Bigu Gompa

Nepal was hit by a devastating earthquake on 24th April 2015, in which over 8,000 people were killed and more than 500,000 houses destroyed. The Tashi Chime Gatsal nunnery was one of them.

Tashi Chime Gatsal: The site of Bigu monastry litterally means „the joyful grove of fortune and immortality“. In 1932, the devoted dharma practitioner Nyima Passang Sherpa asked Sherpa Dorje to built a monastery, giving him the land where it stood until April this year for this purpose.

It used to be the home to up to 80 nuns.

The epicentre of the second mayor quake on 12th May 2015 was located in Bigu VDC and destroyed buildings already damaged in the first earthquake on 24th April completely.

The nuns are living now in a shelter in the kathmandu valley in the area of a former carpet factory.The young nuns going to the schools in the valley. They all like to return to the peaceful area in the mountains to live a life dedicated to work and religose practise.

In 1992 I arrived at Bigu Gompa with two friends. The gompa was not mentioned in any travel guides and there were no real tourist facilities nearby. We found Bigu Gompa on the map of Nepal. We were fascinated by the peaceful atmosphere and the nuns daily routine of religious practices and hard work in the fields from the start. After a few days, we walked for two days back to the road head to catch a bus to Kathmandu, accompanied by three nuns. Since then, I have always felt attached to the nunnery and this special place in Nepal. Torsten Frank, President of the Nepali-Deutsche Gesellschaft e.V., „Nedeg“

The nunnery is situated in the village development committee in Dolakha District 100 miles north-east of Kathmandu. Gompa is the Tibetan word for monastry and the nunnery therefore called Bigu Gompa.

To reach Bigu Gompa: Travel on a tarmac road close to Kodari. It is then a two-day walk to reach Bigu Gompa. A small road used to lead to the nunnery but was destroyed during the earthquake

Bigu Gompa contains one thousand small statues of the Chenrezig. The sixty-one nuns used to perform ceremonies in the main Hlakang (temple). To the left was a mani temple and the library. The kitchen was on the left-hand side. Living quarters were situated at the front and the back

The entrance door once welcomed visitors. A guest house was built 2013.

The nunnery is situated on a plateau at the foot of huge mountains. Tibet`s vast snowy peaks are visible after an hour`s hike uphill. The gompa was surrounded by forests and meadows dotted with beautiful flowers in the Springtime, and where even the occasional white monkey made an appearance

On the way to the main temple, visitors used to pass a mani wall with Buddha statues and Tibetan prayer wheels.

>Every morning and evenning the areas was cleaned.

Nepal was hit by a devastating earthquake on 24th April 2015, in which over 8,000 people were killed and more than 500,000 houses destroyed. The Tashi Chime Gatsal nunnery was one of them.

All the houses were placed in harmonie on the plateau.

On clear days the peak of Gauri Shankar 7,134 m is visible. It is the second highest peak of the Rolwaling Himal range.

Entrance to the temple.

Details of the entrance area of the main temple.

The mani wheel contained one million texts of Chenrezig.

Homes of the nuns.

Nuns in front of the houses they built themselves.

Nuns in front of the beautiful garden.

They all worked hard to maintain their self-sufficient lifestyle.

Nepal was hit by a devastating earthquake on 24th April 2015, in which over 8,000 people were killed and more than 500,000 houses destroyed. The Tashi Chime Gatsal nunnery was one of them.

Gesha La in front of the once new kitchen with the solar cooker.

The nunnery was destroyed by the earthquake in April and its aftershocks

Destroyed living houses of the nuns.

The earthquake hit the nunnery hard.

Destruction everywhere.

Let us give a sign of hope that the gompa can be rebuilt and the nuns can return to their beautiful place in the mountains. Please contact us if you’d like to contribute to the rebuilding of the nunnery.

Nepal was hit by a devastating earthquake on 24th April 2015, in which over 8,000 people were killed and more than 500,000 houses destroyed. The Tashi Chime Gatsal nunnery was one of them.