It was my last day in Manali. Well, I only spent a night in Manali so it was nothing sort of a long itinerary. After visiting Hidimba Temple on the last day, I headed to Mall Road where I had brunch at a restaurant, and headed to a bakery. I was supposed to go Naggar from Manali, back to the place I was staying at. I booked an auto-rickshaw from the mall road for 150 INR (if I am not wrong). I had to visit a gompa in Aleu and that was the last stop for the day. It was a small gompa in the village and I hadn’t known much about it. It’s history, past, people, etc.
This was the first time I visited inside a gompa including its praying place, residential area, kitchen, etc. I hadn’t seen a gompa this close before and I was excited to learn about the culture and tradition. I had previously visited monasteries in McLeod Ganj however this was a different experience. I googled to find the difference between a gompa and a monastery. I found an answer,
‘A monastery is a spiritual center where Buddhist ideas and beliefs are taught and where one learns to renounce their materialistic and sensual desire and cultivate the right attitude. Therefore, a gompa is a room where a Buddhist meditates and listens to the teachings.’ (Source)
