Thupsung Dhargye Ling Monastery.
I have seen Buddhist Monasteries, tagged with the label of "Tourist Attraction", in Leh-Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and now in Arunachal Pradesh.
Their geographical areas may differ, height above AMSL may differ, and their sizes may differ; their architecture may differ and the number of floors of the monastery may differ.
With all these differences, there are some vital aspects that are shared and are common to each and every one of them, except for an odd exception.
Their scenic beauty.
The mountains, the valleys, the forests and the rivers. The view from the monastery would be amazing.
The paintings.
Right from the outer walls, to the verandahs, to the pillars, to the inner walls all are painted in a myriad of colours. The paintings in the varandhas and the inner walls will depict events from the life of Buddha.
The designs of paintings.
The designs will be various "tantras and Yantras" of religious significance.
The colours.
The colours used for the paintings, be they for the inner walls, the pillars or the designs, are so intense, so vibrant, so vivid and for want of a suitable word, I can only say "so full of the colour itself", that they overwhelm your visual senses and leave you speechless.
The statues.
The main statue is always huge, at times up to 20 to 30 feet in height. There will be hundreds of statues, artistically displayed on the walls all around. The expression of these statues will be so calm, so serene so as to rival the smile of monalisa.
The Doors.
The doors are made strong and sturdy, of the best quality timber, teak. The doors are not simple wood; they are adorned with finely crafted and engraved metal plates, most of the time made of brass with a golden look. The matel rings on the doors have a shash made of fine tapestry.
The Tapestry.
Most of the monasteries will have fine silk, beautifully embroidered or woven tapestries hanging in the main hall.
Having seen the diversities and commonalities of monasteries, let us get on with the monastery under review,
The Thupsang Dhargye Ling monastery.
The Thupsang Dhargye Ling monastery is located on the mountain slopes East of Dirang Town. The approach road is narrow, with a steep gradient, passing through the heart of town. One needs to be a careful and experienced driver to negotiate the approach road. Presently, the parking lot is not paved, but I am sure in due course of time it will be paved.
Thupsung Dhargye Ling is a temple and learning institute for the study of Tibetan Buddhism by laypeople and monks. The name, Thupsung Dhargye Ling was given by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama and means: "Place of Flourishing of the Buddha's Speech".
Construction of the monastery was accomplished between 2007 and 2016. In March 2007 over 11 acres of land were purchased on a hill overlooking the town of Dirang. The site was graded and an access road put in. Site plans and drawings were completed. In April 2008, the abbots and 29 monks from Namgyal and Gaden Jangtse monasteries converged on the site of Thupsung Dhargye Ling to perform extensive rituals and prayers to bless and consecrate the ground.
Highest quality altar room statues were ordered in 2008 of Shakyamuni Buddha and other Tibetan Buddhist deities.
Final completion was achieved in 2016. On April 5, 2017, His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, performed the official consecration ceremonies for the temple.
While going through the monastery, I was marvelling at the colours, the architecture and the beauty of it all and at every step remembering what I have written about the commonality of the monasteries.
Towards the top came across what looked like a giant bell, but when I looked closely, there was no gong in it. There were religious engravings on it, but it was not a prayer wheel. Wondering about a bell without a gong 😯There are plenty of flowering potted plants as well as a garden. Maybe it was the weather, absence of pollution, the water or the soil, flowers bloom in the mountains were amazingly healthy, profuse and with vibrant colours. Please do go through the captions of the photos for titbits of additional information.
For full details and a pictorial history of construction, go to
http://www.thupsung-dhargye-ling.org/
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