The Gadhan Thekchhokling Gompa is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery near the old bus stand in Manali, the main focus of the Tibetan refugee community that settled here after 1959. The complex includes a prayer hall, a large gilded Buddha, and galleries with thangka paintings. Monks in maroon robes are usually visible, and the prayer hall is open to visitors during the day.
The monastery is also the centre of a small Tibetan handicraft industry that has been operating here for decades. Carpet-weaving workshops and thangka painting ateliers operate on the monastery premises; goods are sold at fair prices, and you can watch the work in progress. The quality is notably higher than the mass-produced Tibetan goods sold in the bazaar. The rooftop terrace has views over the town and across to the mountains on the east side of the valley.