Harewood is once again delighted to host a visit from eight Tibetan monks from Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. Throughout the week, watch as the monks construct a traditional Tibetan Sand Mandala, and don’t miss the chance to see the Destruction Ceremony at the conclusion of the exhibition.

Alongside the sand mandala ritual, the Tibetan monks will also be holding stunning performances and offering unique opportunities to learn through workshops.

Mandala Creation
Tue 30 May–Sat 3 Jun | Various Times
The Tashi Lhunpo Monks will work together to create a mandala out of coloured sand, these mandalas are works of art made to encourage healing, peace and purification. This is a long and detailed process that will take several days to complete and produces a visual masterpiece. Located in Harewood Suite.
Free drop in

Tibetan Monastery Arts Hands-on Workshop
Wed 31 May – Sat 3 Jun | 11.30am – 1pm
Discover the inspiring Buddhist monastic art with this creative and practical workshop led by the Tibetan Monks from Tashi Lhunpo Monastery.
Free, pre-booking required
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Performance Workshop
Wed 31 May – Fri 2 Jun  | 2.30pm – 3.30pm
Explore the beautiful costumes worn in the Gutor Festival at Tibetan New Year while learning about the art of dialectical debate, Taksel.
Free, pre-booking required
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Destruction of Mandala
Sun 4 Jun  | 10.30am– 11.30am
Join the monks as the ritual concludes with the destruction of the mandala, followed by a procession to the cascade near Harewood’s Stupa.

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About Tashi Lhunpo Monastery

Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, founded in Shigatse, Tibet, by the 1^st Dalai Lama in 1447, has now been re-established in exile, and there are currently 400 monks studying Buddhist philosophy in Bylakuppe Tibetan settlement, near Mysore in South India. The Tashi Lhunpo Monastery UK Trust was set up in 2003 to raise awareness of the Tibetan situation and to support the monastery in India by fund-raising.  This Trust has been organising cultural tours since 2001, and the monks have performed in theatres, art centres and village halls all over the UK and Europe.

What is a sand mandala?

A sand mandala is an intricate picture made entirely from grains of coloured sand. The mandala is used in the Tantric tradition of Tibetan Buddhism to help with meditation. Once a sand mandala is created, a ritual destruction then takes place, symbolising the Buddhist belief in the transitory nature of material life.

Buddhism and Harewood

Harewood has a long-standing connections to the Himalayas and to Buddhism. The Himalayan Garden here is home to the Harewood Stupa, a Buddhist monument built in 2004 by monks from the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. It is the only one of its kind in the UK.

The current Earl of Harewood, David Lascelles, was instrumental in the commissioning of the Harewood Stupa. After visiting Bhutan in 2002 he invited Lama Sonam Chophel, a master-builder of stupas, to build an Enlightenment Stupa at Harewood. The construction took place over three months in the summer of 2004 and the stupa was formally consecrated the following year in a ceremony presided over by the distinguished Lama Baso Karpo, also from Bhutan. Since its construction, Harewood has welcomed many eminent Lamas from India and Nepal to visit, make offerings and lead prayers at the stupa.

You can visit the Harewood Stupa throughout the open season here. It is located in the Himalayan Garden close to the Lakeside Path.