The Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Exile to India
One of the greatest things about travelling through India is its cultural diversity.
While much of this comes from thousands of years of traditions and heritage within India, much of it is also derived from neighbouring countries.
Tibet is one of the more fragile of India's neighbours but has had more of an impact on India than perhaps any other as there are 39 Tibetan refugee settlements throughout India.
These refugees have colonised whole areas, making pockets of the country from Karnataka to the Himalayas into bite-sized pieces of Tibetan tranquility.
In 1949, the small country of Tibet was invaded by the People's Republic of China and while initially both sides were open to negotiation (and eventually, peaceful incorporation into China), uprisings began in 1956 leading to the 1959 Lhasa Rebellion.
At the outset of the Lhasa Rebellion, the Dalai Lama, Tibet's political and spiritual leader, fled to India, followed approximately 100,000 Tibetan.
When the refugees arrived in India, they were permitted to settle in McLeod Ganj (in Upper Dharamsala), a former colonial British summer picnic spot which soon earned the nickname "Little Lhasa".
There they established the "government-in-exile" in 1960.
After the founding of the exiled government The Dalai Lama worked with the Indian Government to resettle the Tibetan refugees who followed him into exile in agricultural settlements throughout India.
Today there are settlements located all throughout India, ranging from Karnataka in the South to Sikkim in the North-East and up to Himachal Pradesh in the far North with many settlements scattered in between.
The most famous of these settlements is, by far, Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh largely due to the fact that it is the home of the Dalai Lama.
After His Holiness the Dalai Lama was granted asylum in the Northern Indian town of Dharamsala, he also went to great lengths to re-establish the Namgyal Monastery (a Tibetan Buddhist monastery closely linked to the Dalai Lama) nearby his new residence and today the Tibetan religious, artistic and intellectual traditions are being preserved and maintained through the cooperative effort of the Dalai Lama and the Namgyal monks.
As the largest temple complex outside of Tibet, it is definitely worth a look when you visit Dharamsala.
Another must-see of the Dalai Lama's collection is the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives which was founded by the Dalai Lama in 1970 and houses over 80,000 manuscripts and other important resources related to Tibetan history, politics and culture.
It is considered one of the most important institutions for Tibetology in the world and visitors can get a taste of this through the various courses and exhibitions that are on offer.
In addition to the Namgyal Monastery and the Library, the Dalai Lama worked tirelessly to create a real "Little Tibet" for his people including a Tibetan educational system in order to teach the Tibetan children the language, history, religion, and culture.
He also established the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts in 1959 and the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies which became the primary university for Tibetans in India.
Over the last 50 years, more than 200 monasteries and nunneries have been re-founded in India in an attempt to preserve Tibetan Buddhist teachings and the Tibetan way of life and these, along with the other Tibetan influences make areas such as Dharamsala and Gangkok a real contrast to the rest of India and a visit to these is a great way to explore more of the country's diverse heritage.
While much of this comes from thousands of years of traditions and heritage within India, much of it is also derived from neighbouring countries.
Tibet is one of the more fragile of India's neighbours but has had more of an impact on India than perhaps any other as there are 39 Tibetan refugee settlements throughout India.
These refugees have colonised whole areas, making pockets of the country from Karnataka to the Himalayas into bite-sized pieces of Tibetan tranquility.
In 1949, the small country of Tibet was invaded by the People's Republic of China and while initially both sides were open to negotiation (and eventually, peaceful incorporation into China), uprisings began in 1956 leading to the 1959 Lhasa Rebellion.
At the outset of the Lhasa Rebellion, the Dalai Lama, Tibet's political and spiritual leader, fled to India, followed approximately 100,000 Tibetan.
When the refugees arrived in India, they were permitted to settle in McLeod Ganj (in Upper Dharamsala), a former colonial British summer picnic spot which soon earned the nickname "Little Lhasa".
There they established the "government-in-exile" in 1960.
After the founding of the exiled government The Dalai Lama worked with the Indian Government to resettle the Tibetan refugees who followed him into exile in agricultural settlements throughout India.
Today there are settlements located all throughout India, ranging from Karnataka in the South to Sikkim in the North-East and up to Himachal Pradesh in the far North with many settlements scattered in between.
The most famous of these settlements is, by far, Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh largely due to the fact that it is the home of the Dalai Lama.
After His Holiness the Dalai Lama was granted asylum in the Northern Indian town of Dharamsala, he also went to great lengths to re-establish the Namgyal Monastery (a Tibetan Buddhist monastery closely linked to the Dalai Lama) nearby his new residence and today the Tibetan religious, artistic and intellectual traditions are being preserved and maintained through the cooperative effort of the Dalai Lama and the Namgyal monks.
As the largest temple complex outside of Tibet, it is definitely worth a look when you visit Dharamsala.
Another must-see of the Dalai Lama's collection is the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives which was founded by the Dalai Lama in 1970 and houses over 80,000 manuscripts and other important resources related to Tibetan history, politics and culture.
It is considered one of the most important institutions for Tibetology in the world and visitors can get a taste of this through the various courses and exhibitions that are on offer.
In addition to the Namgyal Monastery and the Library, the Dalai Lama worked tirelessly to create a real "Little Tibet" for his people including a Tibetan educational system in order to teach the Tibetan children the language, history, religion, and culture.
He also established the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts in 1959 and the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies which became the primary university for Tibetans in India.
Over the last 50 years, more than 200 monasteries and nunneries have been re-founded in India in an attempt to preserve Tibetan Buddhist teachings and the Tibetan way of life and these, along with the other Tibetan influences make areas such as Dharamsala and Gangkok a real contrast to the rest of India and a visit to these is a great way to explore more of the country's diverse heritage.
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