When I arrived first in Dharamsala – some 21 years ago on a wintery New Year’s eve day – I met a fellow traveler and trying to get away from the crowds we found ourselves on the Kora at midnight, totally mesmerized by this serene walk just minutes away from the hub of the busy town life. It was like entering a magic world and I guess it planted the seeds of my continuous love for this hillside town.
Now, many years later and Dharamsala being almost unrecognizable compared to then, the Kora miraculously has preserved its tranquil and spellbinding atmosphere and it’s still for many – including myself – a place of wonder, solace, hope, devotion and rejuvenation.
Let me tell you a little what this magic walk means to me:
Firstly, the ‘Kora’, (which is a Tibetan word meaning ‘to circumambulate’) is a 45 minutes’ walk around the residency and temple complex of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
It’s a gentle ‘up and down’ circular walk, starting and ending at the temple entrance, to be accomplished by most. It is an urban walk with a perfect countryside feel to it.
To circumambulate a holy object or place is an ageless tradition of Tibetans and has been kept alive even in their exiled home.
The Kora is serenely beautiful with large pine, cedar and rhododendron trees lining either side and giving way to occasional breathtaking glimpses down the Kangra valley or up the majestic Dhauladar range behind McLeod Ganj. And for once, this beauty is enhanced and not spoiled by Human input.
Many Tibetans, from the youngest to the oldest and from all backgrounds go at least once daily for a Kora. At sunrise and sunset, the walk can even become quite busy yet it always maintains its holy, quiet atmosphere.
You might hear a bit of chitchatting, but the main human sound would be the quiet mumbling of ‘Om mani Padme hum’ and the clinking of the prayer wheels as they get turned by each passing person.
Even after so many years I am touched when witnessing the many heartwarming acts of random and so naturally occurring kindness of the Tibetan people. Be it picking up the earthworms struggling to cross the concrete path or the feeding of wild and stray animals: dogs, cows and monkeys – all are respected and live here peacefully side by side. There are even built places, where the rainwater can collect so the animals don’t need to go thirsty – all are private initiatives.
And within the whole natural beauty of the Kora, everyone can enjoy the best public art installations ever, grown over years and made spontaneously by the common man for the common man – perfect, harmonious acts of devotion, totally unpretentious and understood by all.
1000s of prayer flags lining the Kora, beautifully chiseled and painting mani stones, little whitewashed Choetens, colorful prayer wheels, old scriptures, framed pictures of some of the great Lamas and so much more.
Each walk is a new discovery, brings joy and peace to my heart and makes me realize why, after all these years I’m still drawn to this place.
