“If we are to preserve culture, we must continue to create it.”- Johan Huizinga

There wasn’t a better way to explain the purpose of Norbulingka Institute than the words of Johan. Situated in Dharamshala, the Norbulingka Institute was established in 1995 for the sole purpose of preserving Tibetan Culture and Art to retain it from getting lost or forgotten by future generations to come.

In light of travelling, it is mostly the differences between different locations that keep the spirit alive. And as far as it is concerned with Dharamshala and McLeodganj, the Tibetan culture and monasteries are a part of those differences which inspire you to explore it.

Norbulingka Institute is located along with the temple of Norbulingka. The temple/monastery itself shows the Tibetan cultural values adapted by the organisation. The place is built by following the traditional architectural style. The ground plan was designed based on the proportions of Avalokiteshvara, known as the god of compassion, having a thousand arms.

The offices and workshops represent the hands of the god, the temple represents the head and the water pond represents the heart which flows throughout the garden and building area. The 14-feet high Lord Budhha statue inside the temple is constructed with hand-hammered sheets of copper to show the work of craftsmen.

Norbulingka doesn’t just show the religious architecture and craft but also preserves other artforms including the art of statue making, wood carving, thangka painting, thangka applique, wood painting, tailoring, and weaving. However, what seemed the most inspiring to us while talking to the staff was their trust and faith in the values followed by Norbulingka:

1. Continuing Tibetan Heritage
2. Design + Quality + Tradition
3. Community and Sustainability
4. Scholastics
5. Social Programs for Awareness

The teachings and training of skills are given for free after selecting a batch of students based on their passion and honest intentions of promoting their culture. The staff working in the guesthouses, restaurants, and other shops selling the products using the traditional artforms reinvest in the institute to support the common cause: PRESERVING THE TIBETAN CULTURE.

India is known for its diversity in culture and religions. It is hard to travel to different states and not notice these diversifications if you are exploring the basics and towns thoroughly. Upon our interactions with one of the people who runs a bakery shop along with the store of handmade bags and stuff, we got to know more about this institution.

It led us to search more about the organisation and the term, Norbulingka, which means The Jewel Of Garden. Unlike many other monasteries, this particular monastery is surrounded by a widespread garden which is beautifully taken care of. The idea of harmony between people, animals, and nature is also one of the core values followed by Tibetan and Buddhist.

There are many institutions which do well on donations but it becomes hard to recognize whether those institutions are reliable enough or not. On that note, Norbulingka has received the initial donation from the 14th Dalai Lama and had been operated by him only till 2015 confirming its genuine cause and reliability.

Moreover, what we liked about Norbulingka is that one doesn’t have to donate money only, the people who want to be part of preserving culture and art in India can also contribute through shopping or better, eating handmade delicious food.

To know more about this institute, its vision, and its history, you can directly visit their official website and see their progress through the past couple of decades or you can check out our instagram post to see more of the pictures. We only hope that we have brought something appetizing for your souls and travelling inspirations in the northern hill stations in India to explore them with a deeper urge to connect.