DAY 115 - DHARAMSALA

115) THURSDAY, 20 OCTOBER 1977 : 293KMS. - DHARAMSALA

 

We were travelling  through JAMMU, PATHANKOT, NURPUR until  arriving in DHARAMSALA on  high mountains.  Here is a city of Tibetan refugees with their Lamaism temple, even the Dalai Lama himself had escaped from Chinese regime influence to live here since 1959.   

http://munichtomadras1977.blogspot.com

There are lantana flowers growing everywhere around the  area.  Most of the flowers are red and  yellow . It was surprising  that there were quite a number of European tourists here.

McCleod Ganj main street in DHARAMSALA - Photo : wikipedia.org / Bing images search

Most of Tibetans here are owners of restaurants and hotel business. There are shops selling Tibetan souvenirs and hand woven Tibetan carpets.  The people are so friendly. I was very surprised to see the Lama  walking hand in hand with the girl and sitting on the same level and sipping tea with the common man.

Tibetan woman pilgrim - Photo : chinatourguide.com / Google images search

I saw Tibetans and lamas in the temple praying mantra while walking  and  holding  a small cylinder with a small rope, tied to the pendulum for  casting a torque around the axis of the cylinder. 

 

Tibetan praying in "Prostration" style - Photo :chinatravelplan.co.uk / Google images search

I've seen here for the first time, Tibetans performing their homage to the Lord Buddha statue  in a so-called “Ashtanga  Pradit” or Prostration (is a gesture used in Buddhist practice to show reverence to the Triple Gem  with eight body points touching the ground), standing with respect  at the beginning  and ended with a long flat stretching  on the ground, repeatedly several times with their full faith.



THE 14TH DALAI LAMA, TENZIN GYATSO OF TIBET
 

 

Dalai Lama - Photo : nydailynews.com / Bing images search

WIKIPEDIA: The 14th Dalai Lama (religious name: Tenzin Gyatso, shortened from Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, born Lhamo Dondrub, 6 July 1935) is the 14th and current Dalai Lama, as well as the longest lived incumbent. Dalai Lamas are the head monks of the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, and is also well known for his lifelong advocacy for Tibetans inside and outside Tibet. Tibetan Buddhists traditionally believe him to be the reincarnation of his predecessors and a manifestation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

The Dalai Lama was born in Taktser, Qinghai (also known to Tibetans as Amdo), and was selected as the rebirth of the 13th Dalai Lama two years later, although he was only formally recognized as the 14th Dalai Lama on 17 November 1950, at. the age of 15. The Gelug school's government controlled an area roughly corresponding to the Tibet Autonomous Region just as the nascent People's Republic of China wished to assert central control over it. There is a dispute over whether the respective governments reached an agreement for a joint Chinese-Tibetan administration.