​Stok Monastery

This monastery was built in the 14th century by the Lama Lhawang Lotus and it has all of the 108 volumes that are part of the Kangyur. The new Gautama Buddha statue that was started in 2012 and finished in 2015 was dedicated on August 8, 2016, by Tenzin Gyatso, who is the 14th Dalai Lama. The palace that is nearby was constructed nearly 200 years ago by the current king of the time, Tsepal Tondup Namgyal after Leh was invaded by Zorawar Singh.

History

Stok Gompa: is a subsidiary of Spitok and both were founded by the same lama, Nawang Lotus, during the reign of King Takpa Bumlde. Stok belongs to the yellow-hat sect of Buddhism and currently has about 20 lamas living there. The oldest parts of the gompa are some 550 years old though the main Dukhang is only about 50 years old.

Structure

Entering the central courtyard with its tall prayer flag pole, the main Dukhang is up a short flight of steps. The entrance verandah has new and colorful mural paintings of the Guardians of the Four Directions. Inside, the Dukhang has been recently repainted and the room is decorated with numerous banners and thankhas.

The entrance wall on either side of the door depicts various guardian divinities. On the left side wall, the central image is of Vajrapani (Vajra-In-Hand), while the image on the left is that of Avalokitesvara in his four-armed manifestation. Avalokitesvara is also known as the "Lord of All He Surveys" and is believed to be reincarnated in the Dalai Lama.

The right side wall has a central image of Sakyamuni (the Historical Buddha) flanked by his two chief disciples. On the right is an image of Amchi the Buddha of Medicine (painted in red), flanked by Tara on the right and Nangyalma on the left. The front of the Dukhang has an image of Amchi on the left with a painting of Sakyamuni behind. The central throne is reserved for the Dalai Lama and the throne to the right is for the head lama of Stok gompa. On the right is an impressive image of Yamadhaka, a fierce guardian divinity.