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| McleodGanj Looking Northeast at Triund and the Dhauladhar Range of the Himalayas |
This is, for the most part, and to date, "my" India.
A short intro:
McleodGanj, a former British hill station since the early 19th century, is a mystical place in the Himalayan foothills. Also known as Upper Dharamsala (Dhasa, or Little Lhasa), it has been the home of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan Government, and thousands of Tibetan refugees since they fled the armed Chinese occupation of their homeland in Tibet beginning in 1959.
The community is an eclectic mix of Tibetan, Indian (local Gaddi tribes people, a strong Kashmiri influence, & a steadily increasing influx of visitors from the hotter plains of nearby Punjab), and western (as scores of expats and other travelers from every imaginable country live or pass through). (More on this HERE)
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| The TIPA Road Area of McleodGanj |
Built on a series of ridges in the Dhauladhar Range of the Himalayas, McleodGanj is a rapidly growing tourist hot-spot. Leaving town for a few months, on return one notices new shops, restaurants and hotels at seemingly every turn, despite the threat of severe earthquakes (the entire region was devastated in the 1905 Kangra quake) and frequent monsoon-related mini-landslides.
I first arrived in McleodGanj in late 2009, after an emotionally draining experience early during my first visit to India. By my second day there, I had regained a sense of calm and joy which had become increasingly rare. Within little more than a week, I had cancelled the rest of my India tour for that trip and declared this my second home.
I will feature various aspects of life there many times in future photo posts.
I first arrived in McleodGanj in late 2009, after an emotionally draining experience early during my first visit to India. By my second day there, I had regained a sense of calm and joy which had become increasingly rare. Within little more than a week, I had cancelled the rest of my India tour for that trip and declared this my second home.
I will feature various aspects of life there many times in future photo posts.
But for now, I'll let the images speak for themselves in the rest of this introduction.
ENJOY!
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| Temple Road Viewed from Tsuglakhang, His Holiness Dalai Lama's Temple |
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| Peaks Above McleodGanj on the Morning After a Winter Storm Winter Snowfalls Vary from a Few Inches Most Years to Several Feet (January 2012 saw 2+ Ft Downtown) |
