At a mere distance of 3 km from Keylong in the Lahaul valley is yet another worth visiting monastery of Himachal Pradesh, Shashur Gompa. The monastery was erected in the 16th century by Lama Dewa Tyatsho of Ladakh who was an emissary of Nawang Namgyal, the king of Bhutan. Later, renovation work was done by Lama Dewa Gyatsho. The monastery is associated with the red hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism or Gelukpa order and have spiritual connection with the Lion Cave Temple of Bhutan.

As you make your way to the monastery through difficult tract, chortens and a beautiful mani wall (piles of prayer stoes) will catch your attention. Inscribed on these stones is the extremely sacred Buddhist ritual mantra or invocation - OM MANI PADME HUM - The Jewel in the Heart of the Lotus.

The three storeyed monastery is built at a narrow site 600 m above the valley on a hill. This narrowness has led to the monastery being constructed vertically. However, despite this the monastery conforms to the ancient mandala concept. Within, the attractions include a 5m thangka, beautiful paintings representing the history of 84 Buddha's and a statue of Namgyal. Infact, the thangka found here is famous in the entire Lahaul region and people come in large number just to see it.


Festival
Shashur Gompa celebrates its annual festival in the month of June-July. Devil Dance is performed by the colourfully dressed up and masked monks. The villagers and the visiting tourists turn up in large number to enjoy these performances by the monks.


Lahaul
The valley of Lahaul along with Spiti and Kinnaur has strong Buddhist presence in the state of Himachal Pradesh. Lahaul and Spiti together form one district of Himachal while Kinnaur is a separate district alltogether. Despite being one district, Lahaul and Spiti are separated by the Kunzam-la (pass).

Keylong is not just the administrative headquarters of the Lahaul and Spiti district, but also the headquarters of the Lahaul sub division. Keylong is not attractive in itself but is definitely a good place to stay for quiet a few days and explore the Buddhist monasteries in the nearby areas. It makes available rudimentary staying and fooding options. Accommodation is available in form of hotels, rest houses and tourists bungalow.


Other Attractions

• Tayul Gompa : Tayul Gompa is located close to Keylong, around 6 km away. The monastery preserves a 5 m tall imposing image of Guru Padmasambhava along with 101 volumes of Kangyur text.
  
  
• Guru Ghantal Monastery : A monastery that is 8 centuries old, that's Guru Ghantal monastery perched atop a hill above the village of Tandi. The major draw of the monastery is the images of Padmasambhava, Brajeswari Devi and lamas. However, what is particularly interesting in this monastery is an image of Hindu deity Kali that supports the belief that a temple stood here prior to the construction of the monastery.
  
  
• Ghemur Gompa : The devil dance of this gompa, which is at a distance of 18 km from Keylong, is extremely famous.
  
  
• Kardang Monastery : Dating back to the 12th century, the Kardang Gompa belongs to the red hat sect. Apart from the beautiful murals and frescoes, the monastery has in possession a drum containing strips of paper upon which the sacred mantra 'Om Mani Padme Hum' is written a million times. A library stocked with Kangyur and Tangyur volumes of Buddhist scriptures in Bhoti is also housed in the monastery.