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The Thiksey Monastery is located in:
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Answer: Option B — Ladakh
Detailed Solution
The Thiksey Monastery (Thiksey Gompa) is located on a hilltop at Thiksey, about 19 km east of Leh, in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
About the Thiksey Monastery:
- It belongs to the Gelug (Gelugpa or "Yellow Hat") school of Tibetan Buddhism.
- It was founded in the 15th century; the present monastery was built at its current site in the 1430s by Palden Sangpo, a follower of the great teacher Tsongkhapa (the founder of the Gelug school).
It is a 12-storey complex that rises in tiers up the hillside. Its design is often compared to the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, and it is sometimes called "Mini Potala".
It is one of the largest monasteries in central Ladakh.
It houses a famous statue of Maitreya (the future Buddha), about 15 metres (49 feet) high, which covers two storeys. It was built in 1970 to commemorate the visit of the 14th Dalai Lama.
It has stupas, statues, thangkas (painted scrolls), wall paintings, swords and a large library of manuscripts.
The "Gustor Festival" is celebrated here every year with masked dances (Cham).
It offers fine views of the Indus valley.
Other famous monasteries of Ladakh:
- Hemis Monastery: the largest and richest monastery in Ladakh, belonging to the Drukpa lineage; famous for the Hemis Festival, celebrating the birth of Guru Padmasambhava.
- Alchi Monastery: famous for its ancient wall paintings (11th-12th century).
- Lamayuru Monastery: one of the oldest monasteries in Ladakh, in a "moonland" landscape.
- Diskit Monastery: in the Nubra Valley; it has a 32-metre statue of Maitreya Buddha.
- Spituk and Phyang monasteries: near Leh.
About Ladakh:
- It is a high-altitude cold desert.
- It became a Union Territory on 31 October 2019.
- Buddhism is the main religion in the Leh district.
Other famous monasteries:
Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh), Rumtek and Pemayangtse (Sikkim), and Key and Tabo (Himachal Pradesh).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Sikkim has the Rumtek and Pemayangtse monasteries.
- ✗Himachal Pradesh has the Key and Tabo monasteries.
- ✗Arunachal Pradesh has the Tawang Monastery.
Quick tip
Remember: Thiksey Monastery = near Leh, Ladakh (Gelugpa; "Mini Potala"; 15-metre Maitreya statue, 1970); Hemis = largest in Ladakh; Diskit = Nubra Valley; Alchi = ancient murals.
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This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.