Lamayuru Monastery, also called Yuru Gompa, is the great sight of the village and one of the oldest gompas in Ladakh. Tradition links it to Naropa, and the complex is associated with the Drikung Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. Whitewashed buildings, prayer halls, chortens, and monks' quarters climb the hillside above the village, with the eroded Moonland ridges behind them.
The setting is as important as the architecture. From the monastery terraces, Lamayuru spreads below in a patchwork of fields and flat-roofed houses, and the highway looks suddenly small against the dry mountains. Inside, expect the usual Ladakhi monastery rhythm: butter lamps, dark assembly halls, thangka paintings, and a caretaker monk unlocking rooms when visitors arrive.