Matho Gompa Ladakh

Perched on a impressive ridge above the village, this little-visited gompa commands stupendous valley views. Ladakh's only major Sakya Buddhist monastery, it has grown around a 15th-century core and now has over 80 monks. The upper floors hold a fine new museum that includes some 1000-year-old statues, 800-year-old skulls used for Tantric practices and hats worn by the famous Matho oracles. The floor of the spooky next-door protector chapel is submerged in six inches of grain and has one wall covered in knives. Behind and below the monastery is the meditation cave of the founder Dorje Palsang.