Manali Gompa (Timings, Entry Fee, Images, Best time to visit, Location & Information)

Manali Gompa, which is also known as Gadhan Thekchhokling Gompa, is a Buddhist monastery in Manali, Himachal Pradesh. Dedicated to Lord Buddha, this monastery was built in 1960 by refugees from Tibet. Today, this peaceful place of worship is an important religious center for Buddhists.

It receives a large number of devotees from Nepal, Tibet and parts of Himachal Pradesh like Spiti and Kinnaur. Since people of all religious beliefs are allowed into the monastery, many non-Buddhists, especially tourists can be seen here sitting and meditating in its tranquil environs.

The monastery has a traditional Tibetan architecture featuring a yellow pagoda-style roof with a traditional tiered tower. One of the highlights of this monastery is a huge statue of Lord Buddha, which has been installed in its main sanctum.

The gompa is also admired for its Chortens (tombs), wall paintings and prayer wheels. Buddhism’s ideologies form the main theme of the wall paintings at the Gadhan Thekchhokling Monastery. The monks at this sacred gompa offer prayers to Lord Buddha as well as study and share ideologies of Buddhism with devotees and tourists. Another interesting thing about this holy place is that here the names of the people killed in Tibetan occupation have also been enlisted.

A number of small shops have been set up inside the monastery premises, where Tibetan products, such as handicraft and carpets are sold. The money received as donations and the profits from these shops are used for the maintenance and other activities of the monastery.

History of Manali Gompa in Manali

This revered Buddhist gompa was built in the 1960 by Tibetan refugees. These refugees escaped from Tibet and came to Manali in 1959. Since then, they have settled in Manali and other parts of India.

Architecture of Manali Gompa in Manali, Himachal Pradesh

Built in typical Tibetan style architecture, the Gadhan Thekchhokling Gompa has a pagoda-style roof with a tiered tower. The yellow color of the roof along with white walls of the structure gives a beautiful charm to the gompa. It is further accentuated by the brilliant bright-colored mural work on the top portion of the building just under the roof and on the top portion of the porch.

The entrance of the monastery faces a spacious sidewalk, with beautiful green lawns on either side. The gompa has several glass windows with their frames decked in yellow. There is a giant golden-colored statue of Lord Buddha, sitting in a meditative position, inside the monastery.

There are colorful murals, prayer wheels and Chortens (tombs) inside the premises that are worth exploring. The colorful murals depict the philosophy of life according to the ideologies of Buddhism. The first floor of the structure is the place where monks and devotees meditate for hours. However, tourists are also allowed to enter this part of the building for meditation.

Things to do at Manali Gompa

While on a visit to the Gadhan Thekchhokling Gompa, tourists can explore its wall paintings and colorful murals to get an understanding of the ideologies of Buddhism. Tourists should spin the prayer wheels in the premises. It is said that spinning the prayer wheels is as valuable as reciting holy Buddhist texts.

Besides offering prayers to the statue of Lord Buddha, tourists can plan to sit and meditate for a while with the monks. Even further, they can sit with the monks and learn from them about the teachings of Buddhism, and why it preaches non-violence and how Buddhists practice it.

Tourists who have an inclination toward natural beauty can relax in the beautiful lawns in the premises and enjoy the view of the monastery and the scenic mountains in the backdrop. Those tourists who love to indulge in shopping can head to the small shops inside the campus, where traditional Tibetan carpets and handicrafts are put on sale.

Since this holy place is located at a short distance from the Mall Road, tourists after spending quality time at the gompa can plan to visit some of the other nearby tourist attractions of Manali including the Himalayan Nyinmapa Tibetan Buddhist Monastery, Van Vihar National Park, Siyali Mahadev Temple and Hadimba Devi Temple.

Manali Gompa Entry Fee and Timings

There is no entry fee to visit the Manali Gompa. Its timings are from 6 am to 6 pm from Monday till Saturday. It remains closed on Sundays. The best time to visit the Gadhan Thekchhokling Gompa is during the mornings and the evenings as this is the time when monks and devotees offer their prayers to Lord Buddha and perform various rituals.

How to Reach Manali Gompa in Manali

The Manali Gompa is located at a short distance of 500 m from the famous Mall Road of Manali. Tourists can easily walk their way to the monastery. It would take around 6 to 7 minutes to cover this distance. Tourists staying at different hotels in Manali can either avail the in-house transport service or avail local auto rickshaws or a private taxi from top car rental companies in Manali to reach the gompa from any part of the town with ease.

The Manali hill station is connected to different parts of the country, especially North India through air, road and rail transport. The nearest airport to this hill town is the Bhuntar Airport, which lies at an approximate distance of 50 km. On the other hand, the closest railway station to Manali is the Joginder Nagar railway station, which is approximately at a distance of 146 km.

Tourists can avail private taxis from the airport and railway station to reach here. This hill station is well connected with important cities of nearby states through bus service. New Delhi, Ambala and Chandigarh are some good options, when it comes to availing bus service till Manali.

Things to keep in mind while visiting Manali Gompa, Himachal Pradesh

• Maintain silence inside the monastery
• Respect rituals and rules of the place
• Avoid eating inside the main place of worship
• Do not litter or damage anything at the property

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Location Map for Manali Gompa