Nepal is a Hindu-majority country, and Buddhism here is most often associated with high-altitude monasteries and remote mountaintop communities in the furthest reaches of the Himalayas. But there’s also a vibrant Buddhist community right in the urban heart of Pokhara: Nepal’s second-largest city. It’s here that monasteries—known locally as gumbas—serve as much more than meeting places for the spiritually minded.

Gumbas in Pokhara are centers of education, art, and community, where people of all ages are welcomed in the spirit of kindness and compassion. As I would soon discover, this is just as true for visitors as it is for locals—and over the course of a few days in late autumn, and over the course of a few days in late autumn, I set out to see what I could learn at the remarkable historic Buddhist monasteries of Pokhara.

Monastic Life at the Shree Urgen Choling Buddhist Monastery

Just a stone’s throw from Pokhara’s Lakeside tourist district, a cluster of residential streets rises steeply along the slopes of a forested hillside. I found myself exploring this neighborhood just a few months ago—and although the heat of summer was long since spent, I managed to work up a good sweat in the afternoon sunshine. As my feet led me higher and higher, I soon passed beneath an archway marked with the name of one of the city’s principal monasteries, and my first destination: the Shree Urgen Choling Buddhist Monastery. After climbing a short staircase, I pushed open a rusted iron gate to reveal a pleasant front walk lined with gently swaying palm fronds and tall prayer flags known as darchog. It was a remarkably peaceful garden perched just above the hustle and bustle of urban Pokhara, offering a calm oasis from the noise and heat of the city.

Shree Urgen Choling was also decidedly unpretentious: this is something of a working-man’s monastery, and visitors are welcomed without a great deal of pomp and circumstance. The monastery was founded by Lama Ashok Gurung, who was guided by his own spiritual mentor to establish the Shree Urgen Choling Monastery right here in Pokhara. The gumba was formally consecrated in 2012 and has only grown in size and popularity since then. As more Buddhists move from the surrounding hill districts to the urban center of Pokhara, the need for such spiritual headquarters has become more and more apparent. My own visit to Urgen Choling happened to coincide with a world peace summit at the nearby Pema Dechenling Monastery, leaving Shree Urgen Choling decidedly calm and quiet—even for a Buddhist monastery.

I explored the interior of the gumba unhurriedly, careful not to disturb the few red-robed youngsters who had been left behind to mind things in the absence of their elders. At the central altar, floating marigold blossoms made startling splashes of color in little bowls of fragrant water. Above them, a tidy row of flour-and-butter sculptures known as torma were arrayed against a backdrop of exquisitely rendered thangkas: silk paintings depicting Bodhisattvas, saints, and, in some cases, the entirety of the Buddhist spiritual universe. The artwork was lovely, depicting a dizzying array of intricate details, lavish colors, and esoteric figures—it’s no surprise that it takes a lifetime of study to master the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism.

There’s more to life at a Buddhist monastery than studying the complicated precepts of the Dharma. When I had finished making a circuit of the monastery’s inner shrine, I took some time to chat with the school-aged children enrolled in studies here. Two of the initiates were huddled over a mobile phone, deeply invested in a session of the popular video game Minecraft. Another ascetic-in-training was sprawled on the cool floor with a laptop, totally absorbed by the saga playing out on its screen: an action-packed anime, broadcast in its original Japanese. Buddhism has a certain reputation for insularity and inscrutability, and my visit to Shree Urgen Choling served as a great reminder that monastic life is far more holistic. International influences abound, and this doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

“Our young monks learn about Buddhism from the beginning level, and in the daytime they have school,” says Lama Ashok. The monastery’s founder was kind enough to entertain my questions about the monastery’s operations. During my visit, a whiteboard in the far corner of the temple showed what the gumba’s students were currently learning: the geography of Italy and the principal industries of its cities. This demonstrates Lama Ashok’s approach to education: combining an academic curriculum with spiritual lessons. And this philosophy isn’t restricted to monastic students, either. The monastery also houses the Udiyana Meditation Center, where the gumba’s monks-in-residence teach the precepts of this ancient technique and its many benefits: improved concentration, decreased stress, and an ability to forge more meaningful relationships with others. “Meditation is for visitors, also,” Lama Ashok reminds me. And whether you’re interested in joining a lesson or not, this welcoming approach makes the Shree Urgen Choling Monastery perfect for visitors who want to enjoy a hands-on experience with Buddhism during their time in Pokhara.

Stone-by-Stone: The Long Road to Reconstruction at Matepani Gumba

If you’re looking for the oldest monastery in Pokhara, you’ll want to visit the scenic hilltop on the eastern fringes of the city where Matepani Gumba can be found. Also known as the Pokhara Manang Gumba, the temple was first established in 1960, and it’s been home to devout monks going about their twice-daily devotions ever since. The monastery is situated beneath the watchful eye of the Annapurna range, which shimmers above the horizon on a clear day like a heaven-sent mirage. The chance to witness authentic Buddhist traditions in a setting of such natural beauty has proven irresistible to the many travelers who are drawn to Matepani Gumba each year. Unfortunately, the monastery and its outlying buildings were heavily damaged during the 2015 earthquake that devastated much of Nepal. That’s why the temple and its dormitories are currently in the midst of a major reconstruction project—and it’s a massive undertaking.

