Introduction of Tengboche Monastery:
Tengboche Monastery is a famous Buddhist monastery in the Sagarmatha National Park of northeastern Nepal.
It lies at an altitude of 3,867 meters (12,687 feet). It is a culturally and spiritually significant place in the Everest region, surrounded by majestic peaks.
The Monastery symbolizes tranquility and spirituality in the heart of the Himalayas. This place has become the hub of Nyingmapa Buddhism in the Khumbu region. It is strategically located along the route to the Everest Base Camp trek and Kala Patthar, showing spectacular mountain sceneries.
Tengboche monastery is famous for the Mani Rimdu festival in November. This festival lasts three days and is marked by their favorite mask dances. Mask dance represents the triumph of Buddhism over the Bon religion and good over evil. The spiritual comfort and a glance at rich cultural and artistic heritage attract locals and tourists.
The beautiful territory of Tengboche accommodates trekkers in relaxing lodges and Teahouses. Exploring Tibetan Buddhist cultures and traditions can add extra benefits to their adventure.
History
Lama Gulu, a renowned Buddhist monk from the Solu-Khumbu region of Nepal, founded Monastery in 1916. This monastery was rebuilt after it gets destroyed by an earthquake in 1934.
Tengboche gained popularity in the 1950s as an important center for religious and spiritual teachings. This place became a point for Buddhist scholars and practitioners.
Once again, fire ruined the Tengboche monastery, including various valuable antiques, ancient manuscripts, and scrolls in 1989. Back then, Local communities, national and international, supported reconstructing and reviving the glory back of the monastery.
Tengboche Monastery is one of the biggest monasteries with predominantly devotees of Tibetan Buddhism. The head lama, known as the rinpoche, resides in this monastery. One can meditate and get education about the religions in this monastery.
More than sixty monks reside in this monastery. Visitors and other locals also visit this place to get blessings from the lama and experience the breathtaking view and scenery.
How to reach Tengboche Monastery
There are two options for reaching Tengboche monastery:
Way 1: Trekking:
Day-1 :On the first day, the trip begins with 35 minute flight from Kathmandu to Lukla and then a 4 to 5-hour trek to Phakding. There they get to enjoy comfortable overnight stays in local guesthouses.
Day-2 : The second day’s journey continues with hiking to Namche Bazar. This trek involves steep and winding routes, so Trekkers might find this trek a little bit challenging. But it is worth it as they get to enjoy the vibrant and lively charm of Namche Bazaar. Namche Bazaar is a beautiful town with lovely shops and restaurants that cater to the trekker’s needs.
Day 3: Finally, on the third day, they have to hike for approx 5 hours to reach the Tengboche Monastery.
Way 2: Chartered helicopter flight
Another option to reach the Monastery is taking the chartered helicopter, which takes approximately one hour from Kathmandu airport.
Therefore, trekkers and other visitors can visit the monastery to experience beautiful surroundings, learn about new cultures and explore the enchanting beauty. One can glimpse the place by trekking or taking a chartered helicopter.
Climate
Tengboche Monastery lies at an altitude of 3687m, so it experiences primarily cold weather. In winter, the lowest temperatures fall to 0 degrees with snowfall. In summer, it has an average temperature of 10 degrees.
Things to do after reaching Monastery
Travelers are warmly welcomed to explore the splendid Tengboche Monastery of the Khumbu region. Visitors get to enter and appreciate the monastery and explore the old monuments. Visitors can also enjoy the stunning viewpoints and sceneries of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, and Ama Dablam.
Trekkers that are headed to Everest base camp or other destinations also make an overnight stay at Tengboche. They get to participate in morning and evening ceremonies of meditation.
Mani Rimdu festival, one of the well-known annual festivals, can be experienced by visitors. They can enjoy the mask dance performed by monks and celebrations for Buddhism’s success over the Bon religion. This dance also symbolizes the victory of good over evil.
Cultures
Sherpa people are the inhabitants of the Tengboche area after migrating from Tibet approximately 600 years ago. They are devotees of Buddhism and also the caretakers of Monastery.
They Celebrate their well-known Mani Rimdu festival annually on the tenth lunar month of the Tibetan calendar. The festival lasts for three days. Mani Rimdu festival starts with twenty hours of puja, where monks perform the rituals in their traditional attires.
The festival involves six steps i.e, the First step begins with the construction of the Sand Mandala, the Wong ceremony, traditional mask dances, ser-kyem rituals, the fire puja, and lastly chhingpa ceremony.
Monks perform mask dances depicting the story of Buddhism’s success over the Bon religion. These dances hold the meaning of religious meaning as it symbolizes the win of good over evil.
At the end of the festival, the monks complete a ritual to dispel the negative energy and bring blessings to the people.
