It was cold and dewy when I arrived in McLeod Ganj at 9 am on 14 March 2019. I was wearing just two t-shirts pretty much all that I was carrying with me. Coming from 28-degree celsius heat to 8-degree celsius cold unprepared. Mistakenly, I kept checking the weather for lower Dharamshala which was reasonably good while my stay was planned for Upper Dharamshala (McLeodganj) which was way too cold. First thing I needed to do was go shopping for some authentic and traditional Tibetan warm woollen gear.
Visiting the home of Dalai Lama (McLeodganj) has always been on my list. The mountain region of North India where Dharamshala is located has always been a place dear and close to my heart. So when I had an opportunity to visit Delhi and had spare 2 spare days I decided to make the best use of my time and visit the town of Dharamshala.
Location and Getting In
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Dharamshala is located in the North of India in the state of Himachal Pradesh. One can get into the city either by flight, train or road. Most people visiting this place are likely to make their way from Delhi. Overnight buses from Delhi are popular and so is the train to Pathankot and taxi to cover the rest of the way. Since I had limited time I decided to simply fly into the nearest small airport – Kangra Airport merely 11 km from Dharamshala.
There are a handful of flights from Delhi to Kangra and I chose SpiceJet Airlines to fly with. It is a 1hr flight in a small tiny propeller aircraft and costs average £150 ($190 or INR 14000) for a return trip.
Taxi – Getting a taxi from Airport to McLeodganj was simple. It costs INR 820 (£9, $12) for a 30-40 min drive up the mountains. Don’t expect much from a taxi, these are normally small Maruti Alto with no heating but can climb steep roads of the region and small alley ways.
Places I Visited
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The primary purpose was to visit the Dalai Lama Home monastery and spend some time exploring McLeodganj and small villages around it. So here are the things I did and I can recommend:
- H.H.the Dalai Lama’s Main Temple
- McLeodganj Tibet Market
- Tushita Meditation Centre
- Dharamkot Village
- Bhagsu Nag Village and Waterfall
- Lower Dharamshala
- Savouring Local Food
1 Dalai Lama’s Home
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H.H. 14th Dalai Lama’s home is based in McLeodganj’s Tsuglagkhang Complex on the South-West part of the town. Nestled away in the narrow one-way streets on top of a hill packed with small Tibetan street shops selling Tibetan goods (warm wear and jewellery), Dalai Lama’s home is a popular spot with his followers and the tourists. I visited the complex on both days while I was there. The Kalchakra Temple within the DL complex is a place to pray and houses various statues of deites. A lot of monks are based in the Namgyal Monastery within the complex. Visit to Tibet Museum is a must and is quite informative elaborating on the history and challenges faced by Tibetans.
2 McLeodganj Tibetan Market
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These are basically 2 one way streets that go around the hill where most of the shops are located. Back in the days, since 1959, when Tibetans settled here, McLeodganj has grown slowly into a small town packed with Tibetan houses, hotels, shops and restaurants. The market area comprises of several shops selling traditional Tibetan goods and funky jewellery. These range from proper shops to roadside stalls.
~~ TIP ~~ I was advised and I will encourage everyone too that you shop from outlets owned and managed by traditional Tibetan people. Since the influx of tourism there are many Indians who have set up shops there, I rather give my business to the Tibetans who I dearly admire, respect so much and are in dire need.
Some of the things that you can buy are shawls, scarfs, sweaters, winter wear and jewellery and stones.
3 Tushita Meditation Centre
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Even before my visit, I had known about Tushita Meditation Center. Tushita is aligned to the FPMT (Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition) read more here. When I was in BodhGaya in 2014 (read my post here) I also happened to visit and stay in the Root Institute (again a FPMT aligned institute). You can read about the FPMT India centers here.
I am serious about attending the various Buddhist Studies course offerings at FPMT and after visiting Tushita Center I am certain this is the place I will come back and complete my 10-day course – Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism.
~ Why FMPT? ~ This is not difficult to answer. I am looking to study Buddhism in an intellectual way. Understand the workings of the mind, brain, discuss teachings of Buddha and the 4 Noble Truths, debate on the 8 Fold Path and how these things are relevant in today’s world. There is some meditation involved but a lot of focus is on Buddhist Teachings from Mahayana School. Reading some of the buddhist texts I am already very cognizant of the various schools of practice.
~ Location ~ Tushita Centre is located just 650 uphill walk from McLeodganj main square (or a 3.8km tuk-tuk ride for INR 70). Nestled in the quiet forest area surrounded by trees and away from the main road, it is an ideal place to meditate.
4 Dharamkot Village
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On day 2 when the weather was much nicer with blue skies, I went for a long hike/walk around the McLeodganj town visiting the nearby villages. Dharamkot is just 2-3 km walking distance but in the mountains, this can be quite a lot. This place is popular with a lot of foreign long term travellers as it offers a lot of learnings options – like yoga teacher training, crystal ball healing, Reiki, meditation, Vipassana etc. Being much quieter than the busy McLeodganj this village is nestled up in the mountains close to nature.
I met an American guy in Delhi who had just completed the 1-month long yoga teacher training at Siddhi Yoga and spoke highly of the institute.
5 Bhagsu Nag Village and Waterfall
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Bhagsu Nag village is also located just about a kilometer from McLeodganj but is more touristy and busier than Dharamkot. Especially with the market and waterfall which are also very popular with the local Indian tourists. The short hike to the Shiva Café (playing the likes of Bob Marley) takes 25 minutes or so from where the waterfall views are great. The view from the cafe too is great, the ambience and food just fine and you can find most of the youngsters hanging out there.
6 Lower Dharamshala
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After spending the good part of Day 2 in the upper villages of Dharamshala I came down to the lower Dharamshala to visit a friend’s family. The 11km road journey from McLeodganj to Dharamshala takes 30 minutes and can be done either in a bus, jeep or taxi. I chose to travel like a local in a jeep paying mere INR 20 (£0.23 or $0.30). Lower main Dharamshala is a proper city with better infrastructure and better road connectivity with rest of the region (including to the airport). It is much warmer than average, it does not snow in winters but still boasts of beautiful snow-capped mountain views of the region.
7 Local Food
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Visiting McLeodganj I was sure I would like to eat local food especially Tibetan. Food is quite inexpensive averaging £2-£4 ($5) per meal at a good place. One can easily find £1/$1 meal here. Momos and chai are by far the favourite of anyone who comes here and you can find road-sellers on a small table selling momos all over the town of McLeodganj especially in the evening.
NEXT TRIP
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I have firm plans on what I want to do and what I want to see next time I am back in this beautiful place. I will be back in Tushita for a 10 day course as soon as I can get time off, hopefully in 2019/2020.