Tilokpur - Tibetan Nuns Project

Tilokpur Nunnery, also called Karma Drubgyu Thargay Ling, is the oldest Kagyu nunnery outside of Tibet.

Tilokpur Nunnery was founded in 1966 by Mrs. Freda Bedi, a British nun ordained by the previous Karmapa. It is now home to about 120 nuns from Tibet, the Himalayan border regions of India, and the Mustang region of Nepal.

The nunnery was built near the cave of the great Indian yogi Tilopa. It is located about 20 miles from Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh, India.

Tilokpur is a small nunnery. In the past, the nuns were hampered in their abilities to develop and sustain themselves by the general lack of education.

The Tibetan Nuns Project helped them start regular classes in Tibetan, Buddhist philosophy, and English. We helped them purchase new books, including Buddhist philosophy and math textbooks. The nuns have a management committee that administers the internal activities of the nunnery.

The nunnery is also part of the Tibetan Nuns Project sponsorship program which helps support the nuns and nunnery, providing food, clothing, education, shelter, and health care.

Many of the nuns come from very poor families. The nuns have special teachers and daily classes in Tibetan language, including grammar and composition, English language, Buddhist philosophy, and debate practice. Each month, according to special days in the Tibetan lunar calendar, the nuns practice special prayers and worship services, fasting, and meditation.

Here is a slideshow of photos taken in 2022 by Olivier Adam.