Situated in McLeodganj, also known as Little Lhasa, near Dharamshala in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, Namgyal Monastery is the largest Tibetan temple outside Tibet and is also the home of the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Originally located in Tibet and named Phende Lekshe Ling, the monastery is believed to be founded in 1564 by the 3rd Dalai Lama, Gyalwa Sonam Gyatso, so that the monks of the monastery could assist the Dalai Lama in public religious affairs.

Subsequently renamed after the female deity Namgyalma in 1571, the monastery used to perform Tibetan rituals, following Tibetan Tantric practices, which mainly include Kālacakra, Yamāntaka, Cakrasaṃvara Tantra or Binding of the Wheels Tantra, Guhyasamāja Tantra, and Vajrakilaya. However, immediately, after the Tibetan revolt in 1959, the monastery was moved to Dharamshala and is currently serving as the personal monastery of the 14th Dalai Lama.

Also known as the Namgyal Tantric College, the Namgyal Monastery, accommodating around 200 monks, representing all four main Tibetan monastic lineages, today serves as a centre of learning Buddhist Tantric practices, meditation, Buddhist scriptures and culture.

Nevertheless, apart from protecting and teaching, maintaining and practicing the Buddhist traditions of the monastery, the college also serves as a centre of study of Buddhism, study of languages, which includes Tibetan and English, Buddhist Texts of Sutra and Tantra, Buddhist philosophy, Sand Mandalas, Ritual Chanting, and dances are all included in the study of Buddhism. By this time, the college has opened its branches in different cities all over the country naming Bodhgaya in Bihar, Kushinagar in UP, Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi.

The view of the monastery, from the bottom to the top, creates a mesmerising effect on the visitors, filling the heart with a sense of peace and tranquility. The broad courtyard of the monastery, containing a zigzag staircase leads to the Dukhang, the assembly hall in the monastery.

The imposing hall, equipped with wooden flooring and decorated with bronze statues, creates a blissful and spiritual essence among the pilgrims and the visitors alike. The interior of the Namgyal Monastery is aesthetically decorated with Thangka and other paintings, sculptures, and images of Lord Buddha and other idols of Buddhism, which include several blissful images of Lord Buddha, Avalokiteshvara, Padmasambhava, and more. Several shiny prayer wheels, scattered all across the monastery, also provide a pleasant and soothing sound effect in the environment. Apart from the place of worship, the Namgyal monastery in Dharamshala also has a guest house along with a cafe and a library, for the delight of the visitors.

Serving as a private place for the Dalai Lama and Buddhist monks, the Namgyal Monastery has now expanded its importance around the world, and following the advice of Dalai Lama, Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies was established in Ithaca, a city on Cayuga Lake, in New York’s Finger Lakes region in 1992.