excerpts from an article by Nathan Cook

Link to the photo album of 2008 India trip

It was with great excitement that we embarked on another journey together; another group of pilgrims on a journey to India. Most people on the trip had some association with the Drolkar Buddhist Centre – and Venerable Geshe Sonam Thargye, the founder of Drolkar, joined us this year.

Delhi
The journey began in Delhi. Our first two days were spent exploring the back streets of Old Delhi and some of its historical sites made famous by the Mughals. We stopped off at Delhi’s Red Fort and the imposing Jama Masjid or Great Friday Mosque. Both sights are imposing edifices of red sandstone that tower over the maze of backstreets and tiny lanes that characterize Old Delhi. Leaving Delhi we boarded our 2-tier AC (some of us 3-Tier) sleeper train to Varanasi, 13 hours east and a little south of Delhi, and one of India’s holiest cities.

Varanasi
Situated on the banks of the River Ganges, Varanasi is one of the
most spiritual cities in the world. It also has to be one of the dirtiest, which results in mixed emotions among visitors to this holy outpost. The river is the lifeblood of the city and the main focus for tourists. The banks are lined with pilgrim and rest houses (ghats). Stone steps, backed by high walled temples and crematoriums and stretching for three km, lead into the muddy waters. At dawn pilgrims, some having travelled thousands of miles, wash and bathe in the river, lifting water over their heads and chanting mantras.

We stayed at Varanasi for 3 days, and took in both dawn and evening cruises on the river. We also took a trip 12 kms west to the town of Sarnath where the Buddha, after becoming enlightened delivered his first sermon. At Sarnath a new Sri Lankan Buddhist temple stands just by the ruins of some ancient stupas and ruins where the sermon was said to have been delivered. It was a pleasant break from the bustle of the city and highlighted the contrasts that exist everywhere in India.

Bodhgaya
On this Buddhist pilgrimage to India, one of our primary destinations was the small village of Bodhgaya in the countryside of Bihar. About 2550 years ago, the Buddha arrived here, sat under a tree and meditated until he achieved enlightenment.
In Bodhgaya, the centrepiece of the town is the Mahabodhi or Great
Buddha Stupa. Buddhist pilgrims travel from all over the world to visit this venerated place. At the eastern side of the temple is a tree, a Bodhi tree, said to be a direct descendant of the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment.

Large groups of Thais, Sri Lankans and Vietnamese, along with numerous Indians and Tibetans, crowd the town to experience the energy of this sacred place. Many nationalities have built temples in Bodhgaya in reverence to the Buddha’s past. There is a Thai temple, a Korean, Sri Lankan, Burmese, Bhutanese, Japanese and a number of Tibetan temples all within the confines of Bodhgaya.

We woke each morning around 5am and made our way to the stupa to circumambulate, pray and meditate. Even at this early hour the place is abuzz with chanting pilgrims and devotees. The gardens are filled with hundreds of Tibetans and the occasional westerner prostrating for hours a day. Most of us spent a good portion of our five-day stay seated in the grounds of the stupa enjoying the ambience and the energy of the place or walking methodically and thoughtfully around its base.

Agra
Agra is home to the Taj Mahal, a monument of which many a city would love to boast. As the famous Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore once wrote, “a teardrop on the face of eternity”. There are also quite a few other historical monuments. Some of us found our hotel, spacious and luxurious, a destination in itself. The Jaypee Palace Hotel features large sandstone pillars and archways leading to spacious corridors and beautiful grounds with flowing streams and fountains – a delight to spend the morning simply walking the grounds and enjoying the space. We did make it to the Taj Mahal, the only outing for most of the group. It is a stunning piece of architecture.

Dharamsala
Rain and sleet were thankfully replaced by beautiful sunshine on our arrival in the Himalayas. The light dusting of snow made the mountains glow in the azure skies, a magical portrait painted by nature, the finishing touches just completed.

Above Dharamsala, MacLeod Ganj sits atop a ridge at 1700 metres – a small, hill station settled by Tibet’s refugee community following their arrival in India from the 1960’s onward. The Dhauladhar range provides a stunning backdrop to the town, soaring up to 5000 metres or more.
We spent the four days in Dharamsala enjoying the magic of the cooler mountain air, and the hospitality of the Tibetan community in exile.

Every morning we rose at 6.30am and made our way in the growing light of day to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s temple, walking the kora or pilgrimage circuit around the temple and spinning the prayer wheels for the benefit of all beings on earth. More than two hours after getting up and the day well and truly upon us, we would enjoy a chai before thinking about the rest of the day.

In between long mornings or afternoons of coffee and cake we visited a number of charities and non-profit organizations who are doing good work for the local Tibetan community. The Tibetan Children’s Village is another organization doing amazing work for the refugee population in India. We were shown around by a lovely woman Drolma who, despite having just shown around another group was patient and conscientious, warm and friendly. We also visited the Refugee Reception Centre where Tibetans arriving from Tibet, having escaped from Tibet illegally, are received and processed.

The highlight of our time in Dharamsala though, was the momentary glimpse that we had of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama on our third morning as he left a press conference in the temple. We had waited patiently in the morning air and shortly after 9am, the reincarnation of the Buddha of Compassion strolled smilingly across the courtyard, waving to the two hundred or so, who had gathered to catch a glimpse of him. Our time in Dharamsala was a clear highlight of the trip.

Delhi
Our three week journey came to an end in New Delhi. We returned to the capital by car and train, where we had one night and one day before flying out. Sadly, around about the time we were leaving, terrorists started a 3-day rampage through India’s financial capital, Mumbai. Non-stop reporting showed the horror on the streets and the carnage inflicted by extremists – an unfortunate conclusion to a wonderful journey. Nevertheless, India is an amazing, frustrating, wonderful, beautiful, polluted, magical country and this journey has once again been enjoyable and memorable.