Tibetan Buddhist Temple & Monastery, Sarnath

A short walk from the great stupas where the Buddha is said to have preached his first sermon, the Tibetan Buddhist Temple and Monastery brings a living breath of Himalayan devotion to the plains of Sarnath.

• Founded around 1955 by the Tibetan community during the years of exile, it is often described as one of the earliest Tibetan monasteries built in India, and it remains a working centre of prayer rather than a museum piece.
• The moment you step through the gateway — flanked by two fierce stone lions — the mood shifts: the honking autos of Ashok Marg fall away and you enter a courtyard of butter-lamp warmth, fluttering prayer flags in the five elemental colours, and the low murmur of monks reciting scripture.
• Inside, the prayer hall is a jewel box of Vajrayana art.
• Every wall and ceiling is covered in vivid thangka-style murals and frescoes depicting the Buddha's life, wrathful protector deities, the Wheel of Life and serene bodhisattvas, all rendered in mineral pigments and gold.
• At the heart of the shrine sits a gilded bronze image of Shakyamuni Buddha, softly lit by rows of flickering lamps.
• Along the outer walls run cylindrical copper prayer wheels; pilgrims turn them clockwise, each rotation releasing the printed mantra 'Om Mani Padme Hum' into the world.
• Arrive for the 6 to 7 AM chanting and you will hear deep-throated Tibetan liturgy, punctuated by cymbals and the long groan of the dungchen horns — an experience that stays with you long after you leave.
• Entry is free and the temple welcomes respectful visitors from 6 AM to 6 PM daily.
• Give yourself thirty to forty-five minutes, remove your shoes at the hall, keep your voice to a whisper and photograph only where permitted.
• Because it sits within a compact circuit that also holds the Dhamek Stupa, the Mulagandha Kuti Vihara and the Sarnath Archaeological Museum, the monastery slots easily into a half-day of Sarnath sightseeing.
• For vegetarian travellers, Sarnath could not be gentler.
• As a Buddhist pilgrimage town, the whole precinct leans overwhelmingly satvik, and pure-vegetarian food is the default rather than the exception.
• Within a rickshaw ride of the temple you will find simple thali houses, garden restaurants and Tibetan-style kitchens serving vegetable momos and thukpa — all meat-free.
• Shree Shivay Thali Dining plates an unlimited onion-and-garlic-free satvik thali; Veg Gali and a satvik pilgrim thali house round out easy, family-friendly meals nearby.
• Carry a bottle of water, and if you crave Kashi's legendary chaat and lassi, the pure-veg institutions of the old city are only a short taxi ride away.