The museum at Hemis, which acquired its Gandhara artefacts from Tibet, Pakistan and Afghanistan and Central Asian countries over the centuries, boasts of icons of the goddess Tara, the Sakyamuni Buddha and his different incarnations, the wrathful deities of war and anger associated with Buddhism and the ancient lamas.

The Gandhara Buddha is intricate- with a matted head and robes falling around the feet in delicate drapes.

The Thangka paintings at the museum- some of which are nearly 1,000 years old- are vivid, delicate and detailed, etched on silks, canvases and coarse cotton cloth in golden and coloured inks. Primarily Tibetan and Chinese in origin, the Thangka scrolls depict Buddha in different forms and his journey across the sub-continent with accompanying inscriptions.