A fine drizzle has hung over the Dhauladhar foothills all day, coating the deodar trees in mist and leaving the paved mountain roads slick and gleaming. As the rain taps softly on the tin roofs of McLeodganj, the scent of wet earth rises through the winding lanes that lead to an often-overlooked building.

Here, Tek Chand, 37, moves through two small rooms with a broom in his hand. The air is damp, the wood slightly musty. But the rooms remain unchanged — sheltering an overlooked chapter in the modern history of Tibet and its people. “These rooms have stayed untouched,” he says.

For eight years after the Dalai Lama arrived in India, the Swarg Ashram in Mcleodganj served as his residence. (Express photo by Kamleshwar Singh) For eight years after the Dalai Lama arrived in India, the Swarg Ashram in Mcleodganj served as his residence. (Express photo by Kamleshwar Singh)

Once known as Swarg Ashram, the modest structure is perched just beyond the town’s edge, at the end of a quiet road veiled in fog.

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In 1960, when the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, and his entourage of family members, senior Lamas and others arrived in India after a perilous journey from Tibet, he travelled through Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh), Tezpur (Assam) and Mussoorie, before finally reaching Dharamshala and then, the ashram in McLeodganj. For eight pivotal years, the ashram served as the residence of the Tibetan spiritual leader as he began rebuilding a displaced nation in exile.

Over 2 km and a world away from this hushed hillside is the vibrant heart of McLeodganj, often called Mini-Lhasa. Today, it hums with reverence and celebration in anticipation of the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday on July 6. An expected public address at his current residence and monastery complex, Tsuglagkhang, is the big draw.

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Restaurants dish out Tibetan cuisine to throngs of visitors and pilgrims from around the world stroll alongside crimson-robed monks, many hoping to catch a glimpse of the Dalai Lama himself. The compound, which includes his private quarters and a grand Tibetan temple, is now the heart of the Tibetan community in exile.

At the Dalai Lama Archives and Library complex in McLeodganj, a painting with 74 ‘shades of the Dalai Lama’ presented to him by a follower on his 74th birthday. (Express photo by Kamleshwar Singh) At the Dalai Lama Archives and Library complex in McLeodganj, a painting with 74 ‘shades of the Dalai Lama’ presented to him by a follower on his 74th birthday. (Express photo by Kamleshwar Singh)

But beyond the festivities, the air is thick with significance. On July 2, in a statement that resonated across the Tibetan world and beyond, the Dalai Lama declared that the centuries-old institution of the Dalai Lama would continue, and that his ‘reincarnation’ would be managed solely by his Gaden Phodrang Trust in accordance with Tibetan traditions — not Beijing’s directives. The idea of reincarnation is rooted in a Buddhist belief system that all living beings are bound by a cycle of birth and death.

The pronouncement by the Dalai Lama followed a three-day Tibetan religious conference in Dharamshala. Spiritual leaders from all four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism — Gelug, Nyingma, Sakya, and Kagyu — had convened to discuss the sensitive and politically charged question of succession.

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With Chinese authorities signalling their intentions to control the next reincarnation, the Dalai Lama’s announcement reasserted the Tibetan community’s spiritual independence — a message of both defiance and continuity.

India, China and Tibet

The Dalai Lama is central to the economy and spiritual identity of McLeodganj. His presence has transformed this once-quiet Himalayan hamlet into an internationally recognised hub of Tibetan Buddhism, fuelling tourism, business growth and cultural vibrancy. Events such as the 90th birthday bring new cycles of economic opportunity paired with growing concerns over infrastructure and sustainability.

According to local tourism officials, foreign arrivals to McLeodganj surged from around 2,700 in 2021 to over 51,000 in 2023. The momentum has continued into 2025. In the first six months of the year, officials say, over 10 lakh tourists, both domestic as well as international, have arrived in Kangra district.

