At
a distance of around 1.5-km from Keylong is the Shashur monastery. Shashur
means "in the blue pines". It was founded by Lama Deva Tyatsho
of Zanaskar, Ladakh, who was a missionary of Nawang Namgyal, the king of
Bhutan, in the 17 A. D. Deva Gyatsho renovated the present monastery and stayed till his death. When he was being cremated, his heart did not burn and was enclosed in a black image of Gyatsho. A statue of Namgyal is also installed in the gompa.
The Gompa belongs to the Red sect of the Tibetan Buddhist. They are also known as the 'Gelug-pa' and have spiritual links with the Lion Cave Temple of Bhutan. This gompa has a 15-feet 'Thankha' and invaluable wall paintings depicting all the siddhas of Buddhism.
This monastery is famous for its ritual-plays, which are enacted by the lamas while donning masks and exotic costumes. The three-storey tall structure is significant in architectural terms. Due to the narrowness of the site, the complex has been planned vertically, yet it conforms to the ancient mandala concept. In the month of June/July Chham is celebrated in the monastery.