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Published: October 22nd 2008
Dharamasala is steeped in history and blesses by nature. Nestling in the Dhauladhar ranges of the Himachal Pradesh, its one of the most important centres of Buddhism. For those in quest of a place for a peaceful time. Dharamasala can be a perfect retreat. Since it is the seat of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government-in-exile, the very presence of so many monks can have a calming effect on the nerves. From the pulls and pressures of City life (Delhi for one) can instantly be transported into a world of peace and quiet where monasteries, fluttering white flags, prayer wheels and long nature walks can overtake senses.
It took us a 2 ½ hour Indian bus ride on the Saturday morning from outside our camp in Sungal to the very heart of Dharamasala. The road that runs through the gentle slopes of conifer trees, with the pristine beauty of the snow capped Dhauladhars ranges as a backdrop. The views of the willow clusters, pastures, apple orchards, apricot blossoms and fields of pinenuts, which grow here in abundance is exhilarating.
Dharamasala lies in the Pir Panjal region of the Outer Himalayas. It commands a majestic view of the Kangra
On the Way
10 minutes later this bus was packed to the roofKinner Kailash range that stands guard over this pristine hill resort, which has a monastery on a hilltop.
Like many of the Bus rides we have taken over the last few weeks in India you are packed in like sardines and the humps and bumps that you encounter there is little wonder that you don’t end up covered in loads of bruises. After leaving the now hot and sweaty bus we quickly change to a taxi to take to 9km road trip further up the mountains to McLeodganj situated 1,770 metres above sea level.
Dharamasala actually consists of two hilltop resorts. The upper part being McLeodganj, which has been the abode of the Dalai Lama. It is named after the Lt Governor of Punjab (1865 - 70) Sir Donald Friell McLeod and was one of the most favoured resorts of the British in the 19th Century.
Back in 1959 when the Dalai Lama fled Tibet and sought political asylum in India, the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru offered him and his followers, a refuge in Dharamasala, which had a hilly terrain like Tibet and would not greatly alter their lifestyle. Ever since then it has been
called the Tibetan Kingdom in Exile or more popularly, the Little Lhasa of India.
We arrived to find our hotel that I had booked on the internet to be one of the best we have stayed in since our arrival in India a month ago. The views over the hills many metres below us were amazing and so were the view from our room itself. After a quick freshen up we had lunch in the hotels Bar & Restaurant which also had the great view over the valley. We then took a walk around the small village with three small main roads and many little side streets. Each were filled with stalls selling Tibetan handicrafts including woolen hats, prayer wheels, singing bowls, beaded bracelets and necklaces . Unlike most of the markets we have seen over the last few months no one begged us to see their items with “Best Price”. This was also the first place since arriving in India that we saw so many westerners, each smiling at us as they pasted. There were many monks walking about wearing their burnt Red and Orange robes that made me feel very much privileged to be here in this
very peaceful place.
Dinner tonight was to be a traditional Tibetan meal in the Hotel Tibet about a 5 minutes walk from our hotel. The Restaurant was on the top floor and there were also views other the town mainly over the buildings and hill in the distance. The entire group had dressed up in their Indian outfits including me in a White & Gold long shirt and white pants.
Next morning we spent the morning looking around the Buddhist Temple were the Dalai Lama and his monks worship. As the Dalai Lama was in hospital in Delhi there were hundreds of monks praying for his safe return after the operation. Seeing the giant Golden Prayer wheels were great and we even puched them clockwise to bring us luck.
By 4pm it was time to leave McLeodganj and Dharamshala for the journey back to camp.
A Bit about the Dalai Lama himself Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso (born Lhamo Döndrub
(Tibetan: ལྷ་མོ་དོན་འགྲུབ་ ) 6 July 1935 in Qinghai, is the 14th Dalai Lama. He is the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamshala, India. Tibetans traditionally believe him to be the
reincarnation of his predecessors.
The Dalai Lama is a revered spiritual leader among Tibetans. He is the most influential figure of the Gelugpa or Yellow Hat Sect and has considerable influence over other sects of Tibetan Buddhism. The Chinese government, whose occupation of Tibet in 1959 forced him into exile in India, regards him as the symbol of an outmoded theocratic system.
Tenzin Gyatso was the fifth of 16 children born to a farming family in the village of Taktser, Qinghai province where he learned the Amdo dialect of Tibetan as his first language. He was proclaimed the tulku or rebirth of the thirteenth Dalai Lama two years after he was born. On 17 November 1950, at the age of fifteen, he was enthroned as Tibet's Dalai Lama, thus becoming Tibet's most important spiritual leader and political ruler. This occurred only one month after the People's Liberation Army's invasion of Tibet.
After initially ratifying, under military pressure, the 1951 Seventeen Point Agreement, to co-exist alongside China, he left Tibet for India following the failed uprising due to the failure in both spirit and practice of the agreement, and the collapse of the Tibetan resistance movement in 1959.
In India, he was active in establishing the Tibetan government-in-exile and in seeking to preserve Tibetan culture and education among about 80,000 Tibetan exiles that followed him.
Tenzin Gyatso is described as a "charismatic" figure, and he is a noted public speaker. He is the first Dalai Lama to travel to the West, where he has spread Buddhist teachings and promoted ethics and religious harmony. He was awarded honorary Canadian citizenship in 2006, and the United States Congressional Gold Medal on 17 October 2007. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
Dalai Lama's discharge from hospital delayed Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is recovering steadily from surgery to remove gallstones but will not leave hospital until later in the week, doctors said.
The 73-year-old had the keyhole procedure in New Delhi on Friday after he was admitted to hospital with abdominal pain. The Dalai Lama's spokesman Tenzin Taklha had said he would be released on Tuesday, but on Monday a doctor at the Sir Ganga Ram hospital told AFP it would be Wednesday or Thursday.
"We want to be absolutely certain about his health," the doctor said, adding the Dalai
Lama was "recovering steadily."
Taklha said the Tibetan spiritual leader was "absolutely fine" but would remain in hospital for at least another two days.
He would however visit Japan as planned, and resume his Buddhist teachings a week after returning to Dharamshala, Taklha added.
A similar episode in August forced the Nobel Laureate to cancel his engagements and rush to a hospital in Mumbai.
After he was released from hospital on September 1 following tests to determine the cause of the earlier bout of pain, his office cancelled a planned October tour to Germany and Switzerland, citing health reasons.
In the weeks preceding his illness, the Dalai Lama had pursued a hectic international itinerary as he campaigned for improved human rights in Tibet while China hosted the Olympic Games in August.
Beijing has accused him of masterminding riots against Chinese rule in the Tibetan capital Lhasa and neighbouring areas with Tibetan populations in March in order to destabilise the country -- a claim he denies.
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Chris
non-member comment
Wow
Another amazing blog! Glad to see your fondness for taking photos of sunsets has not deminished! Keep having a great time Chris xx