Basgo Monastery
is a type of Buddhist monastery in Ladakh region which is situated 40 km from Leh in the way of Nimmu on the Leh-Kargil-Srinagar highways.Basgo Monastery
includes the statue of the future Buddha which is 75 feet in height. This statue was enlisted as one of the hundred endangered sites of the world 2001 by UNESCO and then the villages led by an educated batch have taken up the task to save the statue housed in a richy decorated structure that is standing precariously on cliffs some 300m above the village level.Continual attack on Ladakh by the predatory Muslim states of Central Asia lead to the failing and fractional change of Ladakh. After than Ladakh was divided into two parts,The king Takpabum and Temisgam were the king of lower ladakh and Takbumde were the king of upper ladakh. The king Basgo took on the surname Namgya and founded a new empire which is still survives today. From 1993, Basgo Welfare Committee has put their all efforts in order to save the three maitreya shrines which are guarded by spectacular walls.
Basgo Gompa Ladakh is firstly mention in the Ladakh history in the 15th century as the capital of longs whose descendents were to become the Namgyal Dynasty of Ladakh, the fort is located at a high impregnable position, which enabled it to withstand , a three year siege in the 17th century but got severely damaged during the Dogra wars in the year of 1834. Since then the unfired clay brick structure has been slowly crumbling, leaving a few walls and towers to speak of the grnadour of days gone by.
The highest tower with a Lhato still appears to be guarding the three important shrines dedicated to the Maitreya Buddha.The Statue in these shrines are among the oldest representation of the Maitreya Buddha in existence in India. Towards the NE is situated the Ngangpa Ri a sacred mountain with remnants of ancient hermitages. To the S.E it looks over the land towards the mighty Indus River. The three shrines have murals, manuscripts besides the statues at Basgo Gompa Ladakh.