It is a well-known religious training centre for the Lamas, whom one will
find dancing, singing and playing on their pipes and horns. One will also
find murals, books, scriptures and paintings of Buddha and other
Goddesses. This monastery is an outstanding example of the monastic architecture, which developed during the 14th century in the wake of the Chinese influence. The Mongols plundered the monastery in the middle of the 17th century. In the 19th century, it again suffered three brutal attacks.
The successive trails of destruction and patch-up jobs have resulted in a haphazard growth of box-like structures, and the complex now resembles a defensive fort.
Among the other important monasteries in the Spiti valley are an ancient temple at Lha-Lun, and another temple complex at Dhankar. The temples at Dhankar seem to be precariously dangling between heaven and earth