Dharamsala: home of the Dalai Lama

I spent three days in Dharamsala, which has been the official residence of the Dalai Lama since 1959, when he fled the Chinese rule. The town definitely feels more like a little Tibet, than India. There are tons of Tibetan refugees and monks walking all around. As I write this, there are three sitting next to me in the coffee shop, having some chai and talking about philosophy :) It's been a really great place to just walk around and chill. There are quite a few other tourists here, so you don't get quite so much attention which is a welcome relief for a few days. I've
been shopping too much, eating too many mango lassis, and generally having a great time. I visited the various Buddhist temples in town, including the Tsuglagkhang Complex, which is the official residence of the Dalai Lama, as well as the Tibet Museum, and Tsuglagkhang itself: the most revered temple outside of Tibet. It's beautiful inside and also has several old relics rescued from the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, during the Cultural Revolution. The Tibet Museum was really good. I knew some of the atrocities committed by the Chinese, but didn't realize just how horrible it really is. Over 1.2 million Tibetans have been killed since the Chinese occupation. A thousand years worth of priceless Buddhist papers, art, and relics were destroyed. Only 12 of 6000 monasteries were left standing, with the rest destroyed and often times used for target practice. The museum has a really good "Testimony Corner" with Tibetans stories of how they made the dangerous trip through the snow covered mountains to Northern India. The Tibetans are so kind and gentle. I ended up buying quite a few knickknacks I didn't need, just because the vendors were so sweet and kind. All in all, it was a great place to spend a few days.

Tsuglagkhang Complex: Dalai Lama's residence as seen from my hotel window!

Prayer Wheels at Tsuglagkhang

The local schools were having a human rights march that ended at the temple.

These signs abound around Dharamasala. In 1995, the Dalai Lama chose a six year old boy to become the next Panchen Lama, the next highest ranking lama after the Dalai Lama. After he was chosen, the Chinese took the boy and his family into "protective custody" and nobody has heard from them since.

New friends from Punjab.

Monks at Tsuglagkhang. They sit in the courtyard and debate and talk.

The Temple at Norbulingka Institute - an institute devoted to saving traditional Tibetan art forms.