བོད་ཡིག

About Mundgod

Gaden Monastery and Drepung Monastery are located in the Doeguling Tibetan Settlement in Mundgod, in the North Kanara district of Karnataka State, South India, approximately 400km north of Bangalore (Bengaluru) and 600km south of Mumbai (Bombay). The nearest large city is Hubli, which is approximately 45km north.The Doeguling Tibetan Settlement in Mundgod is one of the largest Tibetan refugee settlements in India, with a current population of approximately 13,400. The settlement consists of eleven camps and includes seven monasteries, twenty schools (from nursery to secondary), two homes for the elderly, several modern allopathic hospitals, a Tibetan Medical and Astro Institute, and a co-operative society engaged in various activities such as farming and handicrafts.

For more information about Doeguling Tibetan Settlement, click here.

Doeguling (Mundgod) Tibetan Settlement

Transportation

By Air to India

The nearest major international airports to Mundgod are listed below. There are direct flights from major European cities to each of these three cities:

  • Bangalore (Bengaluru) – approx. 400km
  • Mumbai (Bombay) – approx. 600km
  • Goa – approx. 300km
  • To Hubli & Mundgod

Hubli is the nearest city to Mundgod, 45km away. Hubli is well connected to other parts of the country: it has a domestic airport, a major railway junction, and deluxe bus services to/from many major cities of South India. (See below for more details about travelling to Hubli.)

The 45km drive from Hubli to Mundgod takes approximately one hour. Private taxis and/or shared jeeps are available from Hubli city, airport, railway station and bus station.

The distance between Gaden and Drepung Monasteries is approximately 7km.

By Air to Hubli

As of May 2012, direct flights to Hubli are available only from Bangalore (Bengaluru) and Mumbai (Bombay), on Kingfisher Airlines. For more information, see The Hubli-Dharwad City Guide.

By Train to Hubli

Hubli is an important railway junction with daily express trains to:

  • Bangalore – approx. 9-11 hours
  • Mumbai – approx. 15-16 hours
  • Goa (Vasco Da Gama) – approx. 5-7 hours
  • Delhi – approx. 38 hours

as well as Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai (Madras), Ahmedabad, and many other cities.

For more information about train routes, fares and seat availability, see:
Indian Railways Passenger Reservation Enquiry and The Hubli-Dharwad City Guide.

IMPORTANT NOTES FOR PURCHASING TRAIN TICKETS: When purchasing train tickets, it is advisable to use a travel agent. Though train tickets can be purchased on-line by individuals, this is usually a difficult process requiring an Indian credit card and an Indian mobile/cell phone number. Indian trains are often booked out months in advance, so please purchase your train tickets as soon as possible. As of July 2012, train tickets can be booked up to 120 days in advance.

By Bus to Hubli

Hubli has a prominent place on the road network of South India and therefore there are numerous services (including deluxe/AC/sleeper buses) to/from many major cities in South India, including:

  • Bangalore – approx. 7 hours
  • Mumbai – approx. 14 hours
  • Goa – approx. 6 hours
  • Mangalore — approx.10 hours
  • Mysore – approx. 12 hours
NOTE: Similar to purchasing train tickets, when purchasing bus tickets it is advisable to use a travel agent. Though bus tickets can be purchased on-line by individuals, this is usually a difficult process requiring an Indian credit card and an Indian mobile/cell phone number.

Accommodation

Please be aware that the following is all of the information that the Jangchup Lamrim Teaching Organizing Committee has about accommodation.  We deeply regret that we are unable to assist further with the accommodation arrangements of the thousands of expected attendees.

Hotel/guest house accommodation in the monasteries and Mundgod town

There are only a very small number of guest house rooms in Mundgod town and at the various monasteries in Mundgod, and these have already been fully booked by the monasteries for their usual guests.  These rooms are no longer available.

Hotel/guest house accommodation in Hubli

In Hubli (45km from Mundgod) there are many options for accommodation in all price ranges (approx. 300 – 3500Rs/day for double room).  It is expected that there will be enough  accommodation in Hubli for all teaching attendees upon your arrival, without the need to book in advance.  Click here  for just a few of the many accommodation options available in Hubli.

Private accommodation in the monasteries

During teachings with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the monastery rules concerning visitors are changed and all visitors (including nuns, lay men and lay women) are permitted to stay in the monks’ personal residences. The Jangchup Lamrim Teaching Organizing Committee has encouraged all the monasteries in Mundgod to make as much space as possible available for teaching attendees.

Therefore, if you have  friends in Gaden or Drepung Monasteries (or other Tibetan monasteries such as Sera, who will have contacts in their corresponding khangtsens of Gaden and Drepung), you are encouraged to request their assistance in arranging private accommodation within the monastery. However, please note that it is only possible to arrange private accommodation through a local friend.  You will NOT be able to arrange private accommodation by phoning or sending an email to the monasteries unless you personally know someone living in that monastery.

