Traditionally located within the Potala Palace, and charged with various ritual tasks connected with the Dalai Lama, the parent monastery in 1959 relocated to Dharamsala along with the Tibetan exile government.
Namgyal's website names the late Pema Losang Chogyen—a monk associated with the early days of the institute—as its "inspiration."
Namgyal Institute offers a three-year program emphasizing Tibetan language, Buddhist philosophy, and meditation practice.
The core program was designed in part by the Dalai Lama, and aimed at Western dharma practitioners.
A number of books from Snow Lion Publications bear the label "A Namgyal Institute Textbook."