Sani Monastery sits in a flat, poplar-shaded clearing 8 kilometres west of Padum, where the Stod Valley broadens into the central plain of Zanskar. It is the only monastery in Zanskar associated with the Drugpa Kagyü school, and its most distinctive feature is the Kanishka Stupa at its centre — a squat, heavily weathered structure that scholars believe dates to the Kushan period, around the 2nd century AD. This makes it among the oldest Buddhist monuments in the Himalayan world.
The monastery itself, founded around the 10th century, is more intimate in scale than Karsha. The main courtyard is planted with trees that provide welcome shade in summer, and the atmosphere is quieter and less visited than the more accessible gompas of the Indus Valley. Sani holds its own Tsechu festival each year, though it is smaller than Karsha's. The walk or short drive from Padum makes it an easy half-day excursion.