Home » Photo Essay: A walk around Namdroling Monastery in India

Photo Essay: A walk around Namdroling Monastery in India

Asia is full of hidden treasures and becomes more famous by travelers every year. Back in 2010 my friend and fellow Blogger Peter Parkorr visited a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery named Namdroling Monastery in India and documented it with his camera. Let's follow him on his discovery with this short photo essay!

ornate tibetan buddhist shrine
ornate tibetan buddhist shrine

Namdroling Monastery in Karnataka was established in the early 1960's by a monk that, like the Dalai Lama, had left Tibet because of their conflict with China.

handpainted mural

The huge compound was built by monks over the years, and there are hundreds of hand painted traditional Tibetan Buddhist images adorning the temples and shrines.

handpainted

hand painted mural details
hand painted mural details
golden tibetan buddhist figures
golden tibetan buddhist figures

Many parts of the Monastery are open to the public, and over 5000 monks live, work and study in the grounds.

many flip flops of tibetan buddhist monks at lunch
many flip flops of tibetan buddhist monks at lunch
study tables and paintings
study tables and paintings

New disciples as young as five live at the Monastery, and many Buddhist converts from around the world come to live and learn here also. The number and variety of buildings is impressive, and you are allowed to stroll around the perimeter of the Monastery's land to spin the traditional Tibetan Buddhist prayer wheels that are part of the walls.

buddhist shrines
buddhist shrines
tibetan monks
tibetan monks
buddhist stupa circambulation notice
buddhist stupa circambulation notice

Monks and other visitors walk circles in silence around this ‘stupa' as a hardship by which ‘to accumulate cosmic merit and eradicate sins'

buddhist monk circambulating stupa
buddhist monk circambulating stupa
tibetan buddhist decorative colours at monastery garden
tibetan buddhist decorative colours at monastery garden
Namdroling Monastery building
Namdroling Monastery building
tibetan golden buddha statue
tibetan golden buddha statue
buddhist temple burning candles
buddhist temple burning candles
Namdroling monastery monks study tables
Namdroling monastery monks study tables

The monastery is a little off the beaten path but well worth a visit to see another one of India's many cultures. If you liked my photography, find more from me over at Travel Unmasked. I just returned to India for a few weeks this April 2013, and have plenty of stories and videos from the states of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh to share on my blog soon. Namaste!

 

[author image=”http://travelunmasked.com/files/2012/07/Peter-Parkorr-profile-pic.jpg” ]I travel around the world with my camera, finding interesting stories and super humans. Looking for my perfect business along the way, I blog about culture, lifestyle, and long-term travel on Travel Unmasked – for people who want to be their own super hero.

See more from Peter on Twitter or Google+, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for his latest travel videos.[/author]

1 thought on “Photo Essay: A walk around Namdroling Monastery in India”

  1. Interesting photo story, have you ever been to India? If not, plan atleast one trip and I am sure you will keep coming 🙂 Enjoyed reading your all other blog post. They are awesome.

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