The daily life of the monastery revolves around the Prayer Hall, starting with the early morning prayers at 6am, afternoon prayers at 3pm and the evening gathering in the courtyard for debate practice. It is the setting for the magnificent Gyutor Festival leading up to the Tibetan New Year, during which Tashi Lhunpo Monastery's unique masked dances are performed. It houses the precious statues, thangkas and statues of the deities, some of which have been carried to the monastery from Tibet, and it contains the 'Pothang' or Palace, the residence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Holiness the Panchen Lama - the spiritual leader of Tashi Lhunpo. Over the next ten years, the membership of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery is expected to rise from the present 300 monks to around 1,500 - a development which has the blessing of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. There is now an urgent need to build a new Main Prayer Hall to allow this precious centre of learning to continue its work. When Tashi Lhunpo Monastery was re-established in India in 1972, with a few monks who had been able to escape from Tibet, a small temple was built, in which the monks still offer morning and evening prayer every day throughout the year. In addition, the monks' practice of Taksel or Dialectical Debate - an integral part of their study - takes place in the small courtyard in front of the temple. The membership of the monastery has now grown to over 300, and new applications to join are being received every month. There is now an urgent need to provide the monks with a larger temple