History of Dundul Raptenling Monastery Odisha India

Dundul Raptenling Monastery is located in Phuntsok Ling Tibetan Settlement, Camp No. 3, Odisha, India. It is one of the important monastic centers of the Nyingma tradition, closely connected with the Dudjom Tersar lineage, preserved and propagated by H.H. Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje Rinpoche.

Before the Chinese invasion of Tibet, H.H. Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje established Rigzin Ghatseling Monastery in Buchcu, Kongpo, Tibet, and founded the first Lama Lingpa monastery. At that time, the Dudjom Tersar lineage flourished greatly, with many accomplished masters, ngakpa practitioners, and great ordained monks among his disciples.

After 1959, when H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche lived in exile in India, he recognized that establishing a monastery to preserve the teachings of the Buddha was of great importance and necessity. In order to preserve the Nyingma tradition, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama requested H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche to take on the supreme leadership responsibility of the Nyingma tradition.

Keeping His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s request in his heart, H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche decided to build a new monastery. With the support of the Odisha government in acquiring land, as well as the guidance of the Tibetan government in exile, he chose Odisha as the site for establishing Dundul Raptenling Monastery.

According to the Hevajra Tantra, Odisha is one of the twenty-four great sacred places. It is also regarded as a sacred land connected with Oddiyana, the mystical source of many Vajrayana teachings. Therefore, the establishment of a Nyingma monastery in Odisha holds special significance for the preservation and continuation of the lineage.

H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche sent a letter to the Tibetan community in Pemako, a sacred region in southern Tibet, explaining the plan to build a Nyingmapa monastery and a Tibetan settlement in Odisha, and inviting them to come. Many people responded to his call and came to help establish a new community of practice and study.

Formation and Development of the Monastery

In 1961, H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche officially gave the monastery the name Dundul Raptenling, located in Tibetan Refugee Camp No. 3 in Odisha. In the beginning, the monastic community consisted of about 100 monks. As in Tibet, many practitioners entered retreat and devoted themselves to the practices of the lineage.

In 1969, construction of the monastery’s main temple began. However, due to a lack of funds, it was not completed until the late 1970s with the assistance of Tibetan representatives and the support of many favorable conditions.

On February 3, 1979, His Holiness the Dalai Lama consecrated and inaugurated the main temple of Dundul Raptenling Monastery. This became an important milestone in the history and development of the monastery.

Over time, the sons and grandsons of H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche, including H.H. Shenphen Dawa Norbu Rinpoche, H.H. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, and H.H. Garab Dorje Rinpoche, together with many great masters who were disciples of H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche, continued to protect, preserve, and support the monastery.

Architecture of the Main Temple

The main temple of Dundul Raptenling Monastery was built according to the symbolic meaning of the Three Kayas: Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya, and Nirmanakaya.

Top Floor — Dharmakaya

The top floor of the main temple is called the Dharmakaya. At the center is the statue of Buddha Amitabha. To his right is the statue of Vajrasattva in union, and to his left is the statue of Guru Tso-Gye-Thuk-Thig — the Lake-Born Heart Essence.

Second Floor — Sambhogakaya

The second floor is called the Sambhogakaya. At the center is the statue of Avalokiteshvara. To his right is Manjushri, and to his left is Vajrapani.

In front of the statue of Avalokiteshvara is the statue of H.H. Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje Rinpoche. To the right of the statue is a small room that served as his bedroom, and to the left is the library, which houses many important scriptures and collected works of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, including:

1. Gyalwa Kagyur / Tengyur Rinpoche
2. Nyingma Gyubhum
3. Nyingma Kama
4. Rinchen Terdzö
5. Dudjom Rinpoche Kha-Dum, Volumes 1 and 2
6. Mipham Rinpoche Sungbum
7. Peling Sungbum
8. Melling Gyurmey Dorje Sungbum
9. Jamgön Kongtrul Rinpoche Khabum
10. Ratna Lingpa Khabum
11. Various collected works of other lamas

First Floor — Nirmanakaya

The first floor is called the Nirmanakaya. At the center is the statue of Buddha Shakyamuni. To his right are the statues of Guru Nangsi Silnön and Guru Dorje Drolo, the wrathful manifestation of Guru Padmasambhava. To his left are Hayagriva and Palchen Dorje Shunu Phurpa — Vajrakilaya.

Sacred Location

Dundul Raptenling Monastery is situated in a place regarded as especially sacred for the propagation of Vajrayana Buddhism in the extraordinary land of Oddiyana, India. The monastery belongs to Camp No. 3 of Phuntsok Ling Tibetan Settlement, Odisha.

The monastery is surrounded by sacred landmarks: to the south are two holy mountains associated with Vajravarahi, and to the west are the symbols of the three families of the Victorious Ones.

With its history rooted in the aspiration of H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche and blessed by the lineage masters, Dundul Raptenling is not only a place of study and practice for the Sangha, but also an important spiritual center for preserving, practicing, and spreading the teachings of the Nyingma tradition in general, and the Dudjom Tersar lineage in particular.

Monastery Address

Dundul Raptenling Monastery
Phuntsogling Tibetan Settlement, Camp No. 3
P.O. Mahendragada, District: Gajapati
Pin: 761017, Odisha, India.