20 Buddhist Monastery in India – A Glimpse into the Abodes of Spirituality
Monasteries are places where a community of monks live, they have domestic quarters as well as workplaces. Buddhist Monasteries are generally known as Viharas. A vihara can be occupied with either nuns or monks.
In Tibetan Buddhism, these Viharas are often referred as Gompa. These are the places built for learning and spiritual growth.
India is the mother of Buddhism, and thus numerous Buddhist monasteries can be visited in India that are ready to teach you the learnings of Buddhism and offer philosophy of peace.
Hundreds of Buddhist monasteries are living in India, while these places are built for spiritual seekers and pilgrims, common people, tourists and travellers can also visit these places to explore the Indian architecture, and experience a tranquil ambiance and participate in certain spiritual activities.
Historical Significance of Buddhist Monasteries
Buddhism took birth in India around 5th to 6th century BCE with the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. With the development of the religion monasteries became important as centres of spiritual learning, meditation and shelter for monks.
These Monasteries flourished during the empire of Ashoka the Great, many viharas were built across the Indian subcontinent.
List of 20 famous Buddhist Monasteries
1. Tawang Monastery, Arunachal Pradesh
This is the most famous Buddhist monastery, sitting in the lap of Himalayan ranges in a humble Valley Tawang Chu. Tawang is the largest Buddhist monastery in India, and second largest in the world.
This Great Monastery was established by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso in 1680. Fulfilling the wish of the 5th Dalai Lama,Another common name for the Monastery is Gaden Namgyal Lhatse, meaning “the divine paradise of complete victory”.
This monastery follows the Glug school of Vajrayana Buddhism.
A huge gilded statue of Buddha has been seated in this Monastery, and valuable ancient manuscripts have been preserved here, mainly Kangyur and Tengyur. The complex here is large, serving 65 residential buildings, while the compound is enclosed by a 282m long wall.
If you are considering visiting his Monastery this year the best time would be June to October given the supportive weather conditions, although many people visit in winters as well to attend the Losar festival which runs for 15 days, this festival falls generally in the month of February marking the Buddhist New Year.
2. Hemis Monastery, Ladakh
Hemis Monastery is also situated in the Himalayan ranges, this monastery is at 45km away from Leh. This monastery is from the Kagyu lineage, which followed a tradition of oral transmission of knowledge, from the teacher to the disciple which is a very unique practice of the Indian subcontinent.
The courtyard of this monastery commemorates 84 Mahasiddhas shown in a gallery of paintings, which dates back to the 17th century, to make these paintings ground mineral pigments have been used.
The major attraction for tourists is the Hemis festival celebrated for Lord Padmasambhava , who is also considered a reincarnation Buddha.
This is a rare festival that happens once in a cycle of 12 years, much like the Hindu, Mahakumbh festival.
The most eye-catching festivity is the mystic mask dance, which essentially is a part of the Tantra traditions, and it is a specific performance to the Gompas that follow Tantric Vajrayana teachings.
3. Namdroling Monastery, Karnataka
People call this place “Tibet of South”, Namdroling is the informal name of Thegchog Namdrol Shedrub Dargye Ling, sitting in Bylakuppe, Mysore district.
This monastery houses the Sangha Community of 5000 Buddhist Nuns and Monks, and teachers. Monastery also has a Junior High School, a Buddhist philosophy college known as Shedra (Place of Teaching), a home for the elderly people and a hospital. The sense of community here is strong and one can find many Buddhist literary possibilities here.
Namdroling was carved into the jungle, initially it was a temple made of bamboo in a small area of 7.4 m2 and the founder, Penor Rinpoche lived in a tent.
This special monastery itself has developed facing challenges, the Monastery that faced an exile, and challenges of rampaging elephants, a lack of roads and surviving in low funds, not to mention the tropical threats.
4. Thikse Monastery, Ladakh
This Monastery is affiliated with the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The location is picturesque as the Monastery stands on top of a sloping hill in thiksey. It has a resemblance to the Potala Palace in Tibet, and is also the largest monastery in central Ladakh.
The monastery is at a high altitude of 3,600 metres. This one is a high 12 storey complex, the building here is arranged in an ascending order of importance which gives it a spacious unique architecture.
This Monastery is painted in a combination of red, ochre and white to house 60 lamas. Ideally it was built as a fort Monastery giving it a protective structure.
Here you can witness various artifacts, such as stupas, statues, thangkas, wall paintings and swords. The Maitreya Temple here attracts many tourists and pilgrims, which was established to commemorate the visit of the 14th Dalai Lama in 1970, here a 15 metres high Maitreya statue is established covering 2 storeys of the building.
5. Tabo Monastery, Himachal Pradesh
Tabo Chos-Khor Monastery sits in Spiti valley. It was founded by a Tibetan Buddhist lotsawa (Translator of Buddhist Sanskrit texts) Mahauru Ramabhadra.
Tabo is one of the ancient Monasteries that has been continuing its operations in the Himalayas.
It has frescoes on its walls to depict various tales from the Buddhist pantheon.
