Built on the side of a hill, the Spituk Monastery also known as the Spituk Gompa was founded in the 11th century by Od-lde as a monastic community. One of the majestic monasteries in Ladakh, Spituk Monastery is located 8 km along the Indus River Valley from Leh. Spituk has three-chapels namely Stok, Sankar and Saboo and consists of ancient memorials, idols, frescoes, statues and religious scriptures. The monastery also has some great collections of age-old ancient masks, sacred clothing and a spectacular image of Mahakal.