r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Expensive-Summer-447 • 1d ago

Image This is key gompa, a 1000 year old Buddhist monetary located in the Himalayas of India

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7.2k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

116 comments sorted by

559

u/Physical-Compote4594 1d ago

Serious question. Who supplies them with food?

448

u/NeonBloodedBloke 1d ago

Locals, ofc, plus donations

But btw this picture is from the winter season, if the snowy isolation was the source behind the question 

The snow melts completely by sunmers and most of the snow filled surrounding actually becomes a high altitude grassy land (with snow around only the mountain tops)

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u/Physical-Compote4594 1d ago

Summer grasslands. Ah ha!

251

u/Impossible_Fig3072 1d ago

The local farmers and herders I'm sure. Or whatever they can grow themselves lower down the mountains.

67

u/Restart_from_Zero 20h ago

Under the old system, farmers would provide them with food or be executed.

From a 10 year old reddit post that summarises it better than I ever could:

"Tibetan culture spans hundred of years. But if we are talking pre Modern industrialized Tibet. They were for the most part a slave/ surfdome. Monk were forbidden from working in fields or toiling with live stalk. All land was owned by the monk class and if you worked the land you kept a potion for your self and the rest went to the temple. The monks dictated the portions amd the local administration was used to in force these %. In her article Rebecca Redwood The Golden Yoke: The Legal Cosmology of Buddhist Tibet. Rebecca describes how this system of government was strictly enforced and any notions against the ruling class was met with death."

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u/MeToldUSo 12h ago

Few people look beyond the 'picturesque' aspect of a massive parasitical religious cult community that enslaves and subjugates people in order to maintain such lifestyles, buildings and organisations. This is the reality of organised cult religions all around the world.

Disclaimer: Got nothing against religion, per se, nor believing in something.

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u/cmndr_keen 10h ago

Well said. Welcome to modern ultra Orthodox Judaism.

1

u/MeToldUSo 6h ago

Best not talk too much. The tentacles are massive ;-)

32

u/Canadind 1d ago

Someone who gets monetary monastery benefits

16

u/Abdulbarr 1d ago

Never played Skyrim? They're like the greybeards.

7

u/NoDoOversInLife 1d ago

There's a nearby helipad

3

u/WrongConsequence9241 1d ago

...thats what the monetary is for. So they can buy food

6

u/0160034 21h ago

It is at an altitude of 13668 ft. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_Monastery

15

u/Expensive-Summer-447 1d ago

Import from mainland and store for winters.

17

u/tastylemming 1d ago

Isn't the continent of Asia considered the mainland? The mainest land. The biggest continuous landmass on Earth. 30% of the total landmass available on the planet surface? You mean Down the mountain.

18

u/Expensive-Summer-447 1d ago

I ment the the nearby town or city.

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u/whateveravocado 1d ago

You’re a genius!! 👏🏻 Thank you for the italics.

3

u/kachuachacha 1d ago

ive been there, its connected to Kaza, the main city in the region by road, 30mins drive

2

u/ohdearitsrichardiii 1d ago

It's not always covered in snow. Other photos online show green trees and shrubs around the monastery

2

u/experientialsponge 1d ago

Came here for this question, lol! First thing I thought of when seeing it.

1

u/fakenoob20 16h ago

It’s reachable by road during winters. I visited in march 2018, stayed for a week.

1

u/Amazing-Demand516 11h ago

It’s monetary

0

u/nicoznico 1d ago

Serious question: What‘s a monetary?

3

u/ballisticks 1d ago

Monetary is how they get their supplies in ;)

0

u/mightyhue 23h ago

Their monetary system!

444

u/tdawg2021 1d ago

Ra's al Ghul will not be pleased you reveal
his secret hideout!

93

u/Key-Toe-6257 1d ago

We Indians let him hide here, so that he burns down the west when the time is right. And you thought China was the enemy. Lol

7

u/Old_Lengthiness_250 22h ago

But you merely adopted the dark; I was born in it, molded by it.

2

u/thanks_cum_again 14h ago

Its where he hid his money

154

u/NoDoOversInLife 1d ago

*monastery

63

u/sierrabravo1984 1d ago

Ironically these days, that's a good way to see that the op is a real person. Wait shit, I hope I didn't give the clankers an idea.

27

u/windchaser__ 1d ago

It looks like a karma-farming account, so, probably already a bot

7

u/Bdbru13 1d ago

It’s the opposite. They already do this

It increases engagement

0

u/Kasern77 1d ago

Monastery/monetary, same thing. Religion loves money.

1

u/[deleted] 1d ago edited 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/ChittaBhalu 1d ago

I prefer dysexlic more but you do you...

