What a gompa is
In Tibetan, the word gompa is commonly used for a monastery, and sometimes for a smaller hermitage or temple. It can refer to the whole complex or to the main building. Monasteries in Tibet, Ladakh, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Mongolia share many features, but layouts differ with terrain, school and period. Many sit on slopes, so what follows is a general pattern, not a rule.
The approach and the courtyard
Most monasteries are entered through a gate, often with a stupa-like chorten nearby, a row of prayer wheels and sometimes a mani wall. These are described in more detail in material on prayer wheels and flags. A courtyard commonly lies in front of the main hall. This is where assemblies gather, where lay visitors wait at festival times, and, in some monasteries, where masked dances take place. If you want to know how festival performances fit into monastery life, look at cham masked dance.
Around the courtyard you may see monks’ quarters, a kitchen, storage rooms, a library of printed texts and a debating area in monasteries that train scholars. The overall pattern of the monastic community is that living, studying and worshipping spaces sit close together.
The entrance porch
The front of the main hall usually has a porch or vestibule. Walls here are often painted with a version of the Wheel of Life, held by a wrathful figure, and with the Four Great Kings who guard the directions. The doorway itself may have heavy wooden doors, brightly painted frames and thick curtains. This is the threshold between courtyard and hall, and is treated respectfully; see temple entry customs for the usual expectations about shoes and hats.
The assembly hall
The central building is the assembly hall, often called the dukhang. It is where the monks gather for chanting, ritual and teaching. Typical features include:
- Rows of long cushioned benches or seats facing each other, where monks sit in order of seniority or role. Visitors should not sit on these.
- A high throne for the abbot or a senior teacher, often covered in cloth and set at the front. Do not touch or sit on it.
- A main altar at the back with statues, often a Buddha flanked by figures important to the school, with offerings of water bowls, butter lamps and flowers.
- Painted pillars and walls, hung banners and appliqué, and thangka paintings. The visual language of thangka painting is explained elsewhere.
- Instruments such as drums, cymbals, long horns and bells, kept ready for ritual use.
The hall is often dim and filled with the smell of butter lamps and incense. It can take time for the eyes to adjust.
Side chapels
Off the main hall, or on upper floors, you may find several smaller chapels called lhakhang. They may house:
- images of a particular Buddha, such as a future Buddha (Maitreya) or the Buddha of Long Life;
- statues of the school’s founders or lineage masters;
- a collection of sacred texts, sometimes a full set of the canon in long cloth-wrapped volumes;
- a protector chapel (gonkhang), dedicated to protector deities, often dark and sometimes closed to visitors or to certain groups. Respect any signs or monk’s instructions here.
Upper floors sometimes hold the rooms of senior teachers, and these may be private.
How visitors usually move
There is no single required route, but common practice includes:
- Walk clockwise around the outside of the monastery and past the prayer wheels, spinning them clockwise as you go. This is a form of circumambulation practice.
- Remove shoes and hats at the hall’s entrance if requested, and keep your voice low.
- Enter the hall and walk along the edge, usually moving clockwise from the entrance, with the altar on your right.
- Pause before the main altar. Visitors may bow, place palms together or simply stand quietly.
- Leave any offering, such as a small donation, in the place provided rather than placing it on an image.
- Ask before taking photos. Many halls do not allow photography at all; see temple photography etiquette.
Do not point your feet toward images, and do not walk between monks in prayer. If a service is under way, stand quietly at the side or return later.
Variations
Some monasteries have an upper hall used for teaching, a separate hall for a particular lineage, or a large central temple with several storeys. In Bhutan, the dzong combines administration and monastery. In Tibet itself and in many Chinese-administered areas, access rules, opening hours and ticketing are set locally and may change. Larger monasteries such as those among the Tibetan monasteries of central Tibet can be crowded at festival times. Check current official information, and note that high altitude can be dangerous, so seek medical advice before visiting high-altitude areas.