Vishwa Shanti Stupa Road, Vaishali, Bihar
Dhamma Vesali – North Bihar Vipassana Meditation Centre
Ten silent days of Vipassana in the Buddha's Vaishali
Details checked on the official site, October 2026 · We never take bookings or commissions
Dhamma Vesali is a small Vipassana centre in the renovated premises of the Vietnam Mahaprajapati Nunnery at Vaishali, about 500 m from the relic stupa of the Licchavis. It runs free 10-day silent courses in the S.N. Goenka tradition roughly every two weeks for about 40 students.
Inside a Vietnamese nunnery about 500 m from the Licchavi relic stupa
Vaishali is where, by tradition, the first Buddhist nuns were ordained
10-day courses roughly every two weeks
Free
donation-based
- Stay
- Meals
- Meditation
10-day course is free incl. food and lodging; only past students may donate
Courses here are free or by donation. Never pay an agent or another website to book.
Indicative. Checked on the official site, October 2026.
Before you book
Arrival
Fixed course dates only
Couples
Couples stay separately
Phones
Phones handed in
Food
Vegetarian food
Booking
Apply on their site
Taxes
Not stated: ask the retreat
Great for
- deep practice
- spiritual seekers
- budget travellers
- digital detox
Maybe not for
- Short breaks: the minimum is 11 nights
- Anyone who needs to stay reachable by phone
Good to know before you go
- Inside the Vietnam Mahaprajapati Nunnery, ~500 m from the Vaishali-Kharauna Gate bus stop
- Noble silence for the whole course; phones and valuables are handed in on arrival
- Small centre (about 40 places), so apply early
Programs & stays
Rooms: Simple rooms for about 20 men and 20 women; soundproofed, air-conditioned hall
Program names and lengths change. Check the retreat's calendar for current dates.
When to go
Best Oct–Mar. Nov–Feb is cool and dry (foggy, cold nights in Dec–Jan); Apr–Jun is very hot; Jul–Sep is monsoon
- Winter · Dec–Feb
- Post-monsoon · Oct–Nov
Getting there
Nearest airportPatna (PAT), ~70 km (taxi about ₹2,000)
By trainHajipur or Muzaffarpur, each ~35–40 km by road
- ~680 km from Kolkata, best to fly
- ~1,130 km from Delhi NCR, best to fly
- ~1,590 km from Hyderabad, best to fly
- ~1,990 km from Mumbai, best to fly
Researched from the retreat's official website and public sources. Details change, so confirm prices, dates and policies with Dhamma Vesali – North Bihar Vipassana Meditation Centre before booking.
- Photo: Kanad Sanyal, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Sumitsurai, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Jared Rice, Unsplash
- Photo: Lisa Hobbs, Unsplash
Run Dhamma Vesali – North Bihar Vipassana Meditation Centre? Claim this listing to correct details and answer questions as the official team.
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