Mag-Dhog Yolmowa Monastery


Mag-Dhog Yolmowa Monastery is a gompa in the town of Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal. The monastery is also known as "Aloobari" monastery after the locality it is located in. The monastery was built under the supervision of Sri Sangay Lama, a highly revered religious head of the Yolmo people - a small ethnic group hailing from north-east of Nepal and who later settled in Darjeeling. The construction of the monastery started in 1914, the year World War I started. The name Mag-Dhog means warding off the war and the monastery was dedicated for world peace.
The monastery contains several images of Gautama Buddha and Padmasambhava and varied paintings on the wall which are said to be done with grass and herbs. The monastery also preserves several ancient Buddhist manuscripts.