Menri Monastery

Menri Monastery in Dolanji is the global spiritual headquarters of the ancient Bon tradition, re-established in India in 1967 after the original monastery in Tibet was destroyed. Located near Solan in Himachal Pradesh, it houses over 200 monks and serves as a center for Bon religious education, philosophy, and culture. The complex features Tibetan-style temples, a library, dialectic school, and the nearby Redna Menling Nunnery.

Visitors can explore the main temple with its large statue of Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche, walk through colorful Tibetan-style buildings and grounds adorned with prayer flags, and observe the daily life of the monastic community. The monastery offers a peaceful atmosphere with mountain views, and visitors may interact respectfully with monks. Photography is generally allowed on the grounds but restricted inside the main temple.

The original Menri Monastery was established in 1405 in Tsang, Tibet by Nyammé Sherab Gyaltsen and became the most important Bon monastery in Tibet for 700 years. After the Chinese Cultural Revolution in 1959, it was refounded in Dolanji, India in 1967 by Lungtok Tenpai Nyima and Lopön Tenzin Namdak. The foundations of the main temple were laid in 1969 and completed in 1978.

Menri Monastery is the spiritual and administrative center of the Bon tradition worldwide, preserving an ancient pre-Buddhist spiritual practice that predates Tibetan Buddhism by nearly 1800 years. It serves as the seat of the Menri Trizin, the spiritual head of the Bonpos, and educates monks in Sutra, Tantra, and dZogchen studies.