Monasteries, An Epitome Of Serenity In India

The monastery is a building or buildings occupied by a community of monks living under religious vows. Buddhist religious life is revolving around ‘Sanghas’ which means an "Orders of Disciplines". Buddhists believe that the spiritual quest of monks benefits the entire community and their rituals bring prosperity and protection.

Famous Buddhist Monasteries in India

1. Hemis Monastery

It is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery (gompa) of the Drukpa Lineage, in Hemis, Ladakh, India. It is situated 45 kms South of Leh in Jammu and Kashmir State, on the West bank of river Indus. This monastery is famous for the annual festival of Guru Padmasambhava which is held in June-July.

2. Tsulglagkhang Monastery

It is one of the most famous monasteries of Buddhist people. This is the home for His Holiness Dalai Lama and is situated in Maclodganj suburb of Dharamshala district in Himachal Pradesh. It is also known as Dalai Lama's temple.

3.Tabo Monastery

It is located in the Tabo village of Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India. It was founded in 996 CE in the Tibetan year of the Fire Ape by theTibetan Buddhist lotsawa (translator) Rinchen Zangpo (Mahauru Ramabhadra), on behalf of the king of western Himalayan Kingdom of Guge, Yeshe-O.

4. Thiksey Monastery

It is a gompa (monastery) affiliated with the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It is located on top of a hill in Thiksey village, approximately 19 kilometres east of Leh in Ladakh, India. It is noted for its resemblance to the Potala palace in Lhasa, Tibet. It is a twelve-story complex and houses many items of Buddhist art such as stupas, statues, thangkas, wall paintings and swords.

5. Tawang Monastery

It is located in Tawang city of Tawang district in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, is the largest monastery in India and second largest in the world after the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet.

6. Bylakuppe Monastery (Namdraling)

It is the largest teaching center of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism in the world. It is located in Bylakuppe, in the district of Mysore of the state of Karnataka. This monastery is a home to a sangha community of over five thousand lamas. It is the largest teaching centre ofNyingma lineageof Tibetan Buddhism with a junior high school named Yeshe Wodsal Sherab Raldri Ling, a religious college (or shedra for both monks and nuns) and hospital.

7. Shashur Monastery

It is a Buddhist monastery of the Drugpa sect in Lahaul and Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, northern India. It was built in the 17th century by Lama Deva Gyatsho of Zanskar who was a missionary of Nawang Namgyal, the king of Bhutan.

8. Mindrolling Monastery

It is one of the six major monasteries of the Nyingma School in Tibet. It was founded by Rigzin Terdak Lingpa in 1676. It is located in Zhanang County, Shannan Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China, approximately 43 kilometres east of the Lhasa airport, on the south side of the Tsangpo river.

9. Ghum Monastery

It is located in Ghum, West Bengal. In 1875 AD, Lama Sherab Gyatso founded this monastery. It is belongs to the Gelukpa or the Yellow Hat sect and is known for its 15 feet (4.6 m)-high statue of the Maitreya Buddha.

10. Kye Gompa Monastery

It is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery located on top of a hill at an altitude of 4,166 metres above sea level, close to the Spiti River, in the Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh, Lahaul and Spiti district, India. It is the biggest monastery of Spiti Valley and a religious training centre for Lamas