Tabo has 9 temples, four well decorated stupas with cave shrines. All of these are pretty historic going back to the 10th to 13th centuries.
The paintings and Murals in the temples are a must see when you are in Tabo. Murals here boast extraordinary heights and prosperous beauty with gold carvings.
There is also a very popular religious festival held once in every three years, the Chakhar Festival, during September to October, dedicated to world peace and happiness.
6. Rumtek Monastery, Sikkim
Rumtek Monastery is also known as the Dharma chakra centre, near Gangtok. The Buddhists believe this specific land area is special and possess auspicious qualities and thus they have remained seated here even after it had turned into ruins in 1959.
The re-construction of this monastery took 4 years with the help of locals and the royal family of Sikkim.
Currently this is the largest Monastery in Sikkim. It has a golden stupa that contains relics of the 16th Karmapa who rebuilt this Monastery.
7. Ghoom Monastery, West Bengal
Ghoom Monastery is known for its 4.6m high Maitreya Buddha statue. The official name of this Monastery is Yiga Choeling, Ghoom is a more popular name. This monastery has provided refuge to many high-ranking abbots who fled to India in 1959.
Unlike other Monasteries this one is not as prosperous and is surviving on the donations and funds from local devotees.
It can be a good place to visit for someone who seeks personal attention and a close insight within the Buddhist traditions.
8. Nalanda Mahavihara, Bihar (The Great Monastery)
One of the most ancient vihara, it was a renowned Buddhist monastery in ancient India, and thus attaining the name of “Mahavihara”, the Great Monastery. It was a centre of learning for the world. The excavations reveal eleven monasteries within the complex and six major temples made of brick.
This is a huge complex area, and a must visit place if you wish to get a glimpse on Ancient architectural grandeur of the Monasteries.
9. Palpung Sherabling Monastic Seat, Himachal Pradesh
Resting in snow capped mountains and decorated by the pine forests, this monastery holds a captivating sight. You can see a golden statue of Buddha that gives a guiding serene vibe to the environment.
You can visit Buddhist libraries, retreat centres and shrines that have been constructed on different storeys. The monks here have a Grammy winning chanting CD.
This is a unique monastery that teaches wood carving, metal work, Thangka art, tailoring and sculpting as well. In fact, as a part of beautiful architecture here you can find Thangka art Murals as well.
10. Alchi Monastery, Ladakh
Alchi is more of a monastic complex that is a part of the Alchi group of monuments, unlike other monasteries of the northern region, it is built on a plain surface rather than atop a hill.
Here you can see the influence of Kashmiri style put in the construction of the Dukhang or the assembly hall and in the three-storied main temple known as Sumtseg.
This place is also unique in a way as it portrays the artistic details of the and spiritual ideas of both Buddhist and Hindu kings of the time through beautiful wall paintings in the monastery. Some of the oldest paintings have survived here in Ladakh.
The complex here also houses a huge statue of Buddha and elaborate carvings of wood and art-work.
These are the most famous of the Buddhist Monasteries, while there are more, though they may not attract populous footfall throughout the year. Such monasteries are less known but can be a pretty impressive place to be in who wishes to experience more than a visiting trip and a solitude environment to support their spiritual practices.
A few of less popular humble sized monasteries include:
11. Lamayuru Monastery, from 10th Century CE
This is one of the oldest monasteries in Ladakh, famous for its lunar landscape surroundings, ancient murals and Buddhist scriptures are common here as well.
12. Key Monastery, 11th Century CE
This monastery is approx a thousand years old and a home to ancient Thangka paintings, manuscripts, and relics in the Spiti Valley.
13. Dhankar Monastery
Over a thousand years old, this monastery was established during the Gupta Empire period. A house to ancient scriptures and murals of Vajradhara, it sits on a cliff at the height of 12,774 feet.
14. Shashur Monastery
Adorned with beautiful paintings and ancient artifacts, this monastery from Himachal Pradesh is famous for the Cham dance festival.
15. Mulbekh Monastery
This monastery is said to feature some rare Buddhist manuscripts, although a more attractive site for tourists here is the 26-foot rock-carved statue of Maitreya Buddha.
16. Tharpa Choling Monastery (West Bengal)
This Monastery belongs to the Gelugpa Sect, preserving ancient scriptures and Tibetan paintings. Here meditation and spiritual retreats are held.
17. Takthok Monastery (Ladakh) – 16th Century – Built around a meditation cave of Guru Padmasambhava.
18. Ralang Monastery (Sikkim) – 18th Century – Known for its colorful murals.
19. Ghoom Monastery (West Bengal) – 19th Century – One of the oldest in Darjeeling.
20. Tashiding Monastery (Sikkim) – 17th Century – A sacred pilgrimage site.
India is filled with Buddhist Monasteries that offer ancient knowledge and practices for a peaceful lifestyle. One can visit these places for guidance, spiritual seeking or as tourists most of the monasteries allow visit, while there might be specific restricted areas within the monastery which would not be open for everyone, also there are monasteries that are gender specific, and thus such boundaries must be respected.
No matter where you reach, the beauty of ancient architecture in India will always astonish you.
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