Tabo Monastery (or Tabo Chos-Khor Monastery) is located in the
Tabo village of
Spiti Valley,
Himachal Pradesh, northern India. It was founded in 996 CE in the Tibetan year of the Fire Ape. by the
Tibetan Buddhist lotswa (translator),
Rinchen Zangpo (Mahauru Ramabhadra), the king of western Himalayan Kingdom of
Guge. Tabo is noted for being the oldest continuously operating Buddhist enclave in both India and the Himalayas. A large number of frescoes displayed on its walls depict tales from the Buddhist
pantheon. There are many priceless collections of
thankas (scroll paintings), manuscripts, well-preserved statues,
frescos and extensive murals which cover almost every wall. The monastery is in need of refurbishing as the wooden structures are aging and the thanka scroll paintings are fading. After the
earthquake of 1975, the monastery was rebuilt, and in 1983 a new
Du-kang or Assembly Hall was constructed. It is here that the
14th Dalai Lama held the
Kalachakra ceremonies in 1983 and 1996. The monastery is protected by the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as a national historic treasure of India.