Bylakuppe is the second largest Tibetan site in India, with Dharamshala being the largest. It is situated at a distance of 6 km from the city of Kushalnagar. On your visit to the place, you can see the Golden Temple Coorg. Bylakuppe is a place established for the Tibetan refugees by Lugsum Samdupling in the year 1961 and Dickey Larose in the year 1969. Agriculture is also being practiced in this region. Many of the Tibetan refugees live in these areas.
A Tibetan monastery is also located here. Tourists can come and buy Tibetan goods shopping here. The main attraction of this place is the Golden Temple Coorg or monastery, built in Tibetan style, which appears to be unique in South India. In this monastery there are three statues of Lord Buddha namely Buddha Sakyamuni, Padma Sambhav and Buddha Amitayus has been kept, these statues are 40 feet in height.
The external walls adjoining the entrance of the Golden Temple Coorg are adorned with enormous colorful paintings. The doors are red-colored and have big knockers made of gold. There is also a thick plaited rope with a tassel that dangling from it. The walls of the monastery are completely built in the Tibetan style. It is full of Tibetan Thangka which is a kind of Tibetan painting. In this monastery, many inscriptions on the life of Lord Buddha have been depicted. You can also visit the Sera Monastery; it is designed just like the original Sera University situated in Tibet. The Sera Monastery is the local center for the education of Buddhism. There are other small monasteries located in the region; such as the Tashi Lhumpo Monastery and the Sakya Monastery. Sakya Monastery is a two-storied building that lies on the way to the main monastery. Tashi Lhumpo Monastery is the original seat of the Panchen Lama and is one of the four great monasteries of central Tibet. It was in the year 1972 that Bylakuppe was reestablished.
At the place, there is a big educational center like the Seira, a small educational center like the Thasilonopu. There are also Buddhist University which teaches Tibetan Buddhism.
There are over 5000 monks and nuns living in the Golden Temple Coorg. During the Tibetan New Year which is in February, it is a delight to visit the monastery. The New Year is celebrated with much enthusiasm and the festival runs for 15 days. During the New Year, there are a lot of lama dances and massive Thangkas.
The tower at the Golden Temple Coorg is highly decorated. Not only a huge number of young Tibetans visit the monastery to get enlightened and educate themselves, but a large number of tourists are also attracted to the monastery from all over the world. It is a pleasing sight to watch hundreds of Buddhist monks performing spiritual ceremonies and offering prayers chanting loudly. The Golden Temple is a quiet and majestic place, which is surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens.
Golden Temple, Coorg Timings: 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.
Golden Temple, Coorg Entry Fees: Nil
