Namdroling Monastery

Namdroling Monastery is a large Tibetan Buddhist monastery at Bylakuppe in Mysuru district, widely known as the Golden Temple. It was founded in 1963 by Pema Norbu Rinpoche, 11th throne holder of the Palyul lineage of the Nyingma school, after he and a group of monks left Tibet during a period of political turmoil, and it grew into one of the leading centres of Tibetan Buddhism in India.

The main shrine, the Padmasambhava Vihara, has a gilded facade with Tibetan motifs and an entrance hung with prayer flags. Inside, murals, frescoes and thangka scroll paintings cover the walls, and a golden statue of Guru Padmasambhava, or Guru Rinpoche, about 58 feet tall, rises at the centre. He is honoured for spreading Buddhism across the Himalayan region, and devotees walk around the image in prayer.