Himalayan Nyingmapa Gompa, Manali

The Himalayan Nyingmapa Gompa is a colourful Tibetan monastery a few minutes' walk from Mall Road. Here is what to see and how to visit respectfully.

The Himalayan Nyingmapa Gompa is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Nyingma school in the Model Town area, just off Mall Road in the centre of Manali. It is one of two monasteries close together here: OpenStreetMap maps the Gadhan Thekchhokling Gompa a short distance away, and both serve Manali's Tibetan community.

Himachal Tourism describes the Manali Gompa near the Mall as greeting visitors with bright colours, a large Buddha statue, freshly painted facades, mown lawns and murals of the Buddha's life, and dates it to the early 1960s; the page does not say which of the two monasteries it means. The complex has a decorated gateway with Tibetan inscriptions, a main prayer hall, rows of prayer wheels and mani stones, and a garden where visitors can sit away from the traffic.

Monks and students live and study here. Walk clockwise around the prayer hall and when turning prayer wheels, remove shoes before entering the hall, dress modestly and keep your voice down, particularly during prayers. Ask before photographing monks or the interior. The monastery is an easy stop on a walk along the Mall, and early morning or late afternoon are the quietest times.