Norbulingka Institute

Norbulingka Institute is located at about 5 kilometers from McLeodganj and has a customary temple along with museum buildings, carved woodwork, rare and legendary paintings, etc. Norbulingka means “Jewel Garden” derived after the name of the summer residence of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. It is an institute for training as well as education and is managed by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. It is an institute that was built in 1988 with the sole aim of preserving the Tibetan culture.

People visiting Dharamshala make it a point to visit to the Norbulingka Institute to study the history and legacy of the Tibetan culture. The institute has a boutique in-house where visiting travelers can purchase souvenirs and gifts for friends and family back home. The institute also has a beautiful well-maintained garden which also adds to the overall attractiveness of the institute. The Department of Religion and Culture founded the Norbulingka Institute to preserve the history of the Tibetan heritage.

The path leading to the Norbulingka Institute is a pleasant one, with small bridges made of wood, sheltered paths, streams that are very small and miniature waterfalls. There is a lovely restaurant that serves fresh salads and soups. The museum and crafts area is a wonderful opportunity for all the tourists to have a look at some of the most interesting artifacts of the Tibetan world. The sight of the artists working on the crafts is a fabulous sight in itself. A shop is also present where tourists can purchase the locally made Tibetan handicrafts. The café at the Norbulingka Institute is a great place to savor some fantastic and simple Tibetan cuisine. There is also a spacious and comfortable guest house for tourists to stay.

All of these buildings are built in the style of Tibetan architecture, and so tourists would be able to feel a presence of Tibet along every inch of the way. There are three main sections of the Norbulingka Institute, which are Literary and Cultural Research Centre, The Centre of the Arts and The Academy of Tibetan Culture. Every one of these sections specializes in a specific skill or teaching to keep the Tibetan culture alive. Travelers from around the globe have a great opportunity to educate themselves on the teachings and customs of the Buddhist religion. People who work in the Norbulingka Institute have a thorough understanding of their customs and they are highly generous in imparting knowledge about them to visiting travelers.

There are over 200 artisans in the Norbulingka Institute and they work towards teaching art and crafts to their disciples. The best time to visit the Norbulingka Institute is during the afternoons when the crafts work is in full swing and tourists would be able to get a firsthand look at all the artistry and craftsmanship of the students who are trained here. On the whole, a visit to the Norbulingka Institute is an overwhelming experience. Not in many places around the world would tourists be exposed to so much detail about a particular culture.

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