• Jan 25 2016
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Jiranga Buddhist Monastery

The Chinese invasion and occupation of Tibet in 1959 forced about 85,000 Tibetans including their religious and political head the 14th Dalai Lama to seek shelter in India and other places. Then Chandragiri, about 87 kilometers from Berhampur a southern town of Odisha, was chosen as one of the main six camps / settlements established in the country. The Tibetan refugees who stay at Jiranga or which is also popularly known as Chandragiri, Odisha, call this place as Phuntsokling, which in Tibetan translates to -"Land of Happiness and Plenty". Accord for the monastery was given by the Dalai Lama in 1998. The foundation stone was laid in 2003 and building was completed in 2008 at a cost of about Rs 8 crores.