Bylakuppe, a quiet little hamlet on the rim of Coorg's misty mountains. Its a glimpse of the Tibetan way of life, four thousand kilometres away from actual Tibet. The second largest Tibetan settlement in India!

 

As you walk into the town, to the tibetan settlement camps, a sense of calmness sets in. The golden corn fields, fluttering prayer flags and a wandering monk in maroon robes, had a mystic charm to it.

 

 

We reached the town just before the first rays hit the fields, the settlements lay a couple of miles inside undisturbed from the town.  So the serene calmness stays intact and untouched. Riding through the road that wriggles through the fields , when the first rays hit the ground, and a strong chilly wind current was refreshing. The gradual change in scenery and the feeling of being transported to another country with every step one takes towards where the monasteries are located adds to its mystique and charm. The long rows of multi coloured prayer flags tied to the trees and electric poles adds to the charm. The sign boards have Tibetan script on them in addition to English and Kannada. The houses had their distinctive looks with the tiled roof. And as you get further the number of people and houses keep increasing. And once in a while you see auto-rickshaws with monks plying across.

The outer walls flanking the doorway are decorated with huge, colorful murals. The doors, red in color, have huge gold knockers and a thick plaited rope with tassels hanging from it. This is so for all the doorways of all the religious structures at Bylakuppe. This temple was completed in 2004 to commemorate the anniversary of Guru Rinpoche and consecrated by the Dalai Lama on Dec 13, 2004.

A miniature of the Monastery valley in Tibet.