Tengboche – #HimalayaDailyBites

roughly halfway to Everest Base Camp, after an arduous push up a steep spur covered with picturesque pine and rhododendron trees, you will eventually be greeted by an exquisitely decorated kani gate marking the entrance to the small settlement of Tengboche (3870m), and the end of your ordeals for that day :))

vivid murals depicting fierce dharmapala (protectors of dharma) with blazing auras, and a multicolored kalachakra mandala (wheel of time) astonishing in its minute details, make Tengboche’s kani gate one of the most exquisite kanis of Khumbu region.
beyond the kani, a white-golden chorten and massive mani wall begin to hint the presence of holy sites, as Tengboche is home to a monastic complex including Dawa Choling Gompa, the largest and most active Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Khumbu, and Pema Choling Nunnery, also known as Deboche Nunnery, Khumbu’s oldest nunnery.

a celibate monk monastery, Tengboche Gompa has strong links to its mother monastery Rongbuk Gompa, laying in Tibet just across the Himalayan ridge on the northern side of Mt.Everest. frequently visited by tourists on their way to Everest Base Camp for the unique cultural experience the gompa provides, it’s most religious visitors are probably Mt.Everest expeditioners who come here to attend prayer beseeching the gods to bless them with good weather, strong health, and safe climbing. for more insightful information about Tengboche Gompa read our accompanying article.

laying on a spur flung high above the roaring confluence of Dudh Koshi and Imja Khola rivers, Tengboche has a unique perspective over a dazzling array of snowcapped Himalayan mountains from Kondge Ri (6187m) now far behind shaping the horizon towards Namche Bazaar, Thamserku (6623m) and Kantega (6782m), with its characteristic horse saddle shaped hanging glacier, soaring right above Tengboche, Khumbila (5761m) and Taboche (6542m) rising just across the valley, and Ama Dablam (6812m), Nuptse (7861m), Everest (8848m) and Lhotse (8516m) dominating the sky towards Everest Base Camp. mornings in Tengboche are especially scenic with Mt.Everest glowing in the rising sun, a magnificent view you can admire over breakfast directly from the warmth of your teahouse dining room.

apparently Tengboche’s most famous inhabitant was Tenzing Norgay, who together with Edmund Hillary were the first men to summit Mt.Everest in 1953, who was sent to Tengboche Gompa to become a monk, but destiny had other more illustrious plans in store for him 🙂 and he soon left monastic life in search for mountaineering work in Darjeeling.

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