Tabo Monastery ( or Tabo Chos-Khor Monastery ) was founded in 996 AD ( and refurbished in 1042 AD ) by Rinchen Zangpo ; it is considered the oldest monastery in Himachal Pradesh . It located at the southern edge of the Trans Himalayan plateau in the Spiti Valley on the banks of the Spiti River , in the very arid , cold and rocky area at an altitude of . The sprawling monastery , spread over an area of , has nine temples – the Temple of the Enlightened Gods ( gTug-Lha-khang ) , the Golden Temple ( gSer-khang ) , the Initiation Temple ( dKyil-kHor - khang ) , the Bodhisattva Maitreya Temple ( Byams-Pa Chen-po Lha-khang ) , the Temple of Dromton ( Brom-ston Lha khang ) , the Chamber of Picture Treasures ( Z'al - ma ) , the Large Temple of Dromton ( Brom-ston Lha khang ) , the Mahakala Vajra Bhairava Temple ( Gon-khang ) and the White Temple ( dKar-abyum Lha-Khang ) ( out of these nine , the first four are considered the oldest temples while the others were later additions ) – 23 chortens , monks ' residences and an extension that houses the nuns ' residence . It was initially an important centre of learning of the Kadampa order , which later developed into the Gelukpa order . It was severely damaged in the 1975 Kinnaur earthquake and has since been re-built with a new '' Dukhang '' ( assembly hall ) . The Dalai Lama held the Kalachakra ceremonies here in 1983 and 1996 . The year 1996 marked 1000 years of Tabo Monastery 's existence . A number of caves carved into the cliff face are located above the monastery , which are used by monks for meditation . The monastery is studded with large collection of precious Thangka ( scroll paintings ) , manuscripts , well-preserved statues , frescos and extensive murals that cover almost every wall . The monastery is a national historic treasure of India and preserved by the Archaeological Survey of India
1975 Kinnaur earthquake
1975 Kinnaur earthquake
Buddhism in Himachal Pradesh