The three year retreat center is on the top of a hill about twenty minutes past the town of Almora. Almora is in Uttaranchal, North India just west of Nepal. It is right at the foot of the Himalayas, of which, magnificent views can be seen on clear days. The center is only about 100 kilometres from Mount Kailash in Tiebt, although to get there from here would be challenging. There are majestic pine trees and an abundance of lush greenery. Wild life comes in various shapes and sizes ranging from monkeys to snow leopards and colorful parrots.
The center has an interesting history for Dharma buffs. The property was first owned by the well-known editor W. Evans-Wentz. It was then taken over by Lama Govinda who left it to his Tibetan helpers, who are non other than Abao Lama's aunt and uncle! When uncle passed on, Abao Lama's aunt, affectionately known as Ama-La donated the land to His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche, and now it remains as a three year retreat center.
There is a lovely temple and two large dorm buildings, a kitchen and running water, albeit cold, and electricity. The rooms are bright and large and made of concrete. We each have our own room. Food is served outside which we take back to our own rooms.
Men and women are not separated, but are in different parts of the dorms. There is a cook who makes three meals a day - vegetarian. We eat beans, rice, dhal, subji(curried vegetables) potato, chapati, yogurt, tofu, panir (goat's cheese) spaghetti, chow mein, and even pancakes! Lama Champa our retreat master says now is the time to eat well. To use our precious human body to its maximum benefit!
The climate is quite mild. February - March is Spring; April May and June are hot and dry; July, August and September are hot and wet. October and November are a clear and cool Fall, and December and January are a cold and wet Winter, 0-10C.
It rarely snows, and summer does not get too humid at around 30C. As a result, it is a sought after place to do retreats. Other Drikung Retreat Centers in Nepal, Dehradun or Lapachi face either extreme heat or extreme cold. Of course, we have no heating or air-conditioning!
The address for mail and packages is as follows:
c/o Vadra Mountain Meditation Centre,
Bodh Ashram, Kasar Devi,
P O Denapani,
Almora 263601,
Uttaranchal,
INDIA.
A map of the area
The small town of Almora is perched on a five-kilometre long horseshoe-shaped ridge, 1,650 metres above sea level. The town looks out over a fertile terraced valley and four ranges of hills - Banari Devi, Kasan Devi, Shayahi Devi and Katarmal. Beyond them you can see Trishul and Nanda Devi in the Great Himalayas.
Unlike most hill stations, Almora wasn't an empty hillside 'discovered' by the British. It was already an established town with a long history. The Kashaya Hill on which Almora is built is mentioned in the Hindu scripture, the Skanda Purana. It is believed that the great god Vishnu dwelt here. The area has been inhabited since the earliest historical times, but it was in 1560 that Raja Kalyan Chand of Kumaon decided to make it his capital. Gorkha invaders put an end to the Chand dynasty in 1790 and occupied Almora fort, but after the Gorkhas were themselves defeated by the British in 1815, Almora gained a new lease of life as a minor hill station.
The Retreat Master
Our retreat master is Drupon Champa Rigzin Rinpoche. He was born in Ladakh, a remote Himalayan kingdom in the mountain region of Karakoram, close to the source of the Indus. Entering the Lama Yuru monastery at the age of twelve, he began a three year retreat under Khunga Rinpoche. His retret group included Drupon Samten Rinpoche and Khenchen Kunchog Gyaltsen Rinpoche.
He did his Ngodro and Five-Fold Path of Mahammudra with Khunga Rinpoche suring which time Khunga Rinpoche passed on. Lama Champa continued his three year retreat - a study of the Six Yogas of Naropa under Lama Sonam Jorpel Rinpoche, who is also Lama Champa's uncle!
At the Snake Year teachings Lama Champa was appointed Drupon (Retreat Master) and has guided many disciples through their three year retreat. He spends some of his time travelling to Europe and Chile where he also has many Western disciples.
Lama Champa speaks English very well, and has a wonderful sense of humour. He is very precise and clear in his teachings. Also humbe and down to earth, we all feel very privileged to be under his guidance!
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