Yorkshire’s 18th century estate Harewood to host Tibetan monks from Tashi Lhunpo Monastery founded by the first Dalai Lama over 570 years ago

Eight Tibetan monks will construct a traditional Tibetan Sand Mandala and host a Destruction Ceremony at the end 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 at Harewood.

Tashi Lhunpo Monastery was founded in Shigatse, Tibet, by the first Dalai Lama in 1447 and has now been re-established in exile and there are presently 400 monks studying Buddhist philosophy in Bylakuppe Tibetan settlement, near Mysore in South India.

A trust was set up in 2003 to raise awareness of Tibetan history and to support the monastery in India by fundraising. The trust has been organising cultural tours for more than 20 years and monks have performed in theatres, art centres and village halls all over the country and Europe.

A sand mandala is a detailed picture made from grains of coloured sand and it is used in the Tantric tradition of Tibetan Buddhism to help with meditation. Once a sand mandala is made, a ritual destruction takes place, which symbolises the Buddhist belief in the transitory nature of material life.

Harewood’s history is rooted in its connections with the Himalayas and to Buddhism and the Himalayan Garden at the estate is home to the Harewood Stupa, a Buddhist monument built in 2004 by monks from the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan and is only one of its kind in the UK.

The Tibetan monks will be staying at Harewood from Tuesday, May 30 to Sunday, June 4, 2023.

The first event taking place is the Mandala Creation at various times throughout the week where the Tashi Lhunpo Monks will work together to create a mandala out of coloured sand; they are made to encourage healing, peace and purification. Anyone can drop in this event for free and it is located in the Education Suite.

The Tibetan Monastery Arts Hands-on Workshop will take place from Wednesday, May 31 to Saturday, June 3 from 11.30am to 1pm.

This is where you can discover the Buddhist monastic art with this creative and practical workshop led by the Tibetan Monks.

A performance Workshop will take place from Wednesday, May 31 to Friday, June 2 from 2.30pm to 3.30pm.

At this workshop you will explore the beautiful costumes worn in the Gutor Festival at Tibetan New Year while learning all about the art of dialectical debate, Taksel. This event is free but you are required to pre-book.

The last event on the agenda will be the Destruction of Mandala, which will be held on Sunday, June 4 from 10.30am to 11.30am.