Famous Temples in India

Architecture

Overlooking Kaza from a height of about 13,500 ft, the Kye monastery is the largest in the valley and holds a powerful sway over the most populous part of the valley around Kaza. Key Gompa is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery located on a picturesque hilltop. The monastery is a wonderful example of the monastic architecture that came into prominence during the 14th century because of the Chinese influence. It is famous for its style of architecture called Pasada. The gompa is an irregular heap of low rooms and narrow corridors on a monolithic conical hill. The irregular prayer chambers are interconnected by dark passages, tortuous staircases, and small doors. It is also known for its beautiful murals, thankas, rare manuscripts, stucco images, and peculiar wind instruments that form part of the orchestra whenever Chham is enacted in the gompa in summer. Another interesting aspect of the gompa is its collection of weapons which may have been used to ward off marauders as also to maintain its control over people betraying a church-militant character. The walls of the monastery are decorated with beautiful paintings and murals, thangkas (a painted or embroidered Tibetan banner), valuable manuscripts, stucco images, and unique wind instruments. Key monastery has a rich collection of ancient murals and books of high aesthetic value and it enshrines Buddha images and idols, in the position of Dhyana. There are three floors, the first one is mainly underground and used for storage. One room, called the Tangyur is richly painted with murals. The ground floor has the beautifully decorated Assembly Hall and cells for many monks.