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Despite this effortless integration of cultures and communities, the Tibetan issue has always been a sensitive one for India, Tibet and China since the early 1950s. While then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru welcomed waves of embattled Tibetans and granted the Dalai Lama asylum in 1959, even in the face of immense criticism and fears of “antagonising China”, after the India-China war in 1962, Delhi has been cautious about its public pronouncements on the Dalai Lama.

At a market in McLeodganj. The Dalai Lama is central to the economy and spiritual identity of Dharamshala and McLeodganj. (Express photo by Kamleshwar Singh) At a market in McLeodganj. The Dalai Lama is central to the economy and spiritual identity of Dharamshala and McLeodganj. (Express photo by Kamleshwar Singh)

Since then, the Indian government has adopted a more nuanced position. While maintaining that the Dalai Lama is a “revered religious leader and is deeply respected by the people of India” and that he has “all the freedom to carry out his religious activities in India”, Delhi doesn’t officially support the Tibetan community’s political activism in India.

More so now, when India and China are working towards normalising the bilateral relationship after a tense border standoff since 2020. On July 4, the Ministry of External Affairs released a carefully worded statement saying the government “does not take any position or speak on matters concerning beliefs and practices of faith and religion. The Government has always upheld freedom of religion for all in India and will continue to do so.”

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Beijing, which views the Dalai Lama as a “separatist”, prohibits any public show of devotion towards the Tibetan spiritual leader. For China, a say in the selection process of the Dalai Lama, a deeply revered figure in Tibet, is seen as a way to exert its authority over the Tibetan people.

China has rejected the Nobel Peace laureate’s succession plan, insisting that any future heir must receive its seal of approval. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that the reincarnation “must be chosen by drawing lots from a Golden Urn, and approved by the central government (of China).”

A day later, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju — who, along with Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, is representing the Indian government at the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday event in Dharamshala on July 6 — said the decision (on the incarnation of the Dalai Lama) would be taken by the established institution and the Dalai Lama himself, no one else.

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Rijiju’s statement ties in with New Delhi’s position that the Dalai Lama is a religious leader.

Inside Tsuglagkhang Complex

Tucked against the forested slopes of the Dhauladhar mountains, just above the noisy cafés and narrow alleyways of McLeodganj, stands Tsuglagkhang, a place at once sacred and deeply political. This Tibetan Buddhist temple, also known as the Tsuglagkhang Complex, is not just a religious site — it is the emotional and spiritual centre of the Tibetan community in exile.

Tsuglagkhang is a sprawling complex that includes the main temple, the Namgyal Monastery, the Dalai Lama’s private residence, and his office. (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh) Tsuglagkhang is a sprawling complex that includes the main temple, the Namgyal Monastery, the Dalai Lama’s private residence, and his office. (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh)

Constructed in the 1960s after the 14th Dalai Lama settled in India, it was built to provide a new seat for the Gaden Phodrang (the institution that governs the reincarnation process of the Dalai Lama), the Tibetan government-in-exile and a place of worship for thousands of Tibetan refugees. Over the decades, it has grown from a modest structure into a sprawling complex that includes the main temple, the Namgyal Monastery, the Dalai Lama’s private residence, and his office.

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The temple itself is simple but serene. Its architecture draws from traditional Tibetan monastic design — bold red and gold beams, intricately carved woodwork, and prayer flags fluttering in the crisp mountain breeze. Inside, the walls are painted with ancient thangka murals, their colours glowing dimly beneath soft natural light. At the temple’s heart sits a towering gilded statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, flanked by figures of Avalokiteshvara and Padmasambhava, two deeply revered Bodhisattvas in the Tibetan pantheon.

Every morning, the scent of juniper and butter lamps fills the air as monks and devotees begin their prostrations and circumambulations, sending their prayers into the world with every turn of the prayer wheels.

This week, the quiet rituals are tinged with anticipation ahead of the celebrations on July 6. Thousands of Tibetans living in exile are expected to gather at Tsuglagkhang to hear the Dalai Lama speak. For months, across exile settlements in India and beyond, Tibetans have been offering prayers, holding ceremonies, and lighting lamps in the hope of extending the life of their spiritual leader.