During my recent visit to Matepani Gumba, I had the rare opportunity to speak with the master artisan in charge of the artistic side of the monastery’s restoration. Pasang Lama hails from the Sindhupalchowk District of Nepal, where the magnificent Langtang Himal mountains soar high above a rolling landscape of green hills and terraced fields. This part of the Himalayas is home to people of the Tamang ethnicity, and their Tibetan Buddhist faith has afforded Lama with plenty of opportunities to hone his art. He’s been working to design and restore the intricate and colorful reliefs and motifs of monasteries and stupas, or chortens, for more than 20 years. His expertise has earned him no small degree of well-deserved renown, and he’s traveled far afield to pursue his trade, decorating monasteries in the distant Indian territories of Ladakh and Karnataka. So when it came to renovating Matepani, there was no better man for the job.

“We approach our work with a clear and focused mind, aligning our creative process with positive intentions,” explains Pasang Lama. And the restoration of Matepani Gumba is hard work—but its very nature is inseparable from the principles of Buddhism itself. “The act of creation can be seen as a form of meditation,” the artisan says, “fostering mindfulness and cultivating inner virtues.” In this way, even the labor of pouring plaster and etching friezes in the monastery takes on something of a meditative quality. This expression of spiritual insight invokes a sense of mindfulness and reverence not only in the artisan himself, but also in the crew charged with executing his creative vision.

Pasang Lama has already been working at Matepani Gumba for 10 months, directing a team of craftsmen to carve elaborate frescoes in the plaster-and-concrete walls, pillars, and gently curved arches of the monastery’s reconstructed interior. Seeing these designs in their half-finished state is a bit like peeking behind the curtain of a typical Buddhist monastery: one begins to appreciate the graceful lines of each seated Bodhisattva and the finely wrought petals of each flower worked from stone, not yet resplendent with the colorful paint that will bring these designs to life. When I arrived in the warm late-morning light of a November day, Pasang Lama and his team were sheltered from the sun under the cover of hanging tarps, diligently applying paintbrushes to wet plaster high on the monastery’s walls. As I watched them work, the sinuous shape of a cloud-wreathed dragon took shape before my eyes, emerging from the concrete with startling realism.

But even with all this splendor in the making, my attention was drawn first and foremost to a precarious structure of bamboo scaffolding constructed against the far wall of the monastery’s interior. Pasang Lama explained that this will eventually house the central features of the reimagined Matepani Gumba: gilded two-story statues of Padmasambhava, the Buddha, and Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. And the inclusion of Avalokitesvara is no accident—Pasang Lama explained that this virtue is of paramount importance in the monastery’s design.

“We artists aim for depictions that convey compassion, wisdom, and spiritual themes,” he says. “Respect for the sacred is crucial.” And as long as visitors are respectful, they’re welcome at Matepani Gumba—even in the midst of its reconstruction. You might have to wait a while to see Matepani Gumba restored to the fullness of its former glories, but there’s something to be said for visiting the monastery now, as Pasang Lama and his crew work to reassemble Pokhara’s oldest Buddhist temple—one stone at a time.

The Beating Heart of a Buddhist Community at Pema Dechenling Monastery

Of course, the historic monasteries of Pokhara weren’t established solely for the benefit of curious tourists. Many of these gumbas serve as important community resources, providing sustenance of both a spiritual and corporeal nature to the city’s residents. Pema Dechenling Monastery is perhaps first and foremost amongst these monasteries-cum-community centers; for more than 15 years, the monastery has represented a gathering place for the local Buddhist community. Guru Palten Lama now presides over the monastery’s operations, which include daily services, yoga classes, and silent meditation retreats. The gumba operates under the driving principle of sewa: a Sanskrit word meaning selfless service—and as I would soon discover for myself, this philosophy can be seen in every facet of its work.

When I set out to visit the monastery, I found myself ascending a narrow staircase, climbing a hillside resplendent with forest greenery. The sound of sonorous chanting in a deep, resonant timbre led me to the top of the stairs, where I saw everything I had been prepared to expect: countless strings of prayer flags arched overhead, stirred by a gentle breeze; a lovely garden was complimented by potted marigolds; and the mighty golden statue of the Buddha cast a peaceful gaze over the gathering below. But it was the gathering itself that I hadn’t expected to encounter—I had arrived during a World Peace Worship summit, and the monastery was positively thrumming with red-robed monks, nuns, and interested visitors drawn to the event.

The summit was led by His Holiness Nima Sangbo Rinpoche, who came from Jyasa Monastery in the Khumbu region to lead the gathering in a solid week of prayers, meditation, and blessings. This was a valuable opportunity for spiritual instruction, but the monastery’s approach to the event also spoke to its ethos of sewa. As I arrived, I was welcomed warmly by the gumba’s staff and volunteers, offered a warm cup of butter tea, and told to come back again at lunchtime for a free meal—and to bring my friends. I took a stroll past the outdoor kitchens where meals were being prepared: smiling young men and older women were clustered around great pots, vigorously stirring the fragrant ingredients inside and beckoning me to approach for a closer look. And as the Rinpoche conferred his blessings upon the assembly, I joined a group of locals and visiting monks to spin the monastery’s giant prayer wheel—feeling, for a moment, a part of something bigger than myself. 

My visit to Pema Dechenling allowed me to see the gumba’s spirit of selflessness firsthand: the monastery is fully committed to providing for the local community, offering food and resources to both people and animals who call Pokhara their home. The week’s event was merely one example of an effort that continues around the year, and I walked away impressed with Guru Palten Lama’s ongoing dedication to the ethos of sewa. While your own visit to Pema Dechenling may not coincide with a World Peace Worship summit, this vibrant community center is well worth your time whenever you next find yourself in Pokhara. From its striking golden statue of the Buddha to the dedication of its hard-working staff, you’d be hard-pressed to find another monastery in Pokhara that offers so much to both the casual visitor and the faithful of Pokhara’s Buddhist community.