Looking northward from the great white dome of Boudhanath Stupa toward the forested Shivapuri mountain rim of the Kathmandu Valley, visitors see a prominent green hill rising above the suburban rooftops of Kapan in Budhanilkantha Municipality. Crowning the summit of that hill among ancient bodhi trees, pine groves, and terraced flower gardens are the golden roofs and whitewashed reliquary stupas of Kopan Monastery (formally named Ogmin Jangchub Choling, the Sanctuary of Awakening in the Akanistha Pure Land). For more than half a century, this tranquil hilltop has stood as one of the most influential crossroads of traditional Himalayan monasticism and global Buddhist contemplation.
Founded in 1969 by two visionary Tibetan masters trained at Sera Je Monastery in Lhasa, Lama Thubten Yeshe (1935 to 1984) and his heart disciple Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche (1946 to 2023), Kopan began as a humble school for twenty-five young Sherpa novices from the Everest region and swiftly blossomed into the birthplace of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), an international network encompassing more than 150 Dharma centers, hospices, and publishing houses across thirty-five countries. Today, Kopan harmonizes a rigorous monastic college of nearly four hundred monks (and nearly four hundred nuns at nearby Khachoe Ghakyil Ling Nunnery) with its legendary November Lamrim Meditation Courses that have introduced tens of thousands of seekers from every continent to the graduated path to enlightenment.
IJe Tsongkhapa's Gelug Lineage, the Graduated Path of Lamrim, and the Vision of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Kopan Monastery belongs to the Gelug (Virtuous Way) school of Tibetan Buddhism founded by the great fourteenth-century philosopher, tantric master, and monastic reformer Je Tsongkhapa (Lobsang Drakpa, 1357 to 1419), synthesizing the scholarly rigor of Indian Nalanda masters with the Kadam lineage of the eleventh-century Bengali pandita Atisha Dipankara. Its monastic curriculum follows the direct lineage of Sera Je Monastic University, where both Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche studied. The monastery's Tibetan title, Ogmin Jangchub Choling, reflects the aspiration to guide beings through the cultivation of Bodhicitta (the mind of awakening, Jangchub Sem) to full Buddhahood.
Entering the soaring central assembly hall (the Lama Tsongkhapa Gompa, completed in 2002), visitors stand before a magnificent twenty-foot (six-meter) gilded statue of Je Tsongkhapa seated upon a lion throne, flanked at his heart by two blooming lotuses supporting the flaming sword of Manjushri's wisdom and the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, alongside his two principal disciples Gyaltsab Je and Khedrup Je. Surrounding altars and dedicated shrines across the hilltop venerate Shakyamuni Buddha, Maitreya (the Future Buddha), Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara (Chenrezig), Arya Tara, Atisha Dipankara, and the sacred golden reliquary stupas enshrining the relics of Lama Thubten Yeshe, the great yogi Geshe Lama Konchog, and Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
What gave Kopan its distinctive global resonance from the early 1970s onward was the clarity with which Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche presented the Lamrim (Stages of the Path to Enlightenment): a step-by-step meditative syllabus that allows both lifelong monastics and modern laypeople to test and integrate the Buddha's teachings through analytical and stabilizing meditation.
At the heart of every course and monastic class taught on Kapan Hill are the Three Principal Aspects of the Path elucidated by Je Tsongkhapa: Renunciation (Nges-jung, the determination to be free from compulsive cyclic dissatisfaction), Bodhicitta (the altruistic aspiration to attain awakening for the welfare of all sentient beings), and the Correct View of Emptiness (Shunyata, understanding dependent origination free from extremes as taught by Nagarjuna).
Lama Thubten Yeshe famously reminded students at Kopan that Buddhism is not an exotic cultural costume to adopt, but a practical science of the mind: learning to recognize ego-grasping, transform anger into patience, and place kindness toward others at the center of daily life.
Local history records that Kapan Hill has been associated with spiritual scholarship since antiquity: oral tradition holds that the eighth-century Indian philosopher and Nalanda abbot Shantarakshita stayed on this hill during his residence in the Kathmandu Valley before traveling to Tibet. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the hilltop estate belonged to the Royal Astrologer of the Kingdom of Nepal.
In 1969, having begun teaching their first Western student, Zina Rachevsky, in Darjeeling in 1967, Lama Thubten Yeshe and his young Sherpa disciple from Thame in Khumbu, Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, traveled to Kathmandu and purchased the royal astrologer's hilltop cottage on Kapan Hill. Fulfilling Lama Zopa Rinpoche's aspiration to educate Himalayan children from his native Everest region, they founded the Mount Everest Centre for Buddhist Studies at Kopan with twenty-five young Sherpa monks. In November 1971, the lamas offered their first one-month English-language Lamrim Meditation Course to twelve international students; by the mid-1970s hundreds were attending, leading directly to the founding of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) at Kopan in 1975.
