Kardang village was once the capital of Lahaul and it has the biggest monastery in Lahaul and is situated on the left bank of River Bhaga. It is said to have been founded about 900 years ago but stood in ruins until 1912 when a lama renovated it.

This gompa is scenically perched against the backdrop of the bare mountains of the Rangcha massif, which rises above the valley to give it a stunning feel. The main temple has the statues of Sakyamuni in the centre, Padmasambhava on the right, and Vajradhara on the left. This monastery houses the largest number of lamas and chomos (female monks). The library of Kardang Gompa is huge and contains full volumes of Kangyur and Tangyur (sacred Buddhist texts).

The walls of the gompa are decorated with colourful wall paintings, also called frescoes. It is maintained by an order of Drukpa Kagyu (Red Hat), the monastery enshrines a mighty prayer wheel said to contain a million strips of paper bearing the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum ('hail to the jewel in the lotus').

In Kardang village there is another small monastery by the name of Jabjesh Monastery and outside the gompa, you can see rock carvings and two big chortens. There is a road near Tandi Bridge to take visitors directly to the monastery.