Dharamsala

Where: Dharamsala, India
When: May 29-31, 2013
With: Dave, Ralf, Stefan and Ankita

The village in which the wedding we were attending took place, Dharamsala, was settled right into the foothills of the Himalayas. The lower parts of the village were fairly similar to what we had seen so far in our travels around India: cows in the road, shop piled on top of shop, and an endless stream of traffic that refuses to abide by traffic laws.

However, the twenty minute drive up into the mountains showed us why Dharamsala is a big attraction for tourists. Not only did the entire landscape change around us as we ascended, the village and the people inhabiting it changed as well. Coca-Cola signs gave way to Tibetan markets while monks filled the streets instead of cows. 

Similar to Shimla, this part of town was built right up the side of the mountain. However, it's look and feel was so much more serene and calming.

The top part of Dharamsala is authentic and touristy all in one. The endless shops selling hemp bags and colorful scarves and the incredibly diverse food selection show that they know how to market to their clientele of the hippie backpackers that frequent. 

But once you get passed all this, you see how this originated as a zen place for the spiritual wanderer. Temples decorated with colorful streamers. Children laughing in a swimming pool overlooking the mountains. Brightly painted statues of happy gods abounding. 

At the edge of the town is a long hiking trail that will take you to one of the main attractions: the waterfall in the mountains.

It's a bit of a hike to weave along the mountains up a trail to get you to this spot. Any warnings of this were lost in the unfamiliar characters on the Hindi signs along the way. 

Upon reaching the end of the trail, I felt like I was in a scene from a movie. Colorful flags waved back and forth across the top of the falls as the mist of water sprinkled up around them. Down below lies a deep gorge littered with the robes of monks out for their morning swim. And behind you is the mountain pass, covered in pine trees, with few remnants of the busy town you left behind.

The final trek to the waterfall is a tricky one-way path up and over a giant boulder. Once we navigated there, the falls were a bit underwhelming compared to their surroundings, but it was definitely still worth seeing.

On a trail that leads up past the waterfall is a small cafe you can hike to and look down the falls below. While it wasn't TOO early when we got there (maybe just before noon), the entire staff of the cafe (and perhaps some patrons) was asleep on the floor of the shop, laying on dirty old mattresses and covering their faces with their sleeping bags. Based on the cans of empty beer, the still smoking fire pit, and the lingering smell of smoke in the air, we assumed it must have been one hell of a party the night before that only recently ended. We felt bad waking the owner up from his cot to buy some water, but he smiled and sleepily rubbed his eyes, executed the transaction, and went to lay back down. 

The outdoor seating of the cafe was super hippie chic and the setting of the surrounding mountains made it seem totally appropriate.

While the waterfalls and hikes were nice, the main draw of people to this area is its most famous resident, the Dalai Lama. In 1959, when the Tibetan monks had to flee Tibet, the Indian government allowed them to take up residence here and open their temple.

Upon approaching the entrance, in addition to the overwhelming number of monks quietly walking around, there are several monuments dedicated to the martyrs who died as a result of religious persecution. One sign tells the story of a young boy chosen for a high honor within the monkhood who was kidnapped and detained by the Chinese government with his family at the young age of 6. They still don't know where he is. While this is sad, the main message they are trying to get across is that of peace. 

All the monuments make you understand completely why you have to go through a metal detector before entering the temple. But once inside, it's so happy and peaceful. The complex contains two floors, the first an open promenade overlooking the mountains, and the second containing several temples and balconies. 

Inside the temples sit large statues representing the various gods. Offerings of food are stacked throughout in creative and decorative ways, particularly as the food included such modern indulgences as boxes of cereal and chocolate chip cookies. Serene monks wander the premises, smiling and giving candy out to young children who may enter the temple. Some temples were filled to the brim with candles. It was so nice to see such a warm and open site.

Surrounding the perimeter of the main temple were these giant bronze cylinders, all inscribed with Hindi. Each cylinder can be spun independently, and if you walk around the entire perimeter and spin each one while saying your prayers, they are meant to come true. 

Throughout the complex, people quietly prayed in random locations. One monk, sitting alone in a corner, looked like he could have been the Dalai Lama himself. It was hard to see him praying in this setting and not feel at peace.

After this, it was time to make our journey back to the hotel to prepare for the evening's wedding festivities. This was such an amazing and unique "keep the wedding guests distracted" kind of day.