Because Kopan is famous in travel literature for its introductory meditation courses for international guests, some visitors assume it is solely a lay retreat center. In reality, Kopan is first and foremost a full-scale traditional Tibetan Buddhist monastic university and nunnery: nearly 400 ordained monks reside and study the classical Sera Je philosophical curriculum up to the Geshe doctorate on Kapan Hill, while Khachoe Ghakyil Ling Nunnery at the foot of the hill educates nearly 400 ordained nuns, including pioneers of the historic Geshema degree for women.
IIFrom a 1969 Cottage for 25 Sherpa Novices to a Global Mahayana Seat and Geshema Nunnery
In the early winters after 1969, life on Kapan Hill was extraordinarily simple: there was no electricity or running water on the summit, and monks and Western students alike slept on straw mats inside tents and mud-brick rooms while listening to Lama Yeshe's infectious laughter and Lama Zopa Rinpoche's tireless expositions of the Lamrim. In 1979, Lama Yeshe took the visionary step of establishing a dedicated monastic community for women at Kopan and insisting that nuns receive the exact same rigorous training in Buddhist logic and debate as monks, giving rise to Khachoe Ghakyil Ling Nunnery below the hill, where in 2016 several Kopan nuns became among the first women in Tibetan history to earn the Geshema doctorate.
Following Lama Thubten Yeshe's passing in March 1984 at age forty-nine (and the recognition of his Spanish-born reincarnation, Lama Ösel Hita Torres), Lama Zopa Rinpoche together with the beloved long-time abbot Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup Rigsel (1941 to 2011) and current abbot Khen Rinpoche Geshe Thubten Chonyi guided Kopan's expansion into a comprehensive monastic university, completing the grand main temple in 2002, adding a Tantric College, and enshrining the relics of Lama Zopa Rinpoche after his passing in April 2023.
- 1969Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche purchase Kapan Hill and found Kopan MonasteryAcquiring the estate of Nepal's royal astrologer, the two masters establish the Mount Everest Centre for Buddhist Studies with 25 Sherpa novices from Solukhumbu.
- November 1971 and 1975First Annual November Lamrim Meditation Course and founding of the FPMTThe first month-long November Lamrim course is held in 1971; in 1975 Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche establish the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) at Kopan.
- 1979 and 1994Establishment of the Kopan Nuns' Community and Khachoe Ghakyil Ling NunneryFounded in 1979 and expanded onto its own campus below Kapan Hill in 1994, Khachoe Ghakyil Ling grows to nearly 400 nuns studying philosophy, debate, and sacred arts.
- 1984 and 2001Enshrinement of the Reliquary Stupas of Lama Thubten Yeshe and Geshe Lama KonchogFollowing the passing of Lama Yeshe (1984) and the great Himalayan cave yogi Geshe Lama Konchog (2001), memorial stupas housing their relics are erected in the main gardens.
- 2002 and 2023Consecration of the Grand Lama Tsongkhapa Gompa and tribute to Lama Zopa RinpocheThe monumental main assembly hall is inaugurated in 2002; following the passing of Lama Zopa Rinpoche in April 2023, his holy body and relics are enshrined in devotion at Kopan.
The twenty-six-year cave retreat of Geshe Lama Konchog (1917 to 2001). Among the revered masters who lived and taught at Kopan was the extraordinary yogi Geshe Lama Konchog. After earning his Geshe degree at Sera Je in Tibet, he spent twenty-six years in solitary meditation inside high mountain caves in Nepal's remote Tsum Valley before joining Kopan Monastery in 1985 at Lama Zopa Rinpoche's invitation. When he passed away at Kopan in 2001, his cremation yielded profusion of pearl-like relics, and the acclaimed documentary film Unmistaken Child (2008) chronicled his heart disciple Tenzin Zopa's four-year search across the mountains to find his young reincarnation and bring him home to Kopan.
IIIThe Lama Tsongkhapa Main Assembly Hall, the Eight Great Stupas, Meditation Gardens, and Khachoe Ghakyil Ling Nunnery
Occupying the entire wooded crown of Kapan Hill, Kopan Monastery blends traditional Tibetan monastic architecture with lush botanical gardens shaded by bodhi, jacaranda, and pine trees. Terraced stone pathways lined with bougainvillea and marigold beds link the main assembly halls, philosophical classrooms, library, stupa plazas, and quiet guest quarters overlooking the Kathmandu Valley.
Carefully repaired and seismically strengthened following the 2015 Nepal earthquake, the complex offers an atmosphere of spotless order, flowering beauty, and contemplative stillness.
Completed in 2002 at the heart of the hilltop, the grand assembly hall features a richly carved Tibetan timber portico and a luminous interior housing a twenty-foot gilded statue of Je Tsongkhapa surrounded by a thousand miniature Buddhas and lineage frescoes.