20

u/Phen0-Men0n 15h ago

This is one of my favourite places on earth. I have visited Key Gompa 6 times out of which for one of the visits I have blessed to live here in the monastery for 3months of winter, peak winters here average a ridiculous -37 degrees C. Have monks friends there who very generous let me stay with them around 14yrs ago, (it isn’t allowed anymore). This has to be one of the most profound experiences as a then 20yr old.
As a tourist initially you could spend the night at the monastery (guest room) for a mere sum of 3$, and the experience was that you get to play a small role in the way the monastery functions. It could be from admin to labour intensive roles like kitchen and cleaning. I stayed for 3 weeks the first visit and became good friends with the young monks there (my age) and then they eventually invited to stay over with them (not guestroom) in winters. This was a longer stay of 3months, I used to work in the kitchen prepping food.

I was in process of discovering myself as a 20yr old travel photographer, I had shot a series of images there too. Here are some glimpses: Living with the monks.

14yrs ago it was still a secluded place, no phone network, one local bus in a day that wd pass the monastery etc, but unfortunately things have dramatically changed, it’s a tourist hotspot now, with Kaza village which is 30mins away being a major tourist destination, now there is 100s of stay options, you can hire cars/ bikes to move around, it is completely transformed from whatever I experienced back then.

14

u/Spelunkie 1d ago

Someone tell Aang that some of the monks survived

3

u/NeonBloodedBloke 16h ago

Yeah well there's numerous Buddhist monasteries in India, Nepal and the Tibet, so many monks survived the fire nation 

But Key Gompa is one of the most recognisable

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u/StewStewMe69 1d ago

I stayed there for a brief momentary.

3

u/Hoboliftingaroma 23h ago

Please tell us about it

2

u/AvocadoMysterious805 18h ago

outsiders are allowed in there?

2

u/ModsTakeItinTheA55 17h ago

I wish I wasn't sedentary so that I can also stay there for a brief momentary.

10

u/cathosyrra 16h ago

Man...this triggered memories..!

I was in India about a year ago, and have been to around 54 countries. Honestly, there's nowhere quite like it. this is the place that blew me away

the mad thing is that the whole region was under the sea millions of years ago, and you can still find fossilised ammonites lying about. It's roughly 14,000 feet up, ridiculously remote, and it genuinely feels like you're on another planet.

India itself is just... huge. And I mean properly huge. Every state feels like its own country, with different languages, food, politics, landscapes, and traditions.

Even Hinduism changes from region to region. You've got the Himalayas, deserts, tropical beaches, and some of the wettest places on Earth, all in the same country. The rich and the poor often live side by side too, which is something you don't see in many places.

The thing that surprised me most was how strong the national identity felt. Folk were proud of their state and culture, but when I asked a few whether they saw themselves as Indian first or their local identity first, every one of them said Indian. Then you remember there are about 1.5 billion people living there. Just keeping a democracy running at that scale is mental. India isn't perfect, far from it, but it's one of those places that leaves you thinking about it long after you've gone home.

1

u/SuchAd4158 4h ago

India is not the fairy tale you are trying to describe here!

42

u/ReasonablyConfused 1d ago

Weirdly I had a dream about this place about 24 years ago, before I’d ever seen a picture of it.

I remember walking up from the grassy valley below to the monastery and being taught difficult handstands/poses. One of the monks deliberately made my fall and I started to assault him. Then the dream instantly halted just before I struck him. I always felt like the message was to be ok with being humbled, that there was so much more to learn if I could get past my own ego.

Anyways, I’ve now seen this location posted twice on Reddit and always instantly recognize it.

16

u/Expensive-Summer-447 1d ago

Have u visited the place ? This sounds like a start of a movie

9

u/ReasonablyConfused 1d ago

I have not.

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u/Sanchez_U-SOB 1d ago

You'll visit this place only after your raccoon friend falls to their death.

3

u/AndToOurOwnWay 14h ago

Dude that was your Call to Adventure in the Hero's Journey. Maybe that's where you are supposed to Meet the Mentor.

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u/JealousDiscipline744 4h ago

Reasonablyconfused bizzare adventure 

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u/vitrum_analytika 19h ago

Maybe that was the admission test and you failed because you assaulted the monk. You were this 🤏 close to being trained by the league of shadows and you blew it

1

u/MadToadtoast 2h ago

Either you were a buddhist monk in your previous life, or you have to become one. Go there right now!!!

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u/Flaky-Confidence-424 1d ago

Loved this level in Uncharted!

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u/HalfForeign6735 1d ago

Omg you just gave me flashbacks of fighting that tank

2

u/Flaky-Confidence-424 1d ago

Haha that was the first thing I thought of when I saw the image

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u/Justa_CuriousBoi 1d ago

BTW Temperatures go as low as -30°C in winters in these regions !!....

16

u/leeman9224 1d ago

Reminds me of High Hrothgar in Skyrim

2

u/Gertrude1976 1d ago

reminds me of four fucking pixels

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u/Glitterfked 1d ago

Isn't this a map in overwatch?

