Sakya Rinchen Choling, Dehradun, India

In 1993, batches of Sakya nuns started to arrive in India. They shared similar aspirations to remain as nuns. At that time, there were no facilities for the nuns and they were housed in temporary quarters.

His Eminence Luding Khenchen Rinpoche offered a piece of land in Dekyiling to His Holiness Sakya Trichen to start a nunnery in 1996. It was within the Tibetan settlement, which is about 15 minutes’ drive from Rajpur. The Sakya Nunnery was then officially established in 1997 as a charitable society registered under the Societies Registration Act of XXI of 1860.

The nuns’ dormitories could house 170 nuns, but there was no temple for their daily practice. The dining hall also served as the prayer hall. In 2005, an earnest fund-raising event to build the temple commenced, with ground-breaking in 2006 followed by the construction of the temple as well as another wing for the dormitory were completed in 2008. His Holiness Sakya Trichen consecrated the temple on 29^th March 2009. The following year, Sakya Thrinley Ling was established in Ladakh for young novice nuns. During 2012, His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited Sakya nunnery and in 2013, Vajrayogini retreat centre was founded.

Now Sakya nunnery is home to 230 nuns who study, perform daily prayers and engage in community outreach for the benefit of society and the world at large.

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