Relgious ceremonies at Gompas There are many religious ceremonies and functions at every gompa. They are attended by the lamas and in some cases by the general public as well. Congregational readings of scriptures are conducted in worship halls with the lamas sitting in regular rows with small desks before them on which scripts are placed.

Masked dancer in the monastery. Credit: Discover India magazine

By tradition, any family having a number of children sends a younger son or daughter to become a lama at the gompa to which the family owes allegiance. Though there is no age limit above which a child is not admitted for ordination as a lama, boys and girls are usually sent to the gompa at a very young age. When a child is marked out for a monastic life, he or she is taken to the gompa wearing the robes of a lama or chomo. The child's head is shaven amidst the recitation of scriptures.

A lama has to pass through several stages in the brotherhood or sangha.

Kushoks of Gompas
The head of a gompa or monastery is known as Kushok. The title of Rimpoche may be given to the Kushoks of large gompas. They have no heirs as they cannot marry. Hence when a Kushok dies, his successor is found in the form of a new incarnation. It is commonly believed that before dying, the Kushok gives some indication as to where the new incarnation will be found.

The Kushok is responsible for the general day to day functioning of the gompa, including meeting the religious and moral aspirations of the people.