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Tabo
Tabo is a small town in the Lahaul and Spiti district on the banks of the Spiti River in Himachal Pradesh state. Tabo monastery is the prime tourist spot of this place.

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Tabo, Himachal PradeshTabo is a small town in the Lahaul and Spiti district on the banks of the Spiti River in Himachal Pradesh state. The town lies on the road between Rekong Peo and Kaza, which are the sub-divisional headquarters of Spiti.

Geography and Climate of Tabo
Tabo is located at an altitude of 3,280 meters. Climate in Tabo is very unpredictable as it ranges from cloudy to sunny and from snow to heavy snowfall. Summers are short from May to August and winters are longer from mid-September to April. Winter temperatures in Tabo can range from -15 ° C to -45 ° C. During summer, temperature ranges from -5 ° C to 20 ° C.

Tabo Monastery
The prime tourist spot of Tabo is the Tabo Monastery. The legendary monastery of Tabo was established in 996 AD, almost 1000 years ago. The structure of Tabo monastery is similar to that of a fortress, and is constructed with sand and clay. This was due to the fact that the monastery was frequently ravaged by nomads.

The Tabo monastery serves as a centre for the Buddhist monks of Tibet for centuries. At present there are 50 lamas in the monastery. The vicinity of the monastery is adorned with numerous frescoes, and almost all chambers are decorated with stunning paintings. The cobalt blue colour is the most striking in the paintings. The Tabo Monastery is referred to as the Ajanta of the Himalayas, due to the presence of such beautiful paintings. The Archaeological Survey of India attempted to restore some paintings that were ravaged by time, but were not very successful. A controversy subsists regarding the existence of ancient paintings in these caves. There is contrasting point of view related to the presence of such paintings inside the caves.

Dalai Lama has expressed his desire to retire to Tabo, since he believes that the Tabo Monastery is one of the holiest. In 1996, Dalai Lama conducted the Kalachakra initiation ceremony in Tabo, which coincided with the millennium anniversary celebrations of the Tabo monastery. The ceremony was attended by thousands of Buddhists from across the world. Tabo Monastery`s spiritual head is Tsenshap Serkong Rinpoche.

Visiting Information to Tabo
Tabo can be reached either via Shimla or via Kullu by road, rail, and flight. From Shimla it is 365km to Tabo and Kullu is 295km from the place.


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