Standing on the south-facing lawn overlooking the valley are the whitewashed reliquary stupas of Lama Thubten Yeshe, Geshe Lama Konchog, and Khensur Lama Lhundrup, alongside a row of Eight Great Enlightenment Stupas and the golden reliquary of Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Set amid manicured lawns and ancient bodhi trees are a glass-enclosed shrine to Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara, a pavilion housing a massive copper prayer wheel filled with millions of mantras, and outdoor statues of Shakyamuni and Maitreya Buddha.
Academic wings serve nearly 400 resident monks with lecture halls, a shaded stone courtyard where monks engage in lively hand-clapping philosophical debate each afternoon, a Tantric College, and an extensive English and Tibetan library.
Located a fifteen-minute walk down the southwestern slope, the sister nunnery houses nearly 400 nuns in a vibrant complex featuring a grand prayer hall, a traditional Thangka embroidery workshop, and a pure Tibetan herbal incense factory.
| Feature | Historical and architectural specification | Verified source |
|---|---|---|
| Official name | Kopan Monastery / Ogmin Jangchub Choling | Kopan Monastery Official Records (kopanmonastery.com), Wikidata Q1783882 |
| Founded and founders | 1969, by Lama Thubten Yeshe (1935-1984) and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche (1946-2023) | Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (fpmt.org) |
| Buddhist lineage | Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism (following the Sera Je Monastic University and Je Tsongkhapa tradition) | Ogmin Jangchub Choling Monastic Administration |
| Monastic community | Approx. 380 to 400 monks at Kopan Monastery and nearly 400 nuns at Khachoe Ghakyil Ling Nunnery | Kopan Monastic School and Nunnery Registry |
| Administrative location | Kapan Hill (north of Boudhanath Stupa), Kapan, Budhanilkantha Municipality, Kathmandu District, Bagmati Province, Nepal | Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) |
IVThe Lie of the Land
Rising as a solitary green hillock between the northern mountain wall of Shivapuri and the basin of Boudhanath, Kapan Hill was prized for centuries by sages and royal astronomers alike. Below is a reading of the monastery's terrain and axial alignment through the library's landform framework.
Examining the mountain backing and solitary hillock formation at coordinates 27.7425 degrees north, 85.3644 degrees east (elevation approx. 1,490 meters, rising 150 meters above the surrounding valley floor), Kopan Monastery crowns an isolated, rounded hill (a classic Solitary Peak / Star Mound formation) in the northeastern sector of the Kathmandu Valley. Directly behind Kapan Hill to the north soars the forested wall of the Shivapuri Range (2,732 meters), which acts as a grand Black Tortoise Backing Screen shielding the hill from cold northern winds while feeding the tributary streams (such as the Dhobi Khola / Rudramati) that curve around the base of the hill toward the Bagmati River.
In terms of cardinal orientation and sacred visual axis, the main assembly hall and stupa terrace of Kopan Monastery are aligned sitting north and facing south. Looking straight out across the southern terrace (the expansive Outer Bright Hall formed by the entire Kathmandu basin), the monastery gazes directly along a 2.2-kilometer north-south axis toward the great white mandala dome of Boudhanath Stupa on the plain below. This visual and geomantic resonance between the hilltop seat of contemplative study and the valley's supreme reliquary stupa anchors Kopan in an extraordinary field of clarity and peace.
VThe Annual November Lamrim Course, Lama Tsongkhapa Butter-Lamp Night, and Monlam Prayer Assemblies
The annual calendar at Kopan Monastery interweaves the traditional liturgical feasts of the Gelug school with international meditation retreats taught in English. The table below outlines the principal observances and courses held on Kapan Hill.
