Nechung Monastery

Part of the Tsuglagkhang Complex, Nechung Monastery is one of the most popular attractions in Dharamshala and is of extreme importance in Tibetan and Buddhist culture. The monastery is located below the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives and is where the State Oracle or the Nechung Oracle resides. The establishment walls are beautifully painted, and it is set in a calm environment amidst the greenery and mountains of the area.

The monastery is the seat of the State Oracle, the protector-deity of the Dalai Lama and Tibet; the physical medium is Nechung Kuten, who provides key advice and suggestions to His Holiness and other exiled leaders. Besides touring the establishment, visitors can spend some time meditating at the monastery and interacting with the monks and nuns. Nechung Monastery is somewhat modelled after its original namesake in Lhasa, which was destroyed during the 1959 Tibet Uprising; it was on a piece of land granted by the Tibetan government in exile that monastery was built in Dharamshala.