Hemis, Ladakh · 33.9110°, 77.7000°
The largest and wealthiest monastery of Ladakh, seat of the Drukpa lineage, hidden in a side canyon of the Indus. Its two-day Hemis Tsechu masked-dance festival honours Padmasambhava's birth, and every twelve years unfurls a giant pearl-studded thangka; the museum holds one of the Himalaya's great collections of ritual art.
Hemis entered Western legend when Nicolas Notovitch claimed (1894) its library held scrolls of 'Issa' — Jesus in India; scholars debunked the tale, but it made the gompa a magnet for seekers ever since.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-26 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Namgyal (Ladakh)