We know Dharamsala to be both a city and a municipal council in the district of Kangra in Himachal Pradesh in India. In fact, it is regarded as the headquarters of the district. The former name of the place was Bhagsu. At a place called McLeodGanj the head of the Central Tibetan Administration, Dalai Lama is said to have his residence. This place is even counted as the headquarters of the Center of Tibetan Administration. McLeodGanj is the name of a village within the municipality of Dharamsala.

Dharamsala is located in the upper section of the Kangra Vlley and the area is encircled by dense coniferous growths and here you have mainly the Deodars growing in numbers. In the suburbs of the town you mainly have places like Bhagsunath, Naddi, Kotwali Bazar, Dari, Sidhpur, McLeodGanj, Dharamkot, ForsythGanj, Kaccheri Adda which is also known as the governmental office of the post, court or the police, Kotwali Bazaar which is even regarded as the prime town market, Ramnagar, and Sidhbari the place where you find Karmapa.

In the upper section of Himachal Pradesh you have the place called McLeodGanj and the place is renowned for having the home of Dalai Lama. It was in the year 1959, on the date of 29th April that the 14th Dalai Lama known as Tenzin Gyatso created the Tibetan Exile Administration known as CTA and this was then shifted to Dharamsala.

Daramsala is regarded the Indian Tibetan Exile World. There was a Tibetan Uprising in the year 1959 when a huge numbers of refugees followed the 14th Dalai Lama and believed in his verdict. The existence of the Lama and the sort of Tibetan population made Dharamsala a much sought after destination in Himachal Pradesh. Even foreign tourists love to have a visit of the place. You even find students coming here for academics. Thus, McLeodGanj remains the centre of culture and entertainment ever and always.

Triund Hill is the next attraction of Dharamsala. It is in fact regarded as the emerald of Dharamsala. Triund is even called the trekking destination in McLeodGanj, and it lies at a distance of 9 kilometers from the place.

Dharamsala as a Mini Tibet

Innumerable Tibetans have exiled in the particular destination and most of them live in and around the area of McLeodGanj. This is basically the upper Dharamsala region where you find innumerable monasteries and renowned schools and temples.

The other name for McLeodGanj is Little Lasa and this is based on the name of the Tibetan Capital City. However, it is even named as Dhasa named after the place Dharamsala. This is considered as the prime tourist spot with all standard hotels and restaurants and this acts as s real boost to commerce and tourism.

Dharamsala is even referred to the winter capital of HP. Sidhbari is where the Legislative Assembly is being held. The place is located near Chinmaya Tapovan Ashram and it is the place where the governmental winter sessions are being conducted.

Establishment of Tibetan Exile Community

The Tibetans started living in Dharamsala from the year 1959. Due to specific reasons Dalai Lama was forced to leave Tibet and this was the time when the Indian Prime Minister was kind enough to allow Dalai Lama along with his followers have their settlement in McLeodGanj. This was a famous picnic spot for the colonial British and from this you can make an idea regarding the beauty and charisma of the place. The government in exile was established in the year 1960 and Dharamsala remains the connecting podium of Hinduism and Buddhism for years. In the past this place has been chosen for the establishment of innumerable monasteries and this was the chosen spot for the Tibetan immigrants in the 19th Century.

The Tibetan Library was inaugurated by the then Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso in the year 1970. The place remains the perfect storing and displaying podium of Tibetan Works and special Archives. You can find here 80,000 manuscripts and you even have other essential resources in relation to Tibetan history, cultural influence and even politics. The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives is regarded as one of the significant institutions for Tibetology. The new director of the place is Geshe Lakhdor, and he has served as the old translator of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Tibetan Community at Dharamsala, India

More than 80,000 Tibetans are being guided by their secular and religious head, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He left the Chinese Community with pain and established the most important refugee community in the district of Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh. With the kind of cultural and religious deterioration the Tibetans felt the necessity of a divine unification. It became their responsibility to bring the entire civilization under exile. With perfect governmental assistance, the UN High Commission for the Refugees along with humanitarian organizations and with the assistance of philanthropic individuals on one side and the zeal of the Tibetans on the other hand, they have been able to achieve their mission, which was not an easy thing to do at least 36 years ago, for the first time when they stepped on the Indian soil.

The beginning days were extremely hard. The Tibetans who came from the high plateau region of Tibet was attacked by multiple diseases and heat. A part of the congregation got involved in matters of road construction and the other half started living in the tent camps. Thus, with the true assistance of the Indian Government and other additional groups the 54 agricultural refugees and even the agro industrial section came to have a gradual settlement. The motto was to help the Tibetans get resettled and turn them into a homogeneous community. This would help them have an apposite preservation of tradition and culture and in the manner they become self sufficient in earning their living in the most preferred ways.

Thus, Dharamsala became the ground for democratic administration in exile for the Tibetans. However, it was not difficult for India to manage the several affairs of the aspiring Tibetan refugees. With the help and assistance of the Indian Government Tibetan institutions were being established and these became the centers of contemporary secular education to children in Tibet. These centers are perfect hubs emphasizing the importance of Tibetan literature and language with special emphasis to history, religion, crafts, arts and culture. In India you have in totality 85 Tibetan schools and some of them are even located in Bhutan and Nepal. Here, the absolute student strength is 27, 585. You even have the best of centers for the perfect rearing and maintenance, dissemination and upholding of Tibetan tradition and culture. These are even centers to encourage skills and learning in several genres.

In the school one is even taught how to weave carpets and the students are even made to learn the art of metal and wood sculpturing and curving. They are even made to learn how best to perform arts and practice Thangka painting. Through the institutions the Tibetans also come to know about Tibetan language, history and Buddhism and they even made to have an idea about the special and the most trusted Tibetan medicine. The refugee communities even have primary health centers. Moreover, in the attempt of reviving religion based traditional norms and education around 200 nunneries and monasteries have been timely established. In fact, with the best of mind the Tibetans have been able to keep things alive in India which virtually got destroyed one time in Tibet.

It is due to the sheer skill and attempts of Dalai Lama that the Tibetans have been able to establish their sovereignty in Dharamsala. Nothing can be compared to the leadership qualities and foresight of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Now the issues of the Tibetans are known to the entire world. The Chinese Tibetan conflict has always endangered the existence of the people, but with complete belief and sure conviction the Tibetans have been truly able to make it in India.