Tabo Monastery, also known as the ‘Himalayan Ajanta,’ is one of the most famous monasteries in the Lahaul and Spiti Valley, and was established in 996 A.D. over a millennium ago. This ancient structure stands at a dizzying height of 3050 meters above sea level on the barren, dry, and rocky Tabo valley desert. This pristine beauty has preserved Buddhism’s ancient history, practices, and culture over the centuries gone by. According to the Tibetan Calendar, a great teacher and interpreter Lotsawa Rinchen Tsang Po, the king of the western Himalayan kingdom of Guge, is believed to have founded the Tabo Monastery during the year of the Fire Ape.