Chemrey Gompa of Ladakh was founded by Lama Tagsang Raschen and dates back to the 17th century. Situated at a distance of approximately 40 km to the east of the town of Leh, this monastery belongs to the Drugpa Order. Infact, it serves as the residence of approximately 20 monks of the diminishing Drugpa community, and also their young apprentices. Chemrey Monastery of Leh Ladakh was initially built to serve as a memorial to King Sengge Namgyal. There are a number of shrines situated inside the monastery.However, one of the major attractions of the Chemrey Gompa is the one-story high image of Padmasambhava it houses. Other than that, the monastery also boasts of a precious collection of scriptures, having title pages in silver and the text in gold letters. The successive reincarnations of Lama Tagsang Raschen have being serving as the incumbents of the Chemrey Gompa of Ladakh, since quite a long time.
The monastery also serves as the venue for the festival of sacred dances. The festival takes place, on an annual basis, on the 28th and 29th day of the 9th month of the Tibetan calendar. The dances, at this annual festival, are performed in association with the festival of an initiatory ritual.
