Himachal Pradesh Tsuglagkhang Monastery
Considered to be the home in exile for the Dalai Lama, Tsuglagkhang Monastery is more like a temple and residential complex, for the Dalai Lama and his disciples, in the McLeod Gang region of Upper Dharmasala in Himachal Pradesh. It is the primary temple of Buddhist complex, where Lama provides audiences to his followers and the Buddhist monks also live in the quarters especially built for them. religious gatherings and teachings are held from time to time inside this monastery complex. Tsuglagkhang Monastery is very humble in its appearance, in comparison to the famous temple of Tibetan monastery, which is the original home of the Great Dalai Lama. This monastery overlooks the beautiful valley of Kangra, downside of the Dhaula Dhar range of Indian Himalayan ranges. At one end of this range is a big Tibetan community, which is making the monastery quite significant. Inside this monastery, there are residential complexes of Dalai Lama, monks and meditation centres, although the devotees are free to visit.
Architecture
Tsuglagkhang Monastery is made up of simple brick and mortal house like structure, and the temple doesn’t exude the opulence befitting a monastery. It is mostly a makeshift arrangement for the residence of the Dalai Lama and his followers. It doesn’t seem to be a religious place, rather a simple house like structure. But the belief that the Dalai lama still lives on is a reflection in the prayers and the followings which are meticulously carried out by the monks inside the Tsuglagkhang Monastery. People are free to visit the location, but not the residential areas of the monks. There are pictures of Potala Palace, which are hung besides the pictures of monks and Buddhist religious leaders and Tibetan deities.
Inside the monastery, the first building is the Tibet Museum. The ground floor contains Chinese invasion of Tibet and the various photos from that era. This is presented for the tourists to understand the reason for the high inflow of Tibetans into india and settling here. There is also the documentary shown in this museum.
Namgyal Gompa is a place where the Tibetan monks indulge in debate inside the Tsuglagkhang complex, which is an important observation as monks form groups and debate over various topics, with participation by each and every of the monks.
Kora ritual is about walking along a certain path in a clockwise direction, which is said to give pleasure to the person doing the walk. In this walking path, there is a temple and the path is strewn with various flags.
In this trip, if one is lucky, the Dalai Lama can be seen, if he is busy in doing teachings or sermons.
The Tsuglagkang monastery is a beautiful place, with its own library, cafeteria and garden, with variety of activities possible inside it.
Getting There
Tsuglagkhang monastery is situated at one end of the road to McLeodGanj, and one can enter the monastery by the main gate, for which a pass is required. Screening and security checks are being done, and entry is restricted when teachings and prayers are underway. The Tsuglagkhang Monastery is open to visitors from 8 am till 5 pm.
Kangra and Pathankot are the nearest railway stations to Mcleodganj, at distances of 90 kms for the broad gauge train. Hoshiarpur is at a distance of about 117 kms from the monastery.
Dharmasala or Gaggal airport is the nearest to the monastery, located at a distance of 10 kms. From Kullu and Delhi, flights are available 3 times in a week. Delhi is the nearest international airport at about 523 kms distance. Bus services are available from delhi for overnight journeys.
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