Namdroling Monastery

January 20, 2013

Namdroling Monastery

At around 80 kilometers from Mysore towards Coorg is a small village called Bylakuppe where lies one of the largest tibetan teaching centers of Nyingmapa lineage of Buddhism It is easy to miss this beautiful place as the board signs are not much visible. The monastery is located in a 2 kilometers diversion from the highway. The monastery itself houses more than 4000 monks and 750 nuns and you practically experience Tibetan life in the midst of the rivers of Kaveri.

I was enthralled by the spiritual and mystical touch one feels inside the monastery and this place is indeed a must go place for tourists visiting Mysore/Coorg.

One interesting thing to see is how the Tibetan monks and people have immersed themselves into the local population. At a shopping center nearby, you can buy Tibetan artifacts and the shop owners of Tibetan descent speak local Kannada language fluently. I learnt it the hard way when I tried conversing with them in Hindi only to find them talking to me back in Kannada...

The photos posted in this blog are a few of those peaceful and serene moments I have tried to capture.

In this picture, the monastery rightfully captures Penor Rinpoche who established the site after being exiled from Tibet.

The picture below captures the main site where monks pray and perform their daily rituals. As they read from the scriptures in middle of the bell gongs, monks are also served hot tea.

A shot of the monastery bell...

A different view of the main stupa...

...and below are some photos of the captivating 60 feet bronze and gold plated statues of Buddha - Buddha Shaykhamuni, Guru Padmasambhava and Buddha Amitayus. The statues are so beautifully adorned and have a peaceful meditative glance that you naturally feel inclined to close your eyes and start meditating.

The view before you step into the main chamber...

A central view...regret couldn't take a closer shot due to two reasons - the monks were meditating due to which I couldn't get closer and didn't have a zoom in lens. Well, that is for a second visit, I guess...