which is believed to signify an umbrella (dhuks) for Bodhisattvas, and a mountain spring once flowed throughout the cave itself until it ceased approximately five years ago.