Abbeys monasteries and convents Bodnath

Tsamchen Gompa is the onlyTibetan Buddhist monastery to open directly onto the stūpa. It houses superb paintings and a Buddha from the future. But many other gompas surround the stūpa: Tamang Gompa, Kagyupa Gompa, Chinya-Lama Gompa, Nyingmapa Gompa, Tarik Gompa... Most can be visited, except in the middle of the day. Further east, Samtenling Gompa is the oldest. The large Kopan monastery (in the nearby mountains) and Shechen monastery provide accommodation for visitors. The latter is famous for one of its monks: the Frenchman Matthieu Ricard.