::ThoughtFarm::

McLeodganj is best known as the headquarters of the Tibetan Government in Exile and home of the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso.McLeodganj,which was built by the Britishers is named after Lieutenant Governor of Punjab “David McLeod”, and “Forsyth Ganj”, named after a Divisional Commissioner.

We took a night bus from Manali and reached McLeodganj just before dawn. In the bus except for us three and the driver , the entire bus was filled with foreign tourists especially from Israel and Europe.

Reaching McLeodganj at 5 am , we started looking out for a hotel and were really fortunate to find a good samaritan in Mr.Tashi Khangsar who not only gave us a room at his motel , but also volunteered to take us to the Buddhist prayer temple nearby.

On our way , he just casually pointed to the Sun rising out of the snow-cad Himalayan peaks. It was everyday affair for him but we three just stood there completely mesmerized. For those who are born and brought up in Mumbai , it was a compelling sight.

In the prayer temple , the sight was not unlike any other Hindu temple with statues of God Shankar, Laxmi and even Ganesha. Tashi Khangsar explained us that in Buddhism they too worship the same deities along with Buddha.All Buddhist temples have these huge payer bells which keep on continuously rotating.They are supposed to contain sacred shlokas and mantras and it is believed that by rotating these bells the wishes and offerings of the worshipers reach heaven.

All around the temples , there are stones lying around with beautiful pictures and ancient Buddhist writings sculpted on them.

We also visited the Namgyal Monastery, Dip Se Chok-Ling Gompa,Dalai Lama’s residence,the famous Bhagsu Temple and church of St John-in-the-Wilderness

Marvelously scenic, especially upper Dharamsala is well wooded with oak, cedar, pine and other timber yielding trees and offers some lovely walks and finer views. We just strolled aroud the town which contains more foreign tourists than Indian ones at any time of year.

Once in Mcleodganj one should relish the traditional Tibetian food consisting of Momos and thupkas.The momo actually quite resembles the maharashtrian dish of “Modaks” especially made during the Ganesh festivals,except that these people stuff non-veg inside it, though veg momos are available too.

McLeodganj Bazaar is great place to shop for carpets and handicrafts (metalware, jewellery, jackets, handknitted cardigans and gloves).The second day after lunch we spent a lot of time exploring the shops.I myself got some T-Shirts ,Souvenirs and Buddhist prayer flags.

Everywhere in Mcleodganj one can see signs of “Free Tibet” slogans and campaigns. The fact that India has given asylum to the Tibetians who have been forced off their own land by the chinese is a thorn in the Indo-China relations and subject of many a political debates.