The famous Tashigang Monastery stands at the confluence of river Sutlej and river Spiti in the Lahaul and Spiti ditrict of Himachal Pradesh. Despite its location in Lahaul and Spiti, the monastery is best accessed from Namgya in Kinnaur district. Namgya can be reached by taking a diversion from Khab at NH22. From Namgya trek to the Tashigang gompa. Namgya is not far off from Nako.

The monastery comprises two gompas- old and the new. The new gompa is extremely beautiful with exquisite wall paintings, small collection of Buddhist books, Buddhist statues and a big Tibetan drum. The old gompa stands few houses below the new gompa and houses a statue of the Shakyamuni Buddha.


Noteworthy is that the new gompa might remain closed when you visit it, however, the old gompa will have greater chances of being open. Here, you can also spot devotees coming in to offer prayers.


Nako
Nako is a small but pretty village very much Tibetan in character. It is located at an altitude of 3662m in the Hangrang valley of Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh. The main attraction of this small village is a lake, which, in winters converts into a sheet of ice. There is also a temple which is dedicated to the local deities.

Nako is a good place to stay if you wish to pay a visit to the Tashigang Monastery. Around 3 1/2 hour walk will take you to the monastery.


Other Attractions

• Nako Monastery : The Nako Monastery stands at the western edge of the village and has four important temples amongst other structure. Out of these, the Main Temple (Translator's Temple) and the Upper Temple are more important.
  
  
• Puh : In local language, Puh, is also called Spuwa. It is a village in a tehsil by the same name and is not far away from the village of Nako. It houses the Lo-tsa-bai-lha-khaing temple, which is an important Buddhist shrine.
  
  
• Leo or Li : Leo is located above Puh and is home to a monastery which was supposedly constructed by Padamsambhava himself. The monastery at Li, T-hebkra-Shis-Ihun-grub, belongs to Nyingmpa sect. A nunnery also stands nearby. It is said that it was in use till 19th century when it was abandoned.
  
  
• Tabo Monastery : Tabo Monastery lies at a distance of 64 km from Nako and is one of the most important monasteries of not only Himachal Pardesh but also India. It was established in the 10th century and has The Temple of the Enlightened Gods or the gTug-Lha-khang as its most important temple. Apart from this temple, there are 8 more temples, a number of chortens, a monk's chamber and a nun's chamber. It serves as an advanced centre of learning.