When you plan a trip to Ladakh, the focus is always more on the journey than the destination. As you spend days traveling from one city to another, you continue to find sights that will leave you mesmerized. It is not really a trip where you first arrive at the destination and then enjoy sightseeing. On the contrary, it is probably the opposite. Some of these wonders that you see are natural, while others are man-made. A tourist attraction that I want to talk about in this article is the beautiful and holy Gurudwara Pathar Sahib.

I have been blogging about Ladakh for the past few years; covering most of the information you need to know to get there. In this next series of articles, I will talk in detail about the places you would visit after arriving in Ladakh. I’ll give you a little bit of the history of the place and then talk about how you can get there from the city of Leh.

For a brief introduction, Gurudwara Pathar Sahib is located 23 kilometers from Leh, on the Srinagar – Leh road. At an altitude of more than 12,000 feet, it is considered one of the highest Gurudwaras in the world. It was built in 1517 in the memory of Guru Nanak Dev; to celebrate his visit to Ladakh. You can visit Gurudwara while traveling from Leh to Srinagar or vice versa. You can also plan a day trip on the Srinagar Leh road and visit Gurudwara while visiting other tourist places like Magnetic Hill and Indus Zanskar Confluence. How you can do this is what I will talk about in detail later in this article.

Gurudwara Pathar Sahib History

Let me first give you a little bit of Gurudwara Pathar Sahib’s story and how it came to be. The source of my information for this part is the website Sikhwiki.Org. Guru Nanak in his life traveled to many parts of India, including Ladakh; and even Tibet. He is well respected by Tibetan Buddhists who consider him a saint and refer to him as Guru Gompka Maharaj.

While traveling to Ladakh, Guru Nanak dealt with a demon here that has terrified the locals for some time. It is said that the demon threw a large stone at him with the intention of killing. The stone, however, softened like hot wax when it hit Guru Nanak’s body. This left an impression of Guru Nanak on the rock itself. The demon then tried to push the stone with his feet, but it did no harm to Guru Nanak Dev. The only result was that the demon’s foot was also imprinted on the rock. Now, these two pieces of stone are placed in Gurudwara.

Gurdwara Pathar Sahib’s details

The stone with a mark on the body of Guru Nanak was first discovered in the late 1970s, when BRO was working on the Srinagar Leh road. According to legend, this stone was covered with Buddhist prayer flags and, as much as BRO tried, they couldn’t get it out of the way. A tractor was employed on the job, but it was still being shut down the moment it was used to move the stone. When tried several times, the excavator’s blade broke, but the stone remained in place. When all efforts to remove the stone proved useless, it was decided to dismantle it with dynamite the next day, but that also failed.

The tractor driver and the army officer who tried to blow the rock by dynamite had dreams during the night. A voice told the two not to move the stone. BRO was then advised by residents and several Lamas to leave the stone. They told the story of a holy saint they called the Nanak Lama and the unyielding rock. It was after that that Gurudwara was built in its current place and is now being treated by the Indian army.

Distance Leh to Pathar Sahib Gurudwara

The distance between Leh and Gurudwara is about 25 kilometers. The road is smooth all the time and you can easily cover the distance in about 25 to 30 minutes at most.

How to reach Gurudwara Pathar Sahib

There are two ways to plan a trip here. The first is for someone who plans to cover the Srinagar Leh highway as part of their trip. And the second is for someone who completely maintains the Srinagar route. I will explain both.

If you were planning to reach Ladakh or return via Srinagar, it is easy to visit Gurudwara Pathar Sahib. It is located on the Srinagar Leh highway itself. All you have to do is stop for a while, pay your respect and follow the path. For example, if you came from Srinagar, you can visit Gurudwara just when you are about to arrive in the city of Leh. There is a sign marking the place, so it will be difficult to miss. Likewise, if you were coming from Leh and going to Srinagar, you can visit Gurudwara and continue traveling towards Kargil.

Leh for Gurudwara Pathar Sahib

If you, however, did not intend to travel on the Srinagar route, you will need to plan a time to visit Gurudwara. This applies to people who flew to Leh and were taking a flight; or to someone who passed through Manali and returned the same way.

The best way to visit Gurudwara, in this case, is to plan a day trip on the Srinagar route to Lamayuru. This is often called a Sham Valley tour. You drive to the city of Lamayuru from the city of Leh and return at night. On the way, you will visit Pathar Sahib Gurudwara and several other places like Magnetic Hill, Indus Zanskar Confluence and Hall of Fame. Leh to Lamayuru will take about 3 to 4 hours with all the sights involved. If you have time, you can really extend your journey to Mulbekh. If you didn’t have the whole day to spend, you can take an hour off any day of your trip; make a short run to Gurudwara and return to Leh City.

Leh for Gurudwara Pathar Sahib

Private taxi fares

If you were not traveling by car, you can rent a taxi in the city of Leh to visit all the places I mentioned above, including Gurudwara Pathar Sahib. The cost of the private taxi will be around Rs. 3,000.

Motorcycle Rental

If it is not the taxi, you can rent a motorcycle in the city of Leh or a Scooty, which will cost about Rs. 800 to Rs. 1500, depending on the brand.

Bus to Gurudwara Pathar Sahib from Leh

There are no buses that go specifically to Gurudwara. Hiring a private taxi or motorcycle is your only option here.

Best time to visit

Gurudwara really remains accessible throughout the year. Even during peak winters, the road from Leh to Kargil remains open. Therefore, regardless of the month in which you are planning your trip to Leh, you can keep Gurudwara Pathar Sahib as part of your itinerary.

Where to stay

There is no hotel near Gurudwara; therefore, you will only have to stay in the city of Leh.

Altitude of Gurudwara Pathar Sahib

Pathar Sahib Gurudwara is located at an altitude of 12,000 feet.

Gurudwara’s location Pathar Sahib

To understand the path to Gurudwara Pathar Sahib and its location, I recommend that you take a look at the Leh Ladakh Roadmap that I created some time ago.