India Reflections

So now my four years in India are over. I've met such wonderful, warm people, both at school and within communities around the country. I've had the opportunity to experience glimpses all over "Incredible India" –from the temples and churches of Tamil Nadu to the lush coconut backwaters of Kerala, to the deserts & fortresses of Rajasthan to the snowy mountains of Kashmir. I've been fortunate to have witnessed a variety of handicrafts being made. It never ceases to amaze me how India's artisans are able to transform simple threads into masterpieces; zardosi, silk saris, bandini tie dyeing, ikat weaving, and endless types of embroidery. Such a rich artistic heritage. Reflecting back though, I would have to say that India's greatest wealth is its people. I will miss the many citizens of India who were my colleagues for four years, as well as the many others I have met while living and traveling in the incredibly diverse subcontinent.

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The Long Way to Delhi

After a pleasant early morning walk, we returned to the hotel where our taxi was waiting to take us to the airport. To our dismay, a message on my cell phone from the airlines revealed that our flight was canceled. We had heard that sometimes the airline cancels flights when it doesn’t have enough passengers; for a rather expensive domestic flight, we had hoped that this wouldn’t happen to us. With only one flight by this one airline per day, the only way we would catch our upcoming flight from Delhi to Udaipur would be to take a taxi. Pooling our rupees together, we came up with enough to pay for the very long taxi ride. It would enable us to see more of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana. As we traversed the countryside, we saw many more Seikhs wearing various colored turbans, cowpies stacked neatly against the side of simple buildings, women carrying large bundles of sticks, veggies, and grasses on their heads, and numerous colorful trucks, carts pulled by horses or bullocks, and overflowing buses. Finally, at about 11:30 pm, we arrived in Delhi after nearly 12 hours of driving. We were at the airport with PLENTY of time to spare.

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Avalokiteshvara and a Cockroach

Off to one side was a collection of writings from Buddha – over 100 volumes, sutras and tantras neatly wrapped in smaller rectangular packages with orange fabric, creating what reminded me of a fabric-coated card catalog.
Behind a grilled gate was a series of large golden statues, including one of a multi-armed and headed Avalokiteshvara, a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. Butter lamps reminded me of ornate chalice-like cups. A cockroach scuttled on the polished surface towards an aluminum bucket.

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Inside the Tsuglagkhang Temple

Considering the importance of the temple and the ornateness of the one at Norbulingka, I was a bit surprised to see that it was such a simple hall. With a light yellow exterior and no carved rainbow-colored doorways, the outside was particularly unpretentious. A sign next to the shoe rack by the open entrance to the temple warned people to “make sure your shoes are not stolen by someone.” Dropping off our shoes but not quite sure how we were to watch our shoes while inside the temple, we proceeded to enter. Sunlight from the upper windows fell onto the warm colored, wooden floor of the temple. The larger back portion of the temple was void of any items, except for the painted Thangka banners hanging across the periphery. In the front directly at the center was a large seated statue of Buddha. In the altar in front of the golden statue, boxes of cookies were piled neatly next to apples and other offering items. Directly in front of the large Buddha statue was an elevated seat draped with gold-colored silk fabric. Normally this would be occupied by the Dalai Lama.

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Tsuglagkhang Temple Entrance

Up a short hill and through security screening, we had reached the Tsuglagkhang Temple where the Dalai Lama usually held discourses. A Tibetan woman dressed in black walked up to the row of golden prayer wheels, with her young girl in braided pigtails skipping closely behind. Rows of tiny lamps glowed inside a nearby building, with other lamps still containing unlit wicks.

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On the Way to the Dalai Lama’s Temple Complex

Back in Dharamsala, we headed down the street that led toward the Tsuglagkhang Complex, located at the southern edge of town and visible from our hotel. On the steps of a small store, three men were engaged in a game of cards. Others sat near a wheeled vendor cart, deeply entrenched in village talk. Tibetan-looking women sat next to their cart, busily knitting additional hats to sell while their young children sat by their side. Other carts contained colorful embroidered caps, turquoise and silver jewelry, chunky beaded necklaces, and the ever-present Kashmiri items. Tibetan music from a tiny shop broadcasted samples of its CDs for sale. Women wearing striped woolen skirts balanced bundles of firewood on their heads. As I paused to take a photo, a young man asked, “Want some hashish?” Nearing the temple complex, we spotted a woman busily selling steamed momos. For pocket change, we enjoyed a few as well.

