About:
Dr. Bharatkumar Bhate is M.S. General Surgeon (Gold Medalist) by qualification with an experience of 30,000+ operations and is based at Rajkot, Gujarat. He is an avid reader and a passionate writer. In this blog, he shares his travel experiences and creative writings.
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Blog:
(visited in March 2023)
McLeod Ganj is known as "Little Lhasa" because of
its large population of Tibetans. The Tibetan government-in-exile is
headquartered in McLeod Ganj which treats the suburb as its Capital. It is famous for being home to the world renowned Tibetan spiritual
leader the 14th Dalai Lama.
McLeod Ganj got its very British name because it
is named after Donald F. McLeod, Lieutenant Governor of Punjab [1865 – 1870].
McLeod-Ganj attracts thousands of international visitors each year to take courses in Buddhism, meditation or yoga, Tantric knowledge or just seek peace and take in the spiritual vibe. Here, you can find several Buddhist temples. Moreover, the sight of monks clothed in vibrant saffron robes are a common sight.
The adventure seekers who want to trek in the Dhauladhar mountains of Himalayas, McLeod Ganj is the perfect destination. The Tibetan cuisine, monasteries, culture, arts, and crafts will make you look at life with a difference.
TDUGLAKHANG COMPLEX:
McLeod Ganj’s star attraction is, without any
doubt, the Tsuglakhang Temple Complex, better known as the Dalai Lama Temple.
Visit to Dharamshala is incomplete without visiting it.
The Tsuglakhang Temple complex is a
politico-religious centre for Tibetan people. The majestic temple is in close
vicinity to the abode of Dalai Lama (Photang) and is frequently visited by him
to preach and conduct prayer meets. It also houses the Tibet Museum, where the
Tibetan culture and traditions are showcased through arts, crafts, and history.
As a result of the Chinese invasion of Tibet in
1959, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and one hundred thousand Tibetans fled
to India and Nepal. Among the original refugees were 55 monks from Namgyal
Monastery, Tibet. His Holiness the Dalai Lama was granted asylum in the
Northern Indian town of Dharamsala.
The gigantic complex houses massive statues of Avalokiteshvara, Padmasambhava and several other Buddhist monks. The main attraction is the enormous idol of Buddha sitting on an elevated pedestal. It is a bronze statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, which is three meters (10 feet) high. Its beauty is shown best when the rays of the sun fall on it and the shimmer of light spreads across the complex.
The chief prayer wheel is also located here, at the centre of the temple which is plated in gold and has chants of ‘Om Mani Padme Hum.’ Pilgrims walk around the pedestal to pay homage and rotate the prayer wheel. It is believed that by rotating the wheel, the merit is multiplied and the devotees are blessed enormously. Sonorous Buddhist chants fill the prayer halls and vicinity.
People also come here specially to attend the debate of monks about spirituality and wisdom. It is conducted periodically at a building called Mangyal Gompa in this complex.
Most importantly, pilgrims visit the complex to experience the 'Kora'. It is a type of pilgrimage or a sacred practice of the Buddhists to pray to the Almighty by repeatedly walking and meditating around a sacred place in a clockwise direction.
One can attend spiritual lecture of Dalai Lama by purchasing a ticket. The lecture dates are declared in advance.
A large library in the complex gives you access to a lot of books on religion, Buddhism, Tibetan culture. INR 5 is charged for entry.
A picture gallery on ground floor shows tourists the major cause behind the inflow of Tibetans to India and Nepal.
This monastery has a garden, cafeteria, book shop, gift shop etc. The adjoining Kalachakra Temple is also worth visiting.
Timings : 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM every day.
Museum Timings : 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM closed on Mondays
NAMGYAL MONASTERY
Namgyal Monastery is the largest Tibetan temple
outside Tibet. Namgyal Monastery was founded in 16th century by the second
Dalai Lama, Gendun Gyatso. Since its founding, the Namgyal monks have assisted
the Dalai Lamas in public religious affairs and have performed ritual prayer
ceremonies for the welfare of Tibet.
Another name for this temple-complex is Namgyal
Tantric College.
This monastery's key role is to assist with
rituals involving the Dalai Lama of Tibet.
Namgyal Monastery has nearly 200 monks representing
all four main Tibetan monastic lineages.
You can find majestic statues of Buddha with a
backdrop of snow-clad mountains covering it. You will be fascinated by the
serene ambience and the imposing figures of Lord Buddha all around the campus.
It is a very peaceful place and you will feel the positive vibes at the temple
premises. It is very well maintained and organized, clean and serene! It was
delightful experience to walk in the morning around the temple
(circumambulation path). The entire complex is tourist friendly!
The monastery is open between 4:30 a.m. and 8:30
p.m. Parking is an issue at the monastery, so it is better to reach the
monastery by foot. Photography is prohibited inside the monastery.
ST. JOHN CHURCH
It is a famous Anglican Protestant church
dedicated to John the Baptist. It is the oldest building of Dharamshala.
It was built in 1852 and is located on the way to McLeod Ganj at,
wilderness, Forsyth Gunj. This magnificent church is built amid the picturesque
valley of McLeod Ganj. It is very peaceful and quite place surrounded by dense
deodar forest. It is built in neo-Gothic architecture. The Church is known
for its Belgian stained-glass windows donated by Lady Elgin. (Mary Louisa
Lambton).
The church structure is so powerful that it
survived the large earthquake of 1905 which destroyed most buildings. However,
its spire, Bell tower was destroyed. Later, a new bell was brought from
England and installed outside in the compound of the church.
The churchyard is the final resting place of
Lord Elgin who lies interred in a rocket-shaped tomb. He died in Dharamshala in
1883 and was buried here. He was Viceroy of British India.
Unfortunately, the church was closed when we
visited. We saw it from outside.
Exactly opposite the entrance of Church is a
garden in which beautiful statutes of birds and animals are carved from wood of
trees. The statues give appearance of live animals. The garden is closed but
statues can be seen from outside.
We had visited above tourist places in morning
and had tasted Dharamshala tea twice in two different flavours. Tea was quite
admirable. Then at noon we had lunch where we tasted different variety of local
Himachal food and liked it very much.
Other tourist attractions at Dharamshala include
Cricket stadium, war memorial, Tibetan museum and Dal lake. We skipped Kangra
Fort. I have omitted description of these places to make shorten my blog.
We had last session of the day to see various markets and purchase memorable mementos.
We returned hotel with a sweet experience of Dharamshala.
- Dr. Bharatkumar Bhate
bcbhate@gmail.com