Accommodation in Bangalore (Bengaluru)

For attendees travelling through Bangalore (Bengaluru) who require accommodation there, many options are available in India’s “Silicon Valley”, and we can specifically recommend the following two.  St. Mark’s Hotel is a newly-renovated award-winning 4-star hotel which is offering a discount to all Jangchup Lamrim Teaching attendees 15 November – 15 December 2012.  Please see www.stmarkshotel.com and mention “Jangchup Lamrim” when making your booking to avail special rates of 5750 to 8750Rs/night.  We can also recommend Hotel Tibet with rooms ranging from 1100 to 1600Rs/night.

Please be aware that this is all of the information that the Jangchup Lamrim Teaching Organizing Committee has about accommodation.  We deeply regret that we are unable to assist further with the accommodation arrangements of the thousands of expected attendees.

Visa & Other Advice

Indian Visa

Indian Visa rules and application procedures vary by the applicant’s country of citizenship and the country in which the application is made. For general information about obtaining an Indian Visa, see the Ministry of Tourism website.

Visas can be applied for in person or by post at the Indian Embassy/High Commission/Consulate based in the country from where you intend to depart for India. For a detailed list of these offices in your country click here.

Please note that Indian Visas are valid from the date on which they are issued, so it is advised to not apply too far in advance of your trip.  For example, a 6-month visa issued on 1 June will only be valid until 1 December, regardless of what date you arrive in India.

For tourist information specifically about Karnataka State, see the Karnataka Department of Tourism website.

Monastery Etiquette

In order to honor the monastic way of life while you are at the monasteries, please avoid wearing clothing which is too revealing (short pants, short skirts and sleeveless shirts); appropriate clothing includes long or short-sleeve shirts/t-shirts, trousers and long skirts. It will also be inappropriate to express public displays of intimacy with other visitors, as this would cause unnecessary discomfort to the monastic community.

Food

During teaching days, a simple lunch will be offered to all attendees. If you wish to have this lunch, please bring your own bowl and spoon to the teachings.   For all other meals, there are simple Tibetan-style restaurants and local vendors within the grounds of the monasteries, as well as a wider variety of restaurants in Mundgod town and Hubli.  Please note that there are currently no luxury or Western-style restaurants within the settlement or Mundgod town.

It is customary for tea to be served during the teachings, so please bring a tea cup with you. In order to avoid waste and environmental pollution, disposable cups will not be distributed. Please note: do not drink the tea right away when it is served to you; please wait until the offering chant is made before drinking your tea.

Money

Foreign exchange agencies, which convert a variety of currencies, are widely available in India these days, as are ATM’s for your international debit and credit cards. Some ATM’s charge a small fee, and most have a daily withdrawal limit. As of May 2012 there is only one ATM and two currency exchange agencies inside the settlement, and a few ATM’s and currency exchange agencies in Mundgod town. During the time of His Holiness’ teachings these may be very busy and sometimes run out of money, so it may be more convenient for you to obtain/change most of your money in larger cities, such as Hubli and Bangalore, before travelling to Mundgod.

Weather

Mundgod is located at an altitude of 550m (1800ft) above sea level.  Typical December temperatures are 16°C – 30°C (60°F – 85°F), with very little rain fall.

Health

For the latest information on travel health advice for India, including recommended travel vaccinations, visit the website of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Should you require medical care during the teachings, there are several modern allopathic clinics/hospitals in Mundgod settlement.

General items to bring

  • Protected Area Permit (or a copy of your PAP application form if you PAP did not arrive in time); several photocopies of your PAP may also be useful
  • Several photocopies of your passport (identity page and Indian visa page) may be useful
  • 2 passport photos (for making your security entrance pass)
  • Flashlight/torch (for power outages)

Items to bring daily to the teachings

  • FM radio with earphones (to hear the translation of the teachings)
  • Lamrim texts, if you wish (see the Text Translations page for a list of books/on-line links/PDF downloads of the 18 Lamrim texts into various languages).  Please note: it will not be possible to confirm in advance if the Security Department will allow laptops/tablets/e-book readers into the teaching venue. Therefore you may want to bring paper editions of the Lamrim texts with you.
  • Cushion (for sitting on the ground); your own stool or chair if required, as these will not be provided.
  • Tea cup (in order to protect the environment and avoid waste, disposable cups will not be provided)
  • Bowl and spoon, if you wish to take the simple lunch which will be provided during the teachings
  • Sunhat or sunscreen
  • Given the security checks that take place daily at the teaching venues, please bring as little else as possible to the teaching venue.

The following items are NOT allowed inside the teaching venue

  • Mobile/cell phone
  • Camera
  • Please note: if your FM radio contains a camera or phone, it will not be allowed inside
  • Cigarette lighter or matches
  • Dangerous items such as pocket knives, explosive items

* note : some rules may need to apply, if you attend His Holiness Dalai Lama teaching.

About This Travel Guide

This Travel Guide was collected by The Jangchup Lamrim Teaching Organizing Committee (Thank you!), they have collected the basic travel information which is, to the best of their knowledge, accurate as of May 2012. However, because situations often change quickly in India, unfortunately we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the following information and we deeply apologize for any errors.