| Date | Calendar system | Observance / Course | Liturgical rites and contemplative activities at Kopan Monastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| November to December (30-day residential retreat) | Gregorian Calendar (held annually since 1971) | The Annual November Lamrim Meditation Course | Kopan's signature international retreat: over two hundred participants from around the world live in monastic simplicity for a full month of daily Lamrim teachings, guided analytical meditation, silence, discussion groups, and Bodhisattva vows. |
| 25th day of the 10th Tibetan lunar month | Tibetan Lunar Calendar (November or December) | Lama Tsongkhapa Day (Gaden Ngamchoe Festival of Lights) | Commemorating the parinirvana of Gelug founder Je Tsongkhapa, monks, nuns, and laypeople illuminate every roofline, stupa, and garden path on Kapan Hill with tens of thousands of butter lamps while chanting the Migtsema prayer. |
| 1st to 15th day of the 1st Tibetan lunar month | Tibetan Lunar Calendar (February or March) | Losar (Tibetan New Year) and the Fifteen Days of Miracles Great Prayer Festival (Monlam Chenmo) | Nearly 800 monks and nuns of Kopan and Khachoe Ghakyil Ling gather for two weeks of world-peace prayers, philosophical examinations, and a joyous procession of Maitreya Buddha. |
| 15th day of the 4th Tibetan lunar month (Saga Dawa Düchen) | Tibetan Lunar Calendar (May or June) | Saga Dawa Celebration of the Buddha's Birth, Enlightenment, and Parinirvana | Pre-dawn taking of the Eight Mahayana Precepts, prostrations to the Thirty-Five Confession Buddhas, recitation of the Kangyur canon, and animal liberation practices. |
| Daily in the late afternoon (approx. 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM) | Daily academic schedule | Monastic Philosophical Debate (Tsennyi) in the Shaded Courtyard | Each afternoon, hundreds of maroon-robed monks pair off in the garden courtyard to debate points of Buddhist logic and epistemology, punctuating their arguments with rhythmic hand claps. |
Thousands of butter lamps glowing above the Kathmandu Valley on Gaden Ngamchoe night. On the evening of the twenty-fifth day of the tenth Tibetan month (Lama Tsongkhapa Day), as twilight settles over the Kathmandu Valley below, young novices and visiting students light rows of golden butter lamps along every step and parapet of Kapan Hill. The deep choral chanting of the Migtsema praise to Je Tsongkhapa rising into the crisp night air embodies the living warmth of a lineage that has bridged ancient Tibet and the modern world.
In northeastern Kathmandu, visitors can easily pair an afternoon visit to Kopan Monastery with morning circumambulation at Boudhanath Stupa and a visit to nearby Shechen Monastery, Kathmandu.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Kapan Hill (north of Boudhanath Stupa), Kapan, Budhanilkantha Municipality, Kathmandu District, Bagmati Province, Nepal
- Getting there
- Kopan Monastery sits atop Kapan Hill in Budhanilkantha Municipality, approximately 2.5 to 3.5 km north of Boudhanath Stupa and 7 to 8 km northeast of central Kathmandu (Thamel). From Boudhanath Stupa, a taxi ride directly up to the Kopan Monastery gate takes 15 to 20 minutes, or visitors can walk uphill through Kapan town in about 45 minutes (passing Khachoe Ghakyil Ling Nunnery at the base of the hill along the way). Local microbuses also run from Kathmandu's Ratna Park / Old Bus Park to the foot of Kapan Hill, followed by a 15- to 20-minute uphill walk to the summit.
- Coordinates
- 27.7425, 85.3644
Kopan Monastery welcomes day visitors to its gardens, stupa terrace, and main assembly hall during posted visiting hours (please note that during the month-long November Course in November and December, the monastery grounds are often closed to drop-in day visitors to preserve a quiet retreat environment for hundreds of meditators). When visiting, dress modestly covering shoulders and knees, remove shoes before entering the Main Assembly Hall, walk clockwise around all stupas and prayer wheels, speak softly in the gardens, and respect signs marking private monastic residences and silent retreat zones.
Nearby places in the library
VIIContribute To This Page
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?Quick Questions
When was Kopan Monastery founded, and who were its founders?
Kopan Monastery (formally Ogmin Jangchub Choling) was founded in 1969 by two renowned Tibetan Buddhist masters of the Gelug tradition, Lama Thubten Yeshe (1935 to 1984) and his heart disciple Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche (1946 to 2023), on the hilltop estate formerly owned by Nepal's royal astrologer.
Why is Kopan Monastery famous among international students of Buddhism?
Beginning in November 1971, Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche pioneered accessible English-language residential meditation courses at Kopan based on the Lamrim (Stages of the Path to Enlightenment). From Kopan, they founded the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) in 1975, which grew into a global network of over 150 Buddhist centers.
What is the annual November Course at Kopan Monastery?
Held every autumn (typically November to December) since 1971, the November Course is a thirty-day residential retreat at Kopan Monastery where over two hundred participants from around the world study the Lamrim teachings, practice guided analytical and breathing meditation, observe periods of noble silence, and cultivate compassion and wisdom.
How many monks and nuns live and study at Kopan today?
Kopan is a major Himalayan monastic university: nearly 400 ordained monks reside and study the classical Sera Je philosophical curriculum up to the Geshe doctorate atop Kapan Hill, while nearly 400 ordained nuns study philosophy, debate, and sacred arts at sister Khachoe Ghakyil Ling Nunnery at the foot of the hill.
What should day visitors keep in mind before visiting Kopan Monastery?
Day visitors are welcome free of charge during standard visiting hours (except during the month-long November Course in late autumn when the grounds close to casual visitors). Please wear modest clothing covering shoulders and knees, remove shoes before entering shrine halls, walk clockwise around stupas, and maintain quiet mindfulness across the hilltop gardens.