Khinmey Monastery

Khinmey Monastery, also called Khinmey Gompa, is a Nyingma monastery in Tawang district, set among forests and traditional Monpa houses. Founded in 1440, it is described as the oldest monastery in the Mon region. Its name comes from the Monpa phrase Khi-Ket-Nyan-Mey, a place for hearing dogs bark, recalling a time when hunters tracked their dogs through the forest by sound. A hunter from Yubu village, Sonam Rinchin, met the meditating Rev. Kundun Sangye Yeshe, became his disciple and gave his land for the monastery.

That founder was the first Thegtse Rinpoche, and his reincarnations have led the monastery ever since; the 14th holds the role today. Monks study Buddhist texts alongside modern subjects, and a summer Tsechu festival brings masked cham dances.