When one thinks about the forbidden land of Tibet, the mind conjures up exotic images of peace, mysticism and spirituality. Tibet, however, remains inaccessible to common tourists and is the least explored travel destination in the world. Fortunately, a little bit of Tibet is well within our reach. Bylakuppe, a relatively unknown Tibetan township, the second largest settlement in India, provides the colours and taste for all those who yearn for a visit to Tibet. Bylakuppe is situated 90 kilometres from Mysore on State Highway 88, close to Kushalanagar in Madikeri district. It comprises two Tibetan refugee settlements that were setup in 1961 and 1969 respectively and has now grown into a full-fledged town housing the largest Tibetan population outside Dharamsala. As I walked along the muddy road from the bus stop towards the Tibetan settlement, I felt I was transported to a different world with multicolored Tibetan prayer flags fluttering from electric poles on either sides of the road. Sign boards were in Tibetan script along with English and Kannada. Bylakuppe is also the location of two adjacent Tibetan refugee settlements, Lugsum Samdupling and Dickyi Larsoe. Comprising a number of small camps, it has several monasteries, nunneries and temples of all the major Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Most notable among them include the large educational monastic institution, Sera, the smaller, Tashilunpo monastery (both in the Gelukpa tradition) and Namdroling monastery (in the Nyingma tradition). The Namdroling Monastery or the Golden Temple is located in the Camp Four of the settlement. The campus contains well manicured gardens, immaculate buildings and a large open space. You are welcomed by a large majestic rainbow arch outside the temple. There is a series of prayer wheels outside the temple which you spin before you enter it. It is believed that turning prayer wheels that contain prayer scrolls in a clockwise direction is equivalent to actually saying the prayer. The Golden temple complex houses a temple, a library and rooms to accommodate all the monks studying here. Stepping inside the temple, I was stunned by the vibrant hues of this monastery. At the altar are 40 feet high, gold-plated statues of the Buddha in the centre and Padmasambhava and Amitayus on his left and right respectively. The temple wall and ceilings covered by exotic red and gold fresco gives you a peep into Tibetan mythology. They are intricately decorated with exotic patterns and murals of Tibetan Buddhist themes. The sight of these big statues, monks clad in maroon and yellow robes, the smell of incense in the air, candles burning in front of the golden statues, chanting of hymns, sounds of cymbals and drums almost puts you into a meditative trance. Adjoining the Golden Temple is the nunnery for women monks, a religious practice allowed by a few monastic orders. The lesser known Sera Monastic University is about 3 kms from Namdroling Monastery. To go there, you have to get past an alleyway lined with traditional Tibetan houses, with multi-coloured flags with writings in Tibetan scripts hanging in the doorway, giving you a feeling of what you could expect in Lhasa. The Lhamas or monks in the monastery are very hospitable, friendly and talkative. We walked for 20 minutes on a dirty road with beautiful green fields on either side to reach Kagyudpa Nalanda Institute .You need to climb a fleet of stairs to get to the main door. It is relatively new and smaller than the Golden temple but more beautiful and brighter. The temple has a distinctive aura and peace that you feel even as you enter the monastery. A beautiful gold-plated statue of Buddha in sitting posture dominates the main hall. The most beautiful campus is in the Sakya Monastery which is the smallest of all of them. The monks here are known as the singing monks. They play the local Tibetan musical instruments and sing very beautifully. The Padma Sang-Ngag Choekhorling Monastery is also small and beautiful campus. There are many eateries in Bylakuppe that serve all types of cuisine. Tibetan food like Thukpa, Momos, Dimsim are available in almost all shops. You get North Indian and South Indian food in restaurants on the State Highway.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Jul 2013 18:43:10 +0000