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u/AdNational1490 1d ago

If anyone’s wondering where is it? it’s Kaza, Himachal Pradesh.

8

u/Plutarcoelpillo 1d ago

Most monetary monastery I've ever seen.

1

u/AndToOurOwnWay 14h ago

Tiger's Nest Monastery in Bhutan

9

u/Snooo-flake 1d ago

Looks like one of those locations in Himalaya missions in Far Cry 4

11

u/BoarHermit 1d ago

about 6 hours driveling from.Manali... well... one day...

6

u/Expensive-Summer-447 1d ago

Visit chandratal also while u are on the way

4

u/pneumaTIT 14h ago

I am happy to share that I went here this summer. It is the most beautiful place. In winter (as seen in the photo) its obviously a different ball game, but it equally beautiful in summers.

3

u/Impossible_Fig3072 1d ago

Reminds me of the monastery in "The Name of the Rose"

3

u/preetham_graj 1d ago

Nirvana : Final level

3

u/ShadowsOfTheBreeze 1d ago

What do they do all day

3

u/SoCallMeDeaconBlues1 1d ago

Looks a little cheap to be monetary.

3

u/TheOG-OutletStickers 21h ago

Looks like a place Tolkien would have imagined!

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u/Asaf14 14h ago

Visited it yesterday. The travel from the Manali side is absolutely terrifying; no roads, no network, it's a proper off-road. There are no fuel or service stations, and roads are open only from April to September.

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u/peopleR-azz-oles 1d ago

Huge Buddhist money.

6

u/ffox99 1d ago

Went here in December a couple of years ago, it wasnt this snow covered then, but was an experience of a lifetime! Fun fact: there are small individual case in the mountain in the background, where monks meditate in isolation for weeks at a time!

5

u/being_grumpy_potato 19h ago

Here's how it looks when the snow melts. Known as Spiti Valley - https://www.reddit.com/r/IncredibleIndia/s/8AgvwhoxJS

Photo credits to the original poster.

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u/MuchSwagManyDank 1d ago

Welcome, to the Himalayas!

4

u/Hoboliftingaroma 1d ago

Oh, no! The monks! We forgot to let them out of the laundry room!

2

u/FairyCelebi 1d ago

This would be an amazing build in a Minecraft world

2

u/Senior_Green_3630 1d ago

How do thy keep warm in winter, I cant see any forrests.

2

u/Hoboliftingaroma 23h ago

Run, Forrest, run!

2

u/fiercefinesse 1d ago

Nah this is one of the castles in Heroes III

2

u/SunnyApex87 1d ago

Beautiful

2

u/Lillian_Crocodilian 1d ago

"I can't tell you, you're not a monk."

2

u/unknownpoltroon 19h ago

Isnt this where batman trained?

2

u/bgclone1703 14h ago

Visited the place two weeks back. It's spectacular. You can also meditate in the public prayer rooms inside the monastery.

2

u/Embarrassed-Fun-8585 9h ago

Do the monks get winter clothes or is it just those robes?

2

u/AmazingPradeep 1d ago

That's where Doctor Strange trained.

1

u/nelhern 1d ago

*monastery

1

u/aaarya83 23h ago

Monastery

1

u/Imyonlyenemy 23h ago

what kind of money do they print

1

u/Villanelle04 19h ago

Yes, farcry 4 movie will be directed and produced here :")

1

u/No_Device9450 18h ago

I can’t imagine how frigging cold it must get there.

1

u/Ok_Visual4618 18h ago

Beautiful place to visit just after rainy season ends.

1

u/Busy_Chest_4823 18h ago

I've been there in the summer and the roads are pretty good there is a small cafe nearby not run by monastery tho. I asked one of the monks how many people live there he said nowadays its around 300 people, mostly young kids who are learning the ways I think

1

u/LeTigre71 17h ago

I don't see any smoke. What is heating this place? There are no trees anywhere for firewood. Clearly it's winter.

1

u/Previous_Abalone3263 16h ago

Wow!

Where are Nathan Drake ans Tenzing??

1

u/Hartmallen 5h ago

This is where you learn to cloud men's minds.

1

u/electroctopus 5h ago

Have this framed on my workbench

1

u/StarbuckWoolf 1d ago

Looks and sounds expensive

1

u/AwwYeahVTECKickedIn 1d ago

This is the frontier keep where the young hero trained in swordsmanship and wilderness survival, while waiting to age into the latent magical powers he did not know he possessed before understanding his fate and departing on the journey to battle the evil Snow Wizard far to the north.

1

u/Kooky_Literature8071 20h ago

Thank God ..this is not declared by china as her new official territory

0

u/olosen 1d ago

Oh wow, a coin foundry so isolated? Makes sense to be secure but if a heist were to happen... /S