In the month of January, when I went onto my first solo trip to Dharamsala I was encountered with many life-changing things. Things which led me to see through my life. Things which otherwise would have taken a long time for me to absorb. And one of them was being the Dalai Lama Temple in McLeodganj.

The Location:

Captivated in the settling of Himalayas, The Dalai Lama temple is a monastery and a place of residence of His Holiness Dalai Lama in McLeodganj, Himachal Pradesh, India. I reached Dharamsala from Delhi’s Kashmiri Gate ISBT in an overnight journey in the Himachal Pradesh state government non-ac seater bus. It cost me around 800 INR back then.

Note: His Holiness The Dalai Lama Temple is also referred as Namgyal Monastery.

Seeking Peace:

I was going through a tough time in my personal life. My relationships with others including my friends and family were distorted, at least its what I thought. There was a deep havoc in my mind. I was only seeking mental peace for some time. And I hoped that I’ll get that on my Dharamsala trip.

Dharmsala to McLeodganj:

Dharamsala and McLeodganj are at around 6 km of distance. There are government and private buses running frequently between the two places. I stayed in a small guest house in McLeodganj near to the main square. On January 1, 2018, I mapped my way from my guest house to the Dalai Lama Temple. It was a downhill walk of 10 minutes and must have been not more than 400 m, while the main square was only 200 m from my guest house. This means that the temple is around 600 m from the main square of McLeodganj.

Pro Tip: Buses are rarely available after 6 pm in the evening, so please cross check the information if you plan to arrive after 6 pm. On the other hand, private taxi/cab can cost you as much as 100-400 INR per cab for just 6 km.

Carving the way:

Gazing through the beautiful streets, and the colorful flags with Buddhist chants written over them, I reached the main gate of the temple. Much to my surprise, the entrance was a just small gate about 10 foot or so. After the entrance, I walked in a narrow lane to get to the point where security check was being done.

At the security check, they asked me to put my 70L rucksack there and take it back while exiting from the temple. I took out my rucksack with me as I came after checking out early from my guest house and had to leave for Delhi directly after spending peaceful time at the temple.

The Temple/Monastery:

As I entered the temple, there was this hall like structure in the front with thick hollow iron beams supporting it. On the right side of it were the steps to climb to the temple and on the left side, was the residence of His Holiness Dalai Lama.

It is very rare that you get to see Dalai Lama here, as he is generally out with his political and spiritual duties. I read somewhere over the Internet, that you can track his itinerary with the help of his official website and visit the temple at the appropriate time.

Feel the nature:

Hazy mountains, faraway snow-covered peaks, and natural fresh air were all taking my breath away. The temple was surrounded by the natural charisma and untouched beauty. One can sit and spend hours here. There were seats in front of the temple, but my heart insisted to sit on a concrete floor instead. I wasn’t even inside the temple and I spent almost two hours. Sitting all by my endless thoughts and watching monks reciting their prayers, I felt somewhere out of the world.

There were humming of monks coming from the inside and it got me itchy to get inside, as the time was perfect. I stepped up and saw a huge golden Lord Buddha sculpture right in the middle of the temple building. I saw some tourists and monks performing the prayers in front of it. For the first time in life, I saw how Buddhism believers act a prayer!

The Buddhists Beliefs:

As I walked more to the side of the temple, I got to see some more mesmerizing views of the Himalayas. Behind the temple, there were Prayer wheels. It is believed that rotating the wheel in the clockwise direction for one full rotation is as effective as chanting the mantra. No wonder, it would be really helpful to people who can not read.

Past rotating the Prayer wheels and reading the Buddha’s wisdom written over the walls of the temple, I came to a peaceful place (image below). As it turned out, that was the place where all the monks sit to recite the prayers. It was vacant and peaceful. I sat there to spend some even more time.

Untangling  the mind:

In the process of unlocking my thoughts, I felt so lived and present. There was no one who was for me, neither I was there for someone. Still, it all felt complete. It made me realize how important is to often spend some time with yourself. The calmness of the temple was imposing the crowd inside my soul. I reflected the problems in my life as I lost myself into the sea of thoughts. I would not say I got solutions to my problems but I’d definitely say I got the belief in myself.

Embrace what you got:

After 3-4 hours I left the temple complex to catch my bus from Dharamsala bus stand. Maybe I was carrying the teachings of Lord Buddha with myself as the biggest gifts.

The little things in life, sometimes we forget to embrace them. The breathing, the seeing, the ability to walk anywhere, don’t they count? Certainly, they do for me now.

Share the article if you’d liked it. Comment if you have any questions or suggestions. And do visit this temple if you need a little peace of mind.