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The Namdroling Monastery, the largest teaching centre of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism (also called the 'Golden Temple'), is located in:

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Answer: Option B — Karnataka

Detailed Solution

The Namdroling Monastery (Thegchog Namdrol Shedrub Dargye Ling) is located at Bylakuppe, in the Mysuru (Mysore) district of Karnataka.

About Namdroling Monastery:

  • It was founded in 1963 by Penor Rinpoche, the 11th throne holder of the Palyul lineage of the Nyingma school, after he fled from Tibet.
  • It is the largest teaching centre of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism in the world.
  • It has thousands of monks and nuns.

It is popularly known as the "Golden Temple" because of its main temple, the Padmasambhava Buddhist Vihara, which has three large gilded statues: of Padmasambhava, the Buddha Shakyamuni and Amitayus, each about 18 metres (60 feet) high.

It is a popular tourist attraction, near Kushalnagar and Coorg (Kodagu).

About Bylakuppe:

  • It is one of the largest Tibetan refugee settlements in India, established in 1961 on land given by the Mysore (Karnataka) government.
  • It has several monasteries and colleges of Tibetan Buddhism.
  • Other Tibetan settlements in Karnataka include Mundgod, Hunsur (Rabgayling) and Kollegal.
  • Mundgod has the large Drepung and Ganden monasteries (of the Gelug school), re-established in exile.

Tibetan refugees in India:

  • After the Dalai Lama fled from Tibet in 1959, India gave shelter to him and to thousands of Tibetan refugees.
  • The Central Tibetan Administration (Tibetan government in exile) is based at Dharamshala (McLeod Ganj), Himachal Pradesh.

Other important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in India:

  • Tawang Monastery (Arunachal Pradesh): the largest monastery in India.
  • Rumtek Monastery (Sikkim): the seat of the Karmapa (Kagyu school).
  • Hemis and Thiksey monasteries (Ladakh).

About the Nyingma school:

It is the oldest of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism, tracing its origin to Padmasambhava in the 8th century.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Himachal Pradesh has Dharamshala, the seat of the Dalai Lama.
  • ✗Sikkim has Rumtek Monastery.
  • ✗Arunachal Pradesh has Tawang Monastery.

Quick tip

Remember: Namdroling Monastery ("Golden Temple") = Bylakuppe, Mysuru district, Karnataka (Nyingma school; founded 1963 by Penor Rinpoche); Tawang = largest monastery in India.

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Buddhism & Jainism — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Buddhism & Jainism, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

Buddhism and Jainism arose in the 6th century BCE as reform movements. This topic covers the lives and teachings of Gautama Buddha and Mahavira, the Jain tirthankaras, the Buddhist councils, the sects of both religions, their sacred texts and the places linked to them. Common questions cover the four great events of the Buddha's life and their places (birth at Lumbini, enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, first sermon at Sarnath, death at Kushinagar), the four Buddhist councils with their kings and venues, and the Jain sects Digambara and Shvetambara. Learning the councils as a table of place, king and president is the fastest way to revise. Practise the Buddhism and Jainism questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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