Languages Spoken:
Tabo Tibetan
Best Time To Visit:
May To September
Tabo is a small buddhist village, located 3050 m (approx 10,00 ft) above sea level in the cold desert region of the Lahaul-Spiti valley in Himachal Pradesh. The town is on the banks of Spiti river and lies on the road between Rekong Peo and Kaza, the sub-divisional headquarters of Spiti.
The months of June to August are pleasantly warm, while it is comfortably cold during the other months. Winters are longer starting from October to April. Winter months can be very harsh with temperature ranging from -15 °C (5 °F) to −45 °C (−49 °F) during day and night respectively. During summers the temperature can range from −5 °C (23 °F) at night to 20 °C (68 °F) during the day.
It has a beautiful monastery called Tabo Monastery or Gompa with the ancient compound dating back to 996 A.D. – making it the oldest continually functioning Buddhist establishment in India. This ancient monastery has been hollowed out by several caves that serve as dwellings for monks during the harsh winters of the Himalayas. Termed as 'Tabo Caves,' these magnificent caverns are artificially excavated for monks.
The Tabo Gompa was founded under the patronage of the ancient Tibetan royal dynasty of Purang-Guge; it was one of the 108 constructed between the tenth to twelfth centuries AD.