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Gyuto Tantric Monastery, Dharamsala

Following our wonderful visit of Norbulingka, our driver took us to the Gyuto Tantric Monastery, a short distance away. Built in 1993, the monastery was rather simple in design and lacked the decorative enthusiasm of Norbulingka. Bright colors still were present, with the red robes of the monks contrasting against the yellow buildings, which were framed by the distant mountains and brilliant clear blue sky.

 Single lines of laundered socks were strung in the small balconies of some of the monks’ residences. We arrived there when it was lunchtime and saw monks carrying a plate of rice and bananas. A young boy monk proceeded to walk down the steps with his lunch, careful not to trip in his too-large sandals. Framing the stairways were rows of tree-sized hibiscus plants in red and white, along with many rose bushes. Scattered throughout the grounds were light poles powered by solar energy.

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Deden Tsuglagkhang Temple, Norbulingka (Dharamsala)

A stone structure with colorful wooden ornamentation, yellow framed windows, and the golden Tibetan symbols of the two deer & wheel of life near the top of the building, the Deden Tsuglagkhang Temple’s architecture embodies what I had anticipated a Tibetan Buddhist temple to look like. In the porch-like area in the front, bright red pillars were ornamented near the top by painted flowers. Large Thangka murals of Buddhist scenes in a flame-like style balanced the walls between the entry door. A brightly painted wooden doorframe with geometric designs and Chinese-like dog symbols formed the doorframe.


A sheer white curtain over the entrance fluttered in the breeze, quietly inviting guests. Inside, attention was brought to the 14ft (4.3 m) gilded copper statue of the Buddha, surrounded by a carved, gold-gilded wooden curved panel.



 To the left, two large banners with Thangka Appliqué hung nearly 2/3 down to the wooden floor. More Thangka murals covered the interior walls, along with decorative elements in all colors and a bright yellow ceiling.

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Norbulingka Sculpture Room

In still another building, a few people were working on larger, more dimensional pieces. A motorcycle helmet was placed near the wooden shavings and tools, with its owner carving an incense box. Novices start with pine wood and then graduate up to using teak. Carved dragons slithered their way up the sides and top of an incredibly detailed cabinet, whose designs were created in high relief and through negative spaces carved out using a traditional bamboo fret saw and chisels.

One young man was pounding copper sheeting in a form that looked like a helmet. Two others were working on the copper bust area of a Buddha sculpture the size of a child. Another was hunched over a Buddha only 2 inches high, tapping in details with metal tools. A larger-than-life Buddha sculpture waited for its second hand to be attached. Craftsmen would typically start with using copper and then utilize gold. These sculptures would take about a month to complete.

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Thangka Appliqué, Dharamsala

Next door, people were working on an equally tedious artform – Thangka Appliqué. Like the Thangka paintings, the fabric designs were very detailed and contained Buddhist motifs rendered in bright colors. In the first step, the powder design is transferred to the cloth through a hole punching method. Fabric of varying patterns and colors were cut into shapes and then sewed by hand onto the cloth. From 300-400 pieces are used on a typical Thangka. The all-important details are intricately stitched using silk thread combined with Mongolian horsehair. Once mounted on plain white cotton backing, the image is then framed in a brocade border. According to our guide, it would typically take one person about 4-5 months to finish one Thangka appliqué, or about 19 days for 20 people.

Read more about Appliqué Thanka at http://www.norbulingka.org/

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Thangka Painting, Dharamsala

Seated on low cushions in a sunny wooden floored room were a group of painters intensely working on their canvases. Stretched over a wooden frame with an adjustable tension cord, the gessoed cotton canvas surface was then polished with a smooth stone or glass until no canvas texture remained. One artist was drawing his intricate traditional (and fairly prescribed) design on the canvas with a pencil. Others were applying natural pigment paint to the surface with small brushes, ensuring that brushstrokes were not apparent. Colors were tested on the artist’s hand. The detailed painting is embellished in gold and then mounted in silk brocade. A Thangka painting can take between 18 days to one month to complete.

