Norbulingka Institute

You may have been looking for Norbulingka Palace.

Norbulingka Institute, with Dhauladhar range in the background.

The Norbulingka Institute was founded in 1988^[1] by the present 14th Dalai Lama at Sidhpur, near Dharamsala, India. The institute is dedicated to the preservation of the Tibetan language and cultural heritage.

Etymology

The institute is named after Norbulingka, the traditional summer residence of the Dalai Lamas, in Lhasa, Tibet. The main building is a replica of the Norbulingka palace in Lhasa^[2].

Overview

A Thangka painter, Norbulingka Institute

Founded by the Department of Religion and Culture of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the institute contains the Centre for Arts, the Academy of Tibetan Culture, the Literary and Cultural Research Centre and the library and publications department.^[1] The Norbulingka Foundation was established in 1995 for the preservation of ancient art practices of Tibet, especially crafts.^[2] The institute also runs two Tibetan retreats, one Norling inside the institutes premises and other Chonor House, at McLeod Ganj, near the Dalai Lama's temple.

The Centre for Arts, offers training in tibetan statue making, thangka painting, printing, applique and tailoring, wood carving, wood and metal craft ^[3]. The Academy of Tibetan Culture, established in 1997, offers a six year course of higher education in traditional Tibetan studies ^[4].

Tibetan prayer flags, Norbulingka Gardens.

Seat of Happiness Temple, Norbulingka Institute.

The institute also has the two-storeyed 'Seat of Happiness Temple' (Deden Tsuglakhang) built in 1985 and set amidst the Japanese inspired Norbulingka gardens. It is known for its 1,173 murals of Buddha, frescoes of all the Dalai Lamas and drawings chronicling the life of the 14th Dalai Lama. In the main hall stands the 4 mt high gilded copper Budddha Sakyamuni statue, made by institute's master statue-maker, Pemba Dorje, and one of largest such statues outside Tibet. Around the temple are workshops of artisans and apprentices, which produce various handicrafts, also sold at the Norbulingka Gift Shop and Showroom, for the benefit of Tibetan refugees.

The Losel Doll Museum has diorama displays of traditional Tibetan scenes, using miniature Tibetan dolls in traditional costumes. ^[5][6].

A short distance from the institute lies the Dolma Ling Buddhist nunnery ^[7], and the Gyato Monastery, temporary residence of the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje.

Further reading

• The Norbulingka Institute, by Portal to Asian Internet Resources (Project), Published by The Norbulingka Institute. 1995.
• Norbulingka: The First Ten Years of an Adventure, by Jeremy Russell, Nor-glin Bod kyi rig gźun gces skyon khan, Dharmsala, India. Published by Norbulingka Institute, 2006.

See also

• Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Norbulingka Institute Central Tibetan Administration
2. ^ ^{a b} Norbulingka Institute Exile as challenge: the Tibetan diaspora, by Dagmar Bernstorff, Hubertus von Welck. Published by Orient Blackswan, 2003. ISBN 8125025553. Page 305.
3. ^ Norbulingka Institute Geopolitical exotica: Tibet in western imagination, by Dibyesh Anand. Published by U of Minnesota Press, 2008. ISBN 0816647666. Page 116.
4. ^ Norbulinka Institute Tibetan Children's Welfare and Educational Fund (TCWEF).
5. ^ Norbulingka Institute Frommer's India, by Pippa De Bruyn, Keith Bain, Niloufer Venkatraman, Shonar Joshi. Published by Frommer's, 2008. ISBN 0470169087. Page 514.
6. ^ The Norbulingka Institute The Rough Guide to India, by David Abram, Rough Guides, Nick Edwards, Rough Guides (Firm), Mike Ford, Devdan Sen, Beth Wooldridge. Published by Rough Guides, 2003. ISBN 1843530899. Page 488.
7. ^ Norbulingka Institute India, by Joe Bindloss, Sarina Singh, James Bainbridge, Lindsay Brown, Mark Elliott, Stuart Butler. Published by Lonely Planet, 2007. ISBN 1741043085. Page 330.

External links

• Norbulingka Institute website
• Norbulingka Institute at Central Tibetan Administration
• Collection of Norbulingka Institute