On crossing Foto-La, the highest point on the Srinagar-Leh road, if you take a winding road that descends into the Indus Valley, a sudden bend reveals a strange village with a monastery overlooking it. Lamayuru has fascinating caves carved out of the mountainside. Its festival is held during summer. The oldest holy site Ladakh, it was a Bon shrine prior to the advent of Buddhism. Also known as Yung Drung (Swastika) it is sited on a high promonotory overlooking the village and valley. For sheer spectacle value no other gompa can match Lamayuru.