Kinnaur Bodh Vihar is a community temple located in Sarahan, in the Himachal Pradesh region of north-east India. After 10 years of work, this new temple was finally completed at the end of 2001. Today there are 3 monks who serve the needs of the community through prayers, rituals and teachings.

  
  View of the Kinnaur Bodh Vihar Temple

A Brief History
The land was donated to third Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche by the Buddhist community in Sarahan in 1989. A temple, Kinnaur Bodh Vihar, already existed on the property at that time, but the people felt that it was too small to serve the needs of the community effectively. Therefore, they requested the third Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche to assume responsibility for the development of the Temple, and to establish Dharma activities in Sarahan which would benefit them as well as ensure that future generations would continue in their Buddhist faith, culture and tradition.
   The third Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche was very pleased and offered to provide financial assistance for the reconstruction of the temple and to help further the religious and spiritual activities there for the benefit of the community.
   On the occasion of his first visit to Sarahan in 1989, he formally accepted the community's offer of the land and temple. During that time, Rinpoche bestowed to the devotees the empowerments of Chenrezig and Buddha Amitayus as well as the oral transmission of the mantra of Guru Rinpoche.

  
  Kinnaur Bodh Vihar Sangha

Third Jamgon Rinpoche' s Last Advice
to the Devotees of the Temple
In 1990, the third Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche made his last visit to Sarahan, when he performed the pujas of Tse Yang Gug Pa, Kon Chog Chin Du and Phu Rab Cho Ga. He also consecrated the land for the construction of a new temple and blessed all the devotees.
   The Third Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche's last advice to them was that the devotees come together as vajra brothers and sisters. He urged them to maintain good samaya with each other, as they belonged to the same temple,
   The devotees were extremely touched and the families present exchanged something of personal value to symbolise their bond with each other and their commitment to the advice they had received.