Tabo was the first monastery in the Western Himalayas to receive extensive scholarly attention, several reports about Tabo monastery and particularly its oldest temple, the Main Temple, having been published as early as 1935.
However, the political situation in Spiti changed drastically after the Second World War and only in recent years has it again been possible for non-Indians to resume studies there. Of the nine temples within the sacred enclosure at Tabo only the Tabo Main Temple (gtsug-lag-khang) is attributable to the period earliest period of Buddhism in the area (10th to 13th centuries), while the other temples as they are preserved today range from the 14th to the 19th cenuries.Some earlier remains, such as carved wooden door frames or stone bases for pillars, preserved at the other monuments probably represent cases of reusage.

Text: Christian Luczanits
Fotos: Carmen Auer