Buddhist monasteries
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| Buddham sharanam gachchhami |
The famous monasteries are Himalayan Nyingmapa Gompa, Von Ngari and Gadhan Thekchhokling Gompa. Constructed by Tibetan refugees, these monasteries are a must visit for one wanting to get a glimpse of Tibetan Buddhist culture.
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| Buddhist monasteries at Manali |
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| Pagoda style architecture |
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| The Prayer wheel |
Inside the monastries, the paintings depict events of the life of Lord Buddh. The Kalchakra i.e. the wheel of life painted on the wall of the monastery shows the circle of life. The atmosphere here gives peace to mind. During my tour of 10 days, I visited the monasteries thrice. I spent my time observing the paintings, the architecture, talking with Lamas and clicking photographs.
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| Prayer time |
Public prayers are performed every Sunday and on special occasions. Also, festivals and special occasions are celebrated at monasteries by large number of local people.
Lamas are trained as preachers and performers of religious rites in the monastery. The monastery also runs a Thanka school of arts and a carpet-weaving centre. Resident Tibetan and immigrants of Tibet produce handicraft articles to attract the tourists.The primary objective is to preserve ancient Tibetan art.
A cafeteria is also there in Von Ngari monastery. Tourits can sit there and have refreshment. The specialty of this cafeteria is "butter tea".
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| Cafeteria at Von Ngari |
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| Cafeteria at Von Ngari |
Lovely photos and information.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I tried to collect the information from the local people and Lamas and tried my best to put in here based on what I remember :)
DeleteWonderful series.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Françoise :)
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