The history of Hemis Monastery goes way back to the middle ages. According to the legend, it is dated to the arrival of Naropa, a prominent Buddhist teacher, who arrived at some point in the 11th century. He was once the head of a monastery in Nalanda, from where he was forced to flee due to a sacking by an invading Muslim army. After that, he relocated to the Hemis Monastery and established the Kagyu school of Buddhism here. A written documentation by A. Grunwedel about the life of Naropa and his disciple Tilopa was later found in the neighbourhood of the monastery. It states that he met with Tilopa, Tantric scholar and assigned him the task of translating Marpa.After its establishment, the monastery went into oblivion for several centuries. In the 1630 Stagsang Raspa Nawang Gyatso founded it which was then re-established in 1672 by the Ladakhi king Sengge Namgyal. It is owned by Drukpa Lineage or the Dragon Order of Mahayana Buddhism. His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa is the supreme spiritual head of this sect.Another very odd legend associated with this place is a lost Christian gospel which was discovered here in the 19th century. The gospel indicated that Jesus Christ spend a few years in India, studying and meditating as a Rabbi. After a few years, it was proved that the gospel was a hoax. However, there are still many who believes that there might be some truth in it.