Urgyen Namdo Choling Gumba, Hile-1, is one of the oldest Buddhist monasteries around Dhankuta district. It has stood and watched over Hile for a long time. Hile is a town which grew monstrously leaving behind most of its contemporary towns, like Dhankuta bazar. Situated on a hill and with a cold temperature lurking around even during the summer, it's not only a business center but is equally adorned with natural beauty. Breathtaking view of the Mt. Makalu and Mt. Kanchenjanga are the other things tourists dig for when they visit this hill station. Hile is prospering day by day, as it lies in the center of all the hilly area routes. Basantapur and Tehrathum lie to the east, Pakhribas and Bhojpur to the west and Uttarpani and Chintang(pilgrimage destination of most Hindus) to the south.
A crossroad for all these places, Hile is the most dominant place in Dhankuta district in every field, say politics, business or whatever. This place, from what we heard from our elders, used to have just 4-5 houses about 25 years ago. Mostly inhabited by the Tibetan refugees at that time, it was a little place with some thatched roofs and some tea shops. The refugees, who started the first tea shops have now migrated to the US and Kathmandu. The other predominant population is of the Tamangs, but elders say that the Gumba mentioned above was built by the refugees in around 1950 or it could be older than that.
One of my friends who had apprenticed under this monastery used to say that it was around 1950s that the refugees who had traveled all the way from Tibet due to the merciless Cultural Revolution going in the People's Republic of China had found their ultimate refuge here. This friend of mine is currently out of touch, he might be in some monastery around Ladakh, going through some divine meditation practices.
Stories are that, a highly accomplished monk used to reside here in the Choling monastery who could stop the rain or make thunderstorms wherever he wanted. Just like all the Buddhist myths about lamas creating thunder and hail, this one could also be a cliche for every mystical lama. But the mysticism of the people has vanished, the only mysterious thing is how we should be earning a lot. So the people haven't left any ground uncovered in the search of money.................that mystical thing. We see people extorting money from the contractors, we see people running around the villages looking for almost anything antic.... a jato( a stone grinder), a lisnu( a staircase made from one single trunk), simalas and jimalas( ornamental stones worn by the indigenous people), a theki( a pot where whey is prepared)...........and anything.
A crossroad for all these places, Hile is the most dominant place in Dhankuta district in every field, say politics, business or whatever. This place, from what we heard from our elders, used to have just 4-5 houses about 25 years ago. Mostly inhabited by the Tibetan refugees at that time, it was a little place with some thatched roofs and some tea shops. The refugees, who started the first tea shops have now migrated to the US and Kathmandu. The other predominant population is of the Tamangs, but elders say that the Gumba mentioned above was built by the refugees in around 1950 or it could be older than that.
One of my friends who had apprenticed under this monastery used to say that it was around 1950s that the refugees who had traveled all the way from Tibet due to the merciless Cultural Revolution going in the People's Republic of China had found their ultimate refuge here. This friend of mine is currently out of touch, he might be in some monastery around Ladakh, going through some divine meditation practices.
Stories are that, a highly accomplished monk used to reside here in the Choling monastery who could stop the rain or make thunderstorms wherever he wanted. Just like all the Buddhist myths about lamas creating thunder and hail, this one could also be a cliche for every mystical lama. But the mysticism of the people has vanished, the only mysterious thing is how we should be earning a lot. So the people haven't left any ground uncovered in the search of money.................that mystical thing. We see people extorting money from the contractors, we see people running around the villages looking for almost anything antic.... a jato( a stone grinder), a lisnu( a staircase made from one single trunk), simalas and jimalas( ornamental stones worn by the indigenous people), a theki( a pot where whey is prepared)...........and anything.
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