Key Monastery, Spiti

It is also known as Ki, Key, and Kee monastery. The Key monastery is situated at an altitude of 4116 m above the sea level and is about 20 km from Kaza, which is the headquarter of Spiti subdivision. The gompa has an irregular shape with low height rooms and narrow corridors. The prayer chambers are irregular, which are linked by narrow passages, twisting staircases and small doors.

The architectural pattern of the monastery represents the ‘Pasada’ type construction. The monastery is noted for striking wall paintings, thankas, rare manuscripts, stucco pictures and wind instruments. The gompa also houses a huge collection of old weapons, which, as per legends, were used for warding off the plunderers. Another significant feature of this monastery is that hundreds of Lamas seek religious training here.