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Norbulingka Architecture Symbolism

According to our guide, the architecture of Norbulingka is heavily based on the Buddha of compassion. Its U-shaped arrangement symbolizes the 1,000 arms of the Buddha, which can simultaneously help many people. Windows represented eyes. The main building represented the head. Even the varying parts of the grounds had meaning – such as the legs and heart.

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Norbulingka Insitute, Dharamsala

Recommended by both my guidebook and our hotel manager, we went to visit the Norbulingka Insitute, a short drive outside of Dharamsala. This institute aims to preserve Tibetan culture, particularly its arts and crafts. Through the traditional Tibetan entryway with its painted doorframe, I could already see the gardens that gave the site its tranquility (Norbulingka means “jewel garden” in Tibetan). Here, flat rocks were stacked neatly to form banks along the flowing water. Others were placed alongside each other to form a pavement, on which the dappled light danced. Stones formed an altar, from which streamers of prayer flags were hung. Women, part of the 435 people employed here, picked up fallen leaves by hand. Benches were scattered throughout, providing a place to admire and reflect. Modeled after a Japanese garden, the landscape emphasized a feeling of tranquility, so different from the hustle and bustle of chaotic Delhi, where we were just two days prior.

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See more photos of the Norbulingka Institute on my Flickr Dharamsala page

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Colors Fluttering in the Breeze

After a short tour through the streets and a visit to the Tibetan Children’s Village handicraft shop (where singing bowls and a few other gifts were purchased), we headed back to our hotel. Streamers of prayer flags in front of our room’s windows were now silhouetted against the colorful bands of the sunset. Off in another direction, the moon peeked in between two rows of flags, announcing that nightfall was here. For dinner, we enjoyed homemade carrot soup and local dishes that were as colorful as they were tasty.

See more photos of Dharamsala on my Flickr Page

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Along the Streets of Dharamsala

The streets were a microcosm of the area’s inhabitants and visitors. Vermillion robed monks and nuns walked through the streets, their hands clasped behind them as they fingered their rosary beads. Others gathered on the steps of a store, sipping butter tea and chatting away. Bearded Hindu sadhus with their peach-colored outfits, multi-stranded necklaces, and tridents made their way through the street, seeking out donations. Many of the stands and shops selling Tibetan handicrafts and knitted caps were run by those with a more Asian look, while shops selling “Ali Baba” pants, Kashmiri textiles, and Rajasthani pillowcases had more “Indian” looking salespeople standing by the doorway, trying to entice visitors to enter their store. Tourists sporting newly purchased outfits and backpacks zigzagged through the streets, popping in various stores.

 See more photos of Dharamsala on Flickr

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Main Street Temple, McLeod Ganj

Heading down the hill from our pleasant guesthouse, we entered the main (but compact) streets of the town. Competing for space with the Airtel signs, bank outlets, pastry shops, and a myriad of souvenir shops was a colorful Buddhist temple. Its rainbow colored exterior, complemented with a golden roof and trimming, seemed to glow against the brilliant blue sky. Tibetan-looking people turned the equally colorful prayer wheels on one side of the temple.

 

See more photos on my Flickr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/melissaenderle/sets/72157625792041888/

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Flight and Drive to Dharamsala

Looking out the small plane’s windows, the vast brown mountain peaks (a few distant ones capped with snow) indicated that we were near our destination – Dharamsala. A short time after the luggage was loaded airline’ red truck, we picked up our luggage on the tiny airport’s one carousel and grabbed a taxi. The taxi driver calmly navigated the narrow switchback road with its steep banks and forested surroundings. Streams flowed over stony beds. Occasionally we paused to let goats and their herder cross the road. Tea bushes formed green blankets in a few areas, punctuated by planted trees. Interspersed were diminutive clusters of homes and small shops hugging the road, with a hardware store, cement place, and tea stall almost as a prerequisite.

 

A pleasant ride later, we reached McLeodj, about four miles (7km) north of the actual town of Dharamsala. We knew that the Dalai Lama was not present at the moment in this Tibetan exile headquarters town, but we were confident there would be much to enjoy anyway.

See more photos of Dharamsala on my Flickr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/melissaenderle/sets/72157625792041888/ 

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