Shashur Monastery

Shashur Monastery or Sashur Monastery is a Buddhist monastery of the Durgpa sect in Lahaul and Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, northern India. It is located one hundred and thirty-seven kilometers from Manali. The Shashur Monastery is related to the Gelukpa order or the red hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery was built in the 17^th century by Lama Deva Gyatsho of Zanskar who was a missionary of Nawang Namgyal, the king of Bhutan.

Amidst the hilly terrains of the Himalayas is its resting area where the literal meaning of the Shashur is blue pines perhaps completely compliments the place or the name of the monastery as it is surrounded by the blue pine trees which share a vastness to the place.

The monastery is built in accordance with the Mandala concept whose basic form is a square having four gates containing a circle with a center. The walls are ornamented with picturesque paintings of eighty-four Siddhas of Buddhism and one can look at for the Thangka paintings, some of them are over fifteen feet. The best time to explore the monastery is during the period of June to July when the annual festival is organized here in the monastery with the masked monks dancing in the famous form of Chaam Dance.

The monastery is praised all over India for it excellent architecture. The place gives a blend of culture and heritage with the awe striking nature surrounding, giving a perfect contemplative feeling.