Ganden Jangtse Monastery in India

The Ganden and Drepung monastery is located In the Tibetan settlement near Mundgod, a six hours drive from Goa on the South-west point of India.

This settlement of Tibetan refugees is the largest of its kind in India and was established in 1966, after many Tibetans had escaped the Chinese occupation since 1959. Currently, it consists of nine camps with two monasteries and one nunnery.

The people who wish to join the monasteries are not only young refugees from occupied Tibet who wish to continue their spiritual development, but also from the Tibetan families in the settlement, as well as from the poor Indian population that lives around the settlement.

A large Tibetan monastery like Ganden is divided into 'Kamtsen' or houses. For example, the Tsawa Kamtsen is the part of Ganden monastery for the Tsawa province of Tibet.

These monks from Tsawa House travelled to the Netherlands and Spain in 2008 in order to participate in a fundraising tour in order to help raise funds for their monastic house. They created sand mandalas and performed the tibetan lama dances in various cities throughout both countries.

The Khamtsen or monastic houses have residential buildings around the central prayer hall, and each monastic house is responsible for the daily care and education of its resident monks.

Ganden monks outside