Visit to Mcleod Ganj

Home to the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan community, Dharamshala (the name for the town, used interchangeably with Mcleod Ganj) is often referred to as “Little Tibet”. You will spend today visiting its temples and Gompas to get a real insight into the local culture and the turbulent history. The main temple is the Tsuglakhang temple; the Dalai Lama is the official resident here and it’s considered to be the equivalent of the Jokhang temple in Tibet, housing the gilded image of Avalokitesvara, the Tibetan deity of compassion.  You will also stop at the traditional workshop at Norbulingka; the institute that is preserving Tibetan literature and crafts. After lunch at the Norling Café you will continue to the Namgyal Gompa where you can watch monks debate most afternoons, sealing points of arguments with a theatrical stamp of the foot or a clap of the hands.  At the Tsechokling Gompa you will see the magnificent jewelled headdress of the Sakyamuni and if the Dalai Lama is in Dharamshala you can attend one of his daily discourses, depending upon his availability.