Prelims 2014 · archive
MediumWith reference to Buddhist history, tradition and culture in India, consider the following pairs:
- 1.Tabo monastery and temple complex — Spiti Valley
- 2.Lhotsava Lhakhang — Zanskar Valley
- 3.Alchi Temple Complex — Ladakh
Which of the above pairs given is/are correctly matched?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only
Tabo lies in Spiti and Alchi in Ladakh, so pairs 1 and 3 match. Lhotsava Lhakhang (the Translator's Temple) belongs to Nako in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh, not the Zanskar Valley.
- ✓ 1. Tabo, founded around 996 CE, is the great monastery of Spiti, Himachal Pradesh.
- ✗ 2. Lhotsava Lhakhang is at Nako (Kinnaur), not in Zanskar.
- ✓ 3. Alchi, with early Kashmiri-style murals, is in Ladakh, on the Indus.
- • Since then Since 2019 Ladakh, including Alchi, is a Union Territory and no longer part of Jammu and Kashmir state.
Remember · Tabo = Spiti; Alchi = Ladakh; Lhotsava Lhakhang = Nako (Kinnaur). Rinchen Zangpo, the Great Translator, is linked to all of them.
Sources
- UNESCO tentative list: Cold Desert Cultural Landscape of India ↗ “Important Gompas in the J&K region include Hemis, AlchiChoskhor, Lamayaru, Likir, Thikse and Ridzon. Important Gompas in the H.P. region include Dhankar, Ki, Tabo, Mud, Gungri, Lidang, Hikim, Sagnam, Mane Gogma and Giu.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2014, General Studies paper. UPSC did not publish an answer key for 2014: the answer shown is the one the sources above support. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 24 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·