Located in Bylakuppe, part of the Mysuru district of the state of Karnataka, the monastery is home to a sangha community of more than five thousand monks and nuns and qualified teachers, a junior high school named Yeshe Wodsal Sherab Raldri Ling, a Buddhist philosophy college or shedra for both monks and nuns, a home for the elderly, and a hospital.

It was founded after his 1959 escape from Tibet[2] which was also prompted by the 1957 arrest of Palyul's then-head Khenpo, the 4th Karma Kuchen, who was tortured to death by China's forces by 1958.

Its initial structure was a temple constructed from bamboo, covering an area of approximately 80 square feet (7.4 m2) and its founder Penor Rinpoche lived in a tent.

The initial challenges included rampaging elephants, a lack of roads and of funds, and other tropical dangers.

From these humble beginnings, Namdroling has grown into the largest Nyingma school monastery in the world.