Himachal Pradesh Namgyal Monastery
Namgyal Monastery is basically a Tibetan buddhist monastery, now functioning near Daramshala in Himachal Pradesh. Namgyal Monastery is closely associated with Dalai Lamas since the third Dalai Lama, being the personal monastery of His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama now, which got shifted to its present place in 1959, due to Tibetan uprising.
NamgyalMonastery’s primaryfunctio is to assist with rituals undertaken by the Dalai Lama of Tibet, Its main tantric practices said to be Kalachakra, Yamantaka, Chakrasamvara, Guhyasamaja, and Vajrakilaya.
Over many centuries, NamgyalMonastery ,which is nearer Potala Palace in Lhasa, functions as the residential premises of Dalai Lamas and has been a pivotal point for establishing Tibetan monasteries in India and nearby regions.
Founded by
The third Dalai Lama of Tibet, GendunGyatso founded Namgyal Monastery, as PhendeLekshe Ling ,in the 16th-century , since then Namgyal monks are assisting the Holy Gurus in their religious affairs , associating themselves in ritual prayer ceremonies for Tibet’s welfare. The monastery was formed to function as an esteemed center for learning, meditating and holding spiritual discussions on the wide and celebrated Buddhist treatises. This was then housed in the red section at the top of Potala Palace at Lhasa by the fifth Dalai Lama.
When Tibetan civil issues came up, this Monastery was shifted to Dharamshala, where the Dalai Lama’s ritualistic activities continue, starting with 55 monks in 1959, now about 200 monks attached to the Monastry.
Namgyal Monastery has made strides in taking the mission globally, establishing a branch in the US at Ithaca, in the year 1992,now taking active part in Twenty four hours in Cyberspace, offering Blessing of Cyberspase, as part of Namgyal Monastery’s Institute of Buddhist Studies. In Bodhgaya, India, another Monastery with the name Namgyal (Bodhgaya) was established in 1998 with 45 monks in it.
Namgyal (Dharamsala) in addition to the Monastery rituals, has taken custody and management of a temple in Kushinagarfrom 1967 and a home for aged people in Shimla in 1992.
Description
Namgyal Monk’s routine involves observing rituals, learning sacred arts, attending classes on philosophy and religion, participating debates and discussions, apart fromritualistic prayers for several hours. Seeing the time management aspects, the Hi Holiness 14th Dalai Lama has formulated a new curriculum of studies, which are different from traditional ones, which has become model for all Tibetan monasteries.
There are other activities also the Namgyal Monks are required to observe, apart from accompanying His Holiness during his tours, such aspreparing ritual cakes, rendering sacred music with dance and other activities to promote Buddhism principles.
Namgyal Monks have achieved fame internationally, for instance they participated in in the American Museum of Natural History at New York, in 1988 and brought kudos to Namgyal Monastery, assisting Kalachakra initiation was done by His Holiness Dalai Lama at Los Angeles in 1989, and similar cultural activities.
Nearby Attractions
There are a few attractions nearby which are important for a visitor to Namgyal Monastery to visit too, which are
- Chamunda Devi Temple, which is located in Shah Madar Hill nearby , having artistic carvings on its ceiling, lintel and pillars ; and two very old peepul trees providing shelter to the visitors.
- Jwalaji Temple, which is one of the ShaktipeethJwalamukhi temple, located in about 35 km distance from Kangra and 53 kms from Dharamshala
- Chintpurni temple, which is another Shakti-temple, located on Dharamshala-Hoshiarpur road, where a 10 days of Shukalpaksh ritual is celebrated in August.
- Lakshmi Narayan temple, which is a complex covering the main Lakshmi Narayan shrine, built in the 10th century and a few other ancient shrines.
- Jogindar Nagar Valley consisting ofJoginder Nagar town and few other villages all surrounded by mountains of the Dhauladhar mountain range in the foothills of Himalayas.
How to Reach
Namgyal Monastery is not open for public, however, visitors can go up to Naam Art Gallery where artifacts of the Monastery are kept on exhibition, open to public from 10 am to 7 pm, on all days except Mondays.
To reach Dharamshala by air, one can land at Gaggal Airport at Kangra, which is about 15 km away. Likewise, one can alight at KangraMandir Railway Station which is about 20 km away.
NH 22, apart from MDR45, MDR44 and SH77 passing through Dharamshala, there are plenty of public transport available by road to reach this place, taking HPSTC buses, taxis or Private cars.
Photo Gallery