India - Ladakh : Rizong Buddhist monastery is remote and serene

Amit Basu Photography / Getty Images

Rizong (or Rhizong) monastery is far away from the hustle and bustle of the main Leh-Srinagar highway in India, tucked into the hillside in a deep valley. Because of it location, it has been a center for meditation in Buddhist Ladakh since the 1830s. The monastery is also called "the paradise for meditation" and is noted for its extremely strict rules and standards, especially concerning celibacy. For instance, the monks are not to touch anything handled by any woman, including women from their own family. Because of the highly ascetic nature of the place, there are no rituals performed. The monastery exudes a sense of being serene, calm, and, at the same time, awe inspiring.

Amit Basu Photography / Getty Images

To get to Rizong gompa, you have to take a diversion from Leh-Srinagar highway somewhere after Saspul, but before the road to the Lamayuru monastery. The road soon gets rather sketchy, and is mostly unpaved. The road climbs up the mountain at places, and down below, you can see the fast flowing Indus river. 

In the final approach to Rizong monastery, the very narrow road goes along a small river through a deep gorge. The view looking south from the gorge is awesome. In the distance you can see the high mountains of the Zanskar range.

Amit Basu Photography / Getty Images

Finally, as you approach the Rizong monastery, the large building suddenly appears in front of you on your final turn of the mountain road. The size of the monastery, the setting on the hillside, and the bright white color is nothing short of mesmerizing.

Amit Basu Photography / Getty Images

We climbed into the monastery, and walked through the parts that are open to visitors. Being a meditation center, it was mostly out of bounds for visitors, but you could see its beauty from outside. The bright colors of the doors and windows are in strong contrast to the starkness of the surroundings, and create a sense of cheer in the otherwise drab high desert landscape.

Amit Basu Photography / Getty Images

The most amazing view was from a balcony in the monastery, where you could see the Zanskar range in the distance, regal in its appearance, growing out of the valley in the distance.

After an hour or more in the Rizong monastery, seeping in the atmosphere, we finally traced our path back towards the Leh-Srinagar highway. 

Onwards to Alchi monastery.