Mindrolling, which means a place of perfect emancipation, was a famous monastery in Tibet which was founded by Rigzin Terdak Lingpa in 1676. The monastery was damaged by the Dzungar Mongols from East Turkistan in 1718. It was rebuilt during the tenure of the Seventh Dalai Lama (1708–1757). The construction of the monastery was supervised by Dungsay Rinchen-namgyel and Jetsunma Mingyur Paldron, the son and daughter of Rigzin Terdak Lingpa.

The monastery again suffered damage to its buildings, at the time of the 1959 revolt against Chinese Communist rule in Tibet. At that time a lot of Buddhists fled from Tibet and took refuge in India. In 1965, Khochhen Rinpoche decided to re-establish the Mindrolling monastery in Dehradun.

It took the labour of 50 craftsmen and members of the local Tibetan refugee community who worked under the supervision Buddhist priests to complete the construction of the monastery in three years.  After few years the monastery expanded and is now one of the largest Buddhist centres in India. It is a great centre ... More

Mindrolling, which means a place of perfect emancipation, was a famous monastery in Tibet which was founded by Rigzin Terdak Lingpa in 1676. The monastery was damaged by the Dzungar Mongols from East Turkistan in 1718. It was rebuilt during the tenure of the Seventh Dalai Lama (1708–1757). The construction of the monastery was supervised by Dungsay Rinchen-namgyel and Jetsunma Mingyur Paldron, the son and daughter of Rigzin Terdak Lingpa.

The monastery again suffered damage to its buildings, at the time of the 1959 revolt against Chinese Communist rule in Tibet. At that time a lot of Buddhists fled from Tibet and took refuge in India. In 1965, Khochhen Rinpoche decided to re-establish the Mindrolling monastery in Dehradun.

It took the labour of 50 craftsmen and members of the local Tibetan refugee community who worked under the supervision Buddhist priests to complete the construction of the monastery in three years.  After few years the monastery expanded and is now one of the largest Buddhist centres in India. It is a great centre of Vajrayana Buddhism for all the followers of Nyingma lineage, including masters, teachers, and monks.

There monastery also preserves the tradition of female teachers or the Jetsünma line, which is one of the most remarkable features of Mindrolling. This tradition that can be traced back to Yeshe Tsogyal, a disciple of Padmasambhava, Machik Labdron, the great Chöd master, and the dakini Khandro Urgyen Tsomo. It also includes the daughters of various Mindrolling Trichens over the years. Some famous names include Jetsün Mingyur Paldron, the daughter of Chögyal Terdag Lingpa, and Jetsün Tsering Paldron. Terdag Lingpa stressed the need for women to be educated as practitioners and teachers. He gave directions to his descendants to maintain this tradition which he himself had exemplified by imparting knowledge to his own daughter, Jetsün Mingyur Paldron, along with his two sons. It is his inspiration that has motivated women from the Buddhist community to learn, practice and teach.