Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Nestled within the ranges of the Western Himalayas, Dharamsala, etymologically meaning ‘the inn next to the temple’, is famous for its large Tibetan community. Home to the current Dalai Lama and Tibetan government in exile, it is a Buddhist heaven in India.
A quick 90-minute hop from Delhi, the twin-turbo propeller airplane flies low enough for you to see the brown soil giving way to rich green paddy fields. With beckoning mountains in the distance, Kangra airport is itself a picturesque gateway to Dharamshala. The silence of the airport is a welcome relief from the airplane’s roaring engines.
The drive to Dharamshala winds through various mountain roads, twisting and turning you steer past tea estates, fruit orchards, forests of slim trunked poplar trees, and an entire hillside filled with colourful flowers.
Our home for the next week, Chonor House in McLeod Ganj, is a part of Norbulingka, an organisation committed to restoring and preserving the Tibetan way of life. Frequented by celebrities such as actor Richard Gere, the guesthouse is a stone’s throw from the Dalai Lama’s residence in the Tsuglagkhang Complex. While I was keen to catch a glimpse of the famous Hollywood Buddhist, I chose Chonor as it provides much needed employment for Tibetan refugees who are pursuing further education in the area.
Each of the guesthouse’s 11 rooms are decorated according to a unique Tibetan theme. We stayed in Amdo, a northern province in Tibet, and the room reflected the theme with murals about the various lamas who influenced both the political and religious development of Tibet. With a travel desk that can arrange local sightseeing, a Cyber Yak library for internet access, a comprehensive selection of books and videos on Tibetan subjects and a gift shop that stocks authentic Norling creations, Chonor is a one-stop-shop for all things Dharamshala.
What strikes you most unusual about Dharamshala are the smiling people. It is not a tourist-friendly smile, but a smile that truly reflects their being. The people have taken to hear the dictates of their great leader: ‘Buddhism changed the whole Tibetan way of life, giving rise to a more compassionate community, in which there is a more peaceful attitude towards ourselves, towards our fellow human beings, towards animals and towards the environment’ - the Dalai Lama.
The compassion and the tranquility that seems to lace the air makes Chonor the best hotel I have ever visited.
Nawang Yeshi, 26, works as a waiter at the Chonor CafÈ, a place I ended up eating all of my meals. Over the course of seven days I sampled the entire Tibetan menu and came to appreciate this young man’s courage, fortitude and optimism.
Nawang is one of the many people who have battled the Himalayan peaks to find their way to Dharamshala through Nepal. "My family members are all farmers and nomads," he said. "Ever since I was young I have wanted to be a Buddhist monk. Practicing Buddhism in Tibet is very difficult. The government makes it almost impossible for anyone to become a true Buddhist."
A perpetually cheerful person, Nawang’s smile never faltered even when he recounted the perilous journey to Nepal. "I was 19 when I finally decided to follow the Dalai Lama. With great difficulty, I crossed the border to Nepal and from there on made my way from Katmandu to Delhi, to finally Dharamshala, seven years go.
"I am lucky," he said. "Sometimes it takes years for the necessary government permits to come through. In Dharamshala, I have the freedom to practice my way of life."
Upon arriving, Nawang enrolled at the Tibetan School that provides adult education classes for those who wish to learn English and Hindi. "Language skills are necessary to move forward. The community in Dharamshala is very supportive but they need us to stand on our own two feet as fast as possible. There are always more refugees coming through," he said.
Today, Nawang has enrolled in some computer skills classes and is looking to get his tourist guide permit. When asked about his family back in Tibet’s Yu-tsang province, a momentary sadness flickers across his face. "I am in touch with them, but I can never see them. They are not allowed to leave and if I visited them I would be arrested. My life is in Dharamshala now and that is the choice I have made." Acceptance now replaced sorrow.
At an altitude of 1,750 metres, the Tsuglagkhang Complex is the largest Tibetan temple outside of Tibet. As my visit coincided with the birthday celebrations of the Dalai Lama, the temple’s large meditation halls were filled with chanting monks who had travelled from all parts of the globe for this auspicious day. Festivities include school kids from five to 18-years-old performing traditional Tibetan dances, old monks offering prayers for good health and other artistic endeavors of the local community. With government officials from India and Tibet in attendance, the celebrations have a distinctive familial feel, rather than the pomp of an international affair. Thanks for my 75-year-old grandmother we were given access to the VIP seating area to view the five-hour long colourful display of Tibetan culture.
A visit to Dharamshala is incomplete without a visit to the famed Norbulingka Institute. The centre, which helps preserves the Tibetan way of life, is rife with culture, serenity and beauty. Artists-in-residence have painted every pillar, every wall and every corner in the traditional Tibetan way. Awash with bright colours fused together with intricate designs, the Institute is home to painters, carpenters, woodcarvers and sculptors who work together for a greater cause – preserving the past for future generations.
Tranquil, a word most used to describe this serene natural world that has been created within the Institute, is apt. Modelled after the summer palace in Lhasa, its visually-stunning gardens and waterways, fountains and rough stone walls are reminiscent of fairy tales.
The temple, Deden Tsuglagkhang, is aesthetically designed on traditional Tibetan lines. A 14-foot gilded copper statue of the Buddha dominates the interior and the walls are covered by extensive paintings and murals by the Institute’s resident Thangka painters. I spent an entire afternoon admiring and reading about the various avatars of Buddha, and even bought a gold and semi-precious stone-dusted traditional Thangka painting from a gift shop.
The Karmapa Gyuto Monastery is an hour’s drive away and a worthwhile visit for its gilded interiors and extensive gardens. With stunning views of the Dhauladhar peaks, this is an active monastery for monks learning the ways of Tantric Buddhism. Don’t be surprised to find young teenage monks chanting on the temple grounds.
It is easy to spend seven days in Dharamshala without leaving the town. If you do leave, there are enough Hindu religious sites, Buddhist monasteries, hillside and waterfall treks, tea estates (and a summer palace of the royal family of Kashmir to boot), to keep you busy. Chonor provided my grandmother and I with the ideal base from which to see the area.
After an exhilarating tour with Chonor’s drivers, we would spend the day relaxing in the guesthouse’s gardens, listening to music, reading or sipping on ginger chai while admiring the mountain vista. The steppe farmlands, the rolling hills, the wispy clouds and the gentle sounds of chanting encompass you with a feeling of everlasting peace.
In the mornings and late afternoons, a hawker’s marketplace opens up on Temple Road, the town’s main lifeline. With shops displaying seemingly authentic Thangka paintings to models of the Taj Mahal, which is hundreds of kilometres away, persistent shopkeepers will accost you with prayer beads, jewellery and souvenirs.
Usually walking away suffices but a polite yet firm ‘NO’ is sometimes necessary, although remember, bargaining over the price of items, like in the Middle East, is often part of the deal.
Dharamshala is the perfect destination for rest, relaxation and fun.
