A Living Tradition in Exile
Namdroling Monastery — Tib. rNam-grol-gling, "Place of Self Liberation" — was founded in 1963 by His Holiness Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche (Penor Rinpoche), one of the foremost masters of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism.
Nestled within the Tibetan settlement of Bylakuppe in Kodagu district, Karnataka, Namdroling stands as the largest Nyingma teaching seat outside Tibet. Its breathtaking Golden Temple (Padmasambhava Buddhist Vihara) draws pilgrims and visitors from across the globe, housing three magnificent gilded statues — Guru Padmasambhava, Buddha Shakyamuni, and Amitayus — rising over 58 feet in height.
Home to over 5,000 monks, nuns, and students, the monastery is a vibrant centre of scholarship, ritual practice, and the preservation of an ancient civilisation carried in the hearts of those who fled Tibet.
