In the early 15th century,
Je Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug School—often called "the Yellow Hats"—sent six of his disciples to remote regions of
Tibet to spread the teachings of the new school. Tsongkhapa gave one of his disciples,
Jangsem Sherap Zangpo (), a small statue of Amitayus (the
saṃbhogakāya form of
Amitābha), containing bone powder and a drop of Tsongkhapa's own blood. Tsongkhapa directed him to meet the King of Ladakh with a message seeking his help in the propagation of Buddhism. The King, who was then staying in the
Nubra Valley near
Shey, loved the gift of the statue. After this meeting, the King directed his minister to help Sherab Zangpo to establish a monastery of the Gelug order in Ladakh. As a result, in 1433, Zangpo founded a small village monastery called Lhakhang Serpo "Yellow Temple" in Stagmo, north of the Indus. In spite of his efforts, the lamas who embraced the Gelug order were initially few, although some of his disciples became eminent figures over the years. pictured behind a prayer wheel, in a painting near the steps that lead to the main part of Thikshe monastery In the mid 15th century, Palden Zangpo continued the monastic work started by his teacher, Sherab Zangpo. He decided to build a larger monastery here that was dictated by an unusual event that occurred while choosing a site. Legends narrate that Tsongkhapa had predicted that his doctrine would prosper on the right bank of the Indus River. This prediction came true when the Thiksey Monastery was established. This was followed by others such as
Spituk Monastery and
Likir Monastery, which are also situated on the right bank of the Indus. The new Thiksey monastery was located a few kilometres away from Stagmo, on a sacred hill above a village of the same name. The monastery is believed to have been built on the site of an earlier
Kadam establishment or as a daughter house of the small chapel of Stakmo about to the north.
Rinchen Zangpo is also known to have built a temple named Lakhang Nyerma at Thiksey dedicated to the protector
Dorje Chenmo. Today, all that can be seen are some ruins. Thiksey grew in prominence in Ladakh, second only to
Hemis Monastery, administering ten other monasteries in the region, such as
Diskit, Spituk, Likir and
Stok. The monastery came to own or control of land and some 25 villages became attached to the monastery. In around 1770, the lama of
Hanle Monastery dictated that his elder son should inherit the throne of Ladakh while other princes should be lamas at Thikse and Spituk. As a result, princes such as Jigsmet Namgyal served as lamas at Thikse.
Modern history Restoration of the old monasteries in Ladakh, including the Thiksey Monastery, is being carried out by the
Archaeological Survey of India, at the request of the concerned monastery administration. This, however, has not been without its controversy. It is said that the traditional mud and stone courtyards changed to granite, which has marred the brightness of the place. Similarly, restoration of the right wing of the monastery, involving construction of a new kitchen and a dining hall for the monks, replacing the old traditional central courtyard, has caused dissonance to the entire old edifice of the monastery. As a result, a balance to the restoration and renovation works has been sought to retain the old order in consonance with the new works. ==Structure==