Located in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh amidst the Dhauladhar mountains, McLeodganj is all about picturesque, laid back and inexpensive travel. This hilly suburb of Dharamshala, which can be reached by an 11-12 hour overnight bus trip from Delhi, has a very rural setting with most original inhabitants being the shepherd tribe called Gaddi and farming and dairy being their main source of livelihood.  

Being home to the Tibetan government in exile since 1960 and the official residence of the 14th Dalai Lama, McLeodganj has a large Tibetan population and a strong Tibetan Buddhist influence. People here are peaceful, smiling and ready to help. The prayers of the aged Buddhist monks softly chanting mantras with meditation beads between their fingers seem to permeate through the air. It is an ideal getaway to just be with yourself in the lap of nature and not spend a lot of time and money on sightseeing tours. Go for long idle walks or read a book by the window in a quiet cafe over coffee with the mountains looking over you. Trek to the snowline or join yoga and meditation classes for physical and spiritual rejuvenation. Learn about the beautiful Buddhist thangka paintings or chat with the local Tibetans living away from their homeland about their struggle to maintain their place in this world.

With its large number of international tourists, Mcleodganj has a strong cafe culture with many cafes jointly owned by Tibetans and Germans, Italians or Israelis. Pick a book from the in-house library of the cafe and relish a French or Italian breakfast comprising of eggs, potatoes, cheese and brown bread, or authentic thin crust pizzas, gnocchi and raviolis, fresh fruit or vegetable salad, freshly baked chocolate tart or lemon cheese cake, and varieties of tea and coffee. The smooth cappuccino served at most cafes here could give a Cafe Coffee Day or Starbucks a run for their money. Not to be missed are the tava fried chicken (cooked with lots of spices) found in a roughly three feet wide takeaway in the main square, and basic Tibetan delicacies like thukpas (meat, vegetables and noodle soup), momos (steamed dumplings of meat, cheese, mushrooms or vegetables) and butter tea.

The serene Tsuglagkhang or the Dalai Lama Temple Complex which also houses His Holiness’ residence, is often the first stop for all visitors to McLeodganj and is a place to experience. The sight of hundreds of ghee lamps, monks praying, and mani prayer wheels greets you as you enter the temple area located on the first floor. As I paid my respects to the idols of Lord Buddha, Avalokiteshvara and Padmasambhava, I noticed the cupboards stacked with several volumes of Kagyur – translations of Buddha’s original tantras and sutras, and Tangyur – scholarly work on Buddha’s teachings.  The mani prayer wheels have Om Mani Padme Hum, a mantra of Lord Avalokiteshvara, inscribed on them. Rotating each wheel clockwise is considered to be equivalent to reciting the mantra 108 times.

A parikrama or circumnavigation of the temple complex took me to a mini forest area behind the complex. Hundreds of colorful prayer flags swaying in the cool mountain breeze were tied on strings across the trees.  Here, I met Migmar, a local going to his home, and he told me that the Buddhist prayers, symbols and mantras printed on these Dar Cho (actual term for prayer flags) produce powerful spiritual vibrations which are carried by the wind and bring happiness, peace and prosperity to everyone touched by the wind. We also passed Mani stones or carved stone tablets with Om mani padme hum inscribed on them, which Migmar told me are another form of prayer which brings harmony to the person who sponsors the inscription as well as the one carving it. I bade goodbye to Migmar at the gate of the old age home where he lived. He was a bachelor and earlier had a government job in a village in Himachal. After retirement, with no one to care for him, he moved to his present home which is sponsored by the local government and inhabited by around 150 senior citizens. Without much of an education, he was quite happy living here with a few friends. There was nowhere else to go for him.

Later, I walked to the lovely St. John’s Church nestled in the wilderness of deodar trees. Built in 1852 out of hand cut local granite, the Church had suffered extensive damage in the Kangra earthquake of 1905. A cemetery next to the Church has graves of several earthquake victims with plaques in honor of British soldiers stationed in Dharamshala who died on the battlefield.

A good number of people from the West come to McLeodganj seeking an understanding of the Tibetan culture and Buddhism, and for spiritual retreats in the form of yoga, meditation, reiki and crystal healing courses. Most stay in Dharamkot and Upper Bhagsu, two picturesque villages surrounded by pine, deodar and rhododendron trees, and blissfully isolated from the tourist crowd at McLeodganj.

There is no shortage of eating options here with several wood-fired pizzerias and cafes serving authentic Israeli, Italian, Tibetan and Indian cuisines.  Travelers in printed shirts/kurtas and pajamas hanging out in cafes, lounging on cushions, smoking, drinking gives these villages the look of an ultimate hippie hangout. Dharamkot is also home to a Vipassana meditation centre and the Tushita Meditation Centre which is internationally renowned for study and practice of Buddhism and offers 10 day residential courses on Introduction to Buddhism. These courses involve teaching and meditation sessions and participants have to remain in silence throughout the duration of the course except for one hour each day when they participate in a group discussion. I observed participants quietly sitting in the woods, meditating in the main hall, sweeping the garden, cleaning the tables in the dining room, reading in the library. The silence and beauty of this place was powerful enough to bring calm to a disturbed soul.

Another pleasant experience came my way while strolling on the Jogiwara Road near the main square. Climbing down some steep steps brought me to the Yongling kindergarten school. I happened to reach there while the 30th anniversary celebrations of the school were in progress. The kids were in the middle of giving a nice performance in front of their teachers and parents. The event was open to all and tea and cookies were being served.

Quite a few of the kids were forgetting their steps which made the performance more adorable. Later, games were played and along with their parents, I found myself cheering for the little ones who were yet to understand the meaning of winning and losing. The school had very basic facilities but being right in the view of the mountains and the prayer flags fluttering over them, the kids were surely blessed by the positive energies in their surroundings. It definitely made me feel blessed. 🙂

Later that evening while returning from a hike to the Galu temple, I stopped by a cafe in Dharamkot and savored a wood-fired thin crust pizza infused with mozarella, fresh tomato sauce and fresh vegetables. It was as authentic an Italian pizza that you would get in any upscale pizzeria in Delhi or Mumbai but at half the price. Outside, the oak and deodar trees soaked in the heavy rain and a thunder so loud as if the distant mountains were crashing down. The colors of the overhead lamps and flavors of tobacco mixed with the mist creating a trance like ambience. I lounged on a comfy floor cushion and enjoyed the view over a glass of honey lemon ginger tea. A classic idyllic travel experience!!