Monasteries are considered as a community of men or women (monks or nuns), who have chosen to focus on their religious practice, away from the rest of the world. The word monk comes from the Greek word monastery which means “a place to live alone”. Every year, many people swarm to these monasteries in search of eternal peace. Some of the monasteries in India were founded as learning centers on sites that depict the life and teachings of Buddha. These sites include Lumbini where the Buddha was born, Bodh Gaya where Buddha achieved enlightenment, and the knowledge of the dharma (the Four Noble Truths), Sarnath (Deer Park) where Buddha preached his first sermon sharing the dharma, and Kushingara where buddha died.
LIST OF MONASTERIES
Tawang Monastery — Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh.
Rumtek Monastery — Dharma Chakra Centre, Sikkim.
Namdroling Monastery — Bylakuppe, Karnataka.
Key Monastery — Key, Himachal Pradesh.
Thikse Monastery — Thiksey, Jammu & Kashmir.
Ghum Monastery — Darjeeling, West Bengal.
Jetavana — Shravasti, Uttar Pradesh.
Shashur Monastery — Keylong, Himachal Pradesh.
Ratnagiri — Ratnagiri, Odisha.
Namgyal Monastery — Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.
Lingdum Monastery — Lingdum, Sikkim.
Govardhan Matt — Puri, Odisha.
Dubdi Monastery — Yuksom, Sikkim.
Bhutia Busty Monastery — Darjeeling, West Bengal.
Phodong Monastery — Gangtok, Sikkim.
Gozzangwa Monastery — Khardung, Himachal Pradesh.
Tharpa Choling Monastery — Kalimpong, West Bengal.
Bomdila Monastery — Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh.
MagDhog Yolmowa Monastery — Darjeeling, West Bengal.
Sringeri Sharada Peetham — Sringeri, Karnataka.
Urgelling Monastery – Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh.
Hemis Monastery — Hemis, Ladakh.
Lamayuru or Yuru Monastery — Leh, Jammu & Kashmir.
Zang Dhok Palri Phodang — Kalimpong, West Bengal.
Ralong Palchen Choling — Kagyu, Sikkim.
Pemayangtse Monastery — Pemayangtse, Sikkim.
Stakna Monastery — Stakna, Jammu & Kashmir.
Rato Dratsang — Mundgod, Karnataka.
Kungri Monastery — Kungri, Himachal Pradesh.
Tangyud Monastery — Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh.
Sankar Monastery — Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir.
Stongdey Monastery — Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir.
Taktsang Monastery — Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh.
Kurisumala Ashram — Vagamon, Kerala.
Chemrey Monastery — Chemrey, Jammu & Kashmir.
Lachen Monastery — Lachen, Sikkim.
Dzongkhul Monastery — Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir.
Basgo Monastery — Basgo, Jammu & Kashmir.
Hundur Monastery — Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir.
Bardan Monastery — Zanskar, Jammu & Kashmir.
Ramachandrapura Matt — Hosanagar, Karnataka.
Sani Monastery — Zanskar, Jammu & Kashmir.