Tibetan Monastery Manali, Himachal

Tibetan Monasteries, Manali

Manali has several colorful monasteries that represent the rich culture and history of the Tibetan people settled in Kullu and Manali. There are two main monasteries in Manali that draw a large number of tourists-the Gadhan Thekchoking Gompa and the Himalayan Nyingamapa Gompa. These monasteries are surrounded by several small shops selling beautiful handicrafts and carpets, made by Tibetan people living nearby these monasteries. The Tibetan Monasteries also run a Thanks School of Arts and a Carpet-weaving Center to preserve ancient Tibetan art. The paintings inside these buildings depict events from Lord Buddha's life and the Kalchakra, i.e., the wheel of life fixed on the wall of the monastery shows the human life cycle. The Buddhists believe that rotating these wheelsgives you salvation.