Sumit Kundra
Monsoons, they say, is not the best time to visit a hill-station. But, I disagree. There is certain mysticism in the air when you visit a spiritual place in the hills, with the rain drenching your face and soothing your inner self. Recently, I set on such a quest to the abode of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at McLeod Ganj.
After a bone-breaking journey of almost 10 hours, I breached Dharamshala at the wee hours, just when the sun was peeping behind the dark clouds. A layer of mist hung in the air, as I walked towards my hotel. The influence of Buddhism was evident, as I strolled under the Buddhist flags and Tibetan chants, immersing in the beautiful Buddhist colours. The town was enveloped in silence, almost meditative in nature, with monks and lay people enjoying their cuppa.
The first sign of chaos was witnessed at the main intersection, which has six narrow roads merging into it–the ever busy road from Dharmshala, the road leading to Dal Lake, the roads to Dharamkot and Bhagsu Nag temple, the Jogiwara road, and the Temple road. This intersection is busy throughout the day with officials manning the traffic.
The temple road and the Jogiwara road take you to the heart of McLeod Ganj–the main temple and office of HH Dalai Lama. This road is full of shops selling artifacts and statues of Buddha. You may buy Buddha statues in brass, Yak horn, wood and even resins!
After a short-break at the hotel, I walked towards the temple, dotted with small souvenir shops, book stores, hotels and cafés. The temple road also offers an excellent vintage point to soak in the breathtaking view of the entire valley and its surrounding mountains. As I reached the main temple, the calm environment of the place was all-encompassing. I sat at a corner in silence as it started to drizzle.
I took the exit from the Jogiwara road, which is also full of cafés, hotels and rest houses. But, the interesting thing to note about this road is that one could rent the rest houses here for an extended stay as well–ranging from a week to six months! Being intrigued about the arrangement, I asked a rest house owner about the offer, who said, “The foreigners, especially, love to stay in this spiritual place for a long period of time. They live here to understand and follow Buddhist teachings. They study in the library or sit in the cafés for hours reading about Buddhism.”
A notable feature of the cafés in McLeod Ganj is that they have big book shelves and comfortable chairs for you to sit and read for as long as you want to. You could see many foreigners and Indians sitting in these cafés, enjoying the view, sipping coffee or immersed in a book. The bliss on their faces is unmistakable, and the rain outside the window adds to the mood of the entire setting.
This road also has some artifacts shops, and shops selling woolens and traditional clothing. But, the focal point that takes the centrestage includes the multi-cuisine delicacies on offer at the numerous cafés, restaurants and road-side eateries. You literally have to stay in McLeod Ganj for at least a week to taste everything!
The spiritual characteristic of the town is rendered in the robes of the monks –of all ages–seen all over the town, the beautiful monasteries, Buddhist institutes and nunneries. The Geden Choeling Nunnery, which is the oldest nunnery in Dharamsala, in the middle of Jogiwara road is hard to miss.
#Buddha #Buddhism #Zen #Life #Lifestyle #wisdomwinds
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