Thikse Gompa seen from a distance

The Thikse Monastery of Central Ladakh – a distant panorama from the agriculture fields in the village. From this perspective it resembles the Potala Palace in Lhasa. Located in the Indus Valley, about 20km east of the region’s capital, Leh, it is the largest monastery in the central part of Ladakh. Founded in the 15th century, Thikse Gompa belongs to the Gelug (Yellow Hats) tradition of the Tibetan Buddhism. Among other temples, it houses one dedicated to Maitreya Buddha consecrated by the 14th Dalai Lama in 1980. The mountains seen here behind the monastery belong to the Ladakh Range, belonging to Karakoram. Photographed in late September, at the end of summer. Union Territory of Ladakh, India.