Yet, there is a sadness beneath the surface.

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Karma Yeshi is the Chairperson of the Public Service Commission in the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and has in the past been minister of finance and a member of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. “My father Penpa and mother Namdol came from Tibet through Sikkim in the early 1960s. I was born in Gangtok. We moved to Dharamshala in the mid 1960s. My parents and hundreds of Tibetan refugees who followed His Holiness the Dalai Lama from Tibet to India were the ones who built this Tsuglagkhang temple complex. Indian masons and Tibetan refugees worked day and night to complete its construction in 1968,” he says.

But now, he says, “It is painful.”

The Tsuglagkhang temple is at the heart of the Tibetan community in exile. (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh) The Tsuglagkhang temple is at the heart of the Tibetan community in exile. (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh)

“On one hand, we pray for his long life with all our heart. On the other, we are forced to discuss his reincarnation because of what the Chinese government might do,” he says. It’s a widely shared concern.

On ordinary days, the Tsuglagkhang temple is peaceful. Monks chant in low, steady tones. Children walk hand-in-hand with elders. Foreign tourists sit cross-legged in silent meditation beside Tibetan grandmothers.

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But these are not ordinary days. Amid celebrations, prayers, and security protocols, hangs a quiet urgency — to listen, to remember, and to hold on.

The question of reincarnation

Explaining the reincarnation practice, Dr Lobsang Sangay, former CTA president, who is currently teaching a course on “reincarnation” at the Harvard Law School, says, “From the first to fifth Dalai Lamas, their relationship was very close and one could say they recognised each other by virtue of being teacher and disciple. However, the relationship changes after the fifth Dalai Lama takes over the rulership of Tibet and forms the Gaden Phodrang government. The tradition/practice was that after the Dalai Lama dies, a regent is appointed who presides over the Gaden Phodrang government. The primary role of the regent was to find the reincarnation of the Dalai Lamas. The regent appoints a team or teams of search committees which travel around and find candidates. Then the candidate is found/ identified, recognised and enthroned.”

On China’s role and objections, he says, “Nobody is asking the Chinese government to find the Dalai Lama. Who asked them? Not even a single follower of the 14th Dalai Lama has asked the Chinese to find his reincarnation. They have no role whatsoever.”

“What His Holiness reiterated today is that the institution of the Dalai Lama shall continue as per the traditions and practices of Tibetan Buddhism. There will be a 15th Dalai Lama, 16th Dalai Lama and so on,” says Professor Samdhong Rinpoche, former Kalon Tripa (head of the Tibetan government-in-exile) who now manages the affairs of the Gaden Phodrang Trust.

Preparations underway for a prayer ceremony for the Dalai Lama in the courtyard of the Tsuglagkhang temple. (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh) Preparations underway for a prayer ceremony for the Dalai Lama in the courtyard of the Tsuglagkhang temple. (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh)

Where it all began

Far removed from the high-level declarations and international intrigue, the rooms at the Swarg Ashram remain silent.

By the time the Dalai Lama arrived in the hills of Himachal Pradesh, the ashram — once a colonial-era retreat — had been quietly repurposed as a sanctuary.

Today, its interiors remain largely untouched. A narrow 20×15-foot hall, where the Dalai Lama received visitors, leads to a spartan 10×10-foot bedroom overlooking a small garden, where he once greeted followers and addressed the Tibetan diaspora.

Now, the building is under the stewardship of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering, though the rooms of the Dalai Lama have been preserved. “They stay locked most days,” says Tek Chand. “A few chairs have been left in case someone from the Central Tibetan Administration or the private office of His Holiness visits. But that happens rarely.”

“It’s peaceful here,” he says, as the rain picks up again outside. “You can still feel something in the walls.”

While crowds gather below in bustling McLeodganj, where prayer flags flutter above soaked streets and the aroma of incense mingles with monsoon rain, the legacy of the Dalai Lama’s early years in exile endures quietly — tucked into the hills, remembered by few, but foundational to all that followed.