Day 3 Highlights of Our Trip
On Day 2 at around 7 p.m. we reached the hotel room in Mussoorie and had a
peaceful stay in the hotel at night. Day 3 of our trip included our visit to
Kempty Falls which was not my cup of tea. From here we visited the Company Garden where we spent time relaxing amidst nature in the beautiful ambiance.
We had some food at the Food Court in the Garden and our 3 destination on Day 3 of the trip was the Tibetan Monastery / Buddhist Temple in Happy Valley.
We drove on the ups and downs and twisty turny ghat roads for around 15 to 20 minutes and reached the place in the afternoon. Near the parking slot there is a Central School for the Tibetan children established in 1960 by the Govt of India.
On walking up the rocky way we reached the entrance gate built in typical Tibetan architectural style.
As we walked inside we reached a place to our left where there are big Tibetan Buddhist Prayer Wheels known as Mani Wheels by the Tibetans. When we reached this place I saw some tourists wondering what are those wheels and what to do at the place. Then I told them that we have to turn the wheels in clockwise direction one after the other chanting the mantra
Om Mani Padme Hum.
Well, I came to know about this Buddhist religious mantra when I visited the Buddhist Swayambhunath and Boudhanath temples in Kathmandu in 2006. The Tibetan Buddhists believe that touching the Mani (Prayer) Wheels purifies us from the realms. Though there were good number of tourists moving around the place engrossed in the vastness of the Himalayan views taking video shoots, snaps and selfies there is calmness all around.
We turned the Prayer Wheels did Namaskar and walked up where there is a big beautiful stupa. Tourists were taking snaps at this place and moving round (doing pradakshina) to the stupa. There is a large open space a balcony with colorful benches at few places.
Tourists got glued at this open space watching the breathtaking view of the Himalayan valley. The view is undoubtedly a feast to the eyes and we don't know how much time we spent at this place watching the Happy Valley which really brought happiness not only to our minds but to our souls as well. On seeing the lush green valley I remembered the famous novel 'How Green Was My Valley'.
On inquiring the locals I came to know that Happy Valley also known as the mini-Tibet, is a settlement for the Tibetan refugees. Tenzin Gyatso, the XIV (14th) Dalai Lama who is the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetans escaped from Lhasa in Tibet and took refugee at this place in India. After few years Dalai Lama moved to Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh due to some security concerns. Since then this place became a Tibetan settlement where the tourists get to see much of Tibetan culture.
We lost ourselves for sometime staring at the panoramic valley view and then walked into the meditation hall. We have to remove our shoes outside the hall.
There is an idol of Dalai Lama in the centre of the hall with Buddhist idols glass almirahs. The place was calm and we felt positive vibes all around. Few Tibetans were seated on the floor and I think were chanting the Mantra. One person had a Prayer Wheel in hand which she is spinning while chanting the Mantra.
The best part of this place is there is calmness all around and the tourists also maintaining silence at this place.
There are no local venders around and no photographers who keep bugging / pleading the tourists. Of course I pity those poor guys as it's their earning. But sometimes they are so irritating that we lose our peace of mind. And the vast stretch of valley view from this place enhances the beauty and sereneness of the place.
We got recharged amidst the positive vibes and stepped out of the meditation hall. Beside the hall there is a giant Prayer / Mani Wheel which is too heavy and we couldn't spin it. Here too we have to remove our shoes before entering inside.
As we came out of the hall suddenly the weather turned cloudy and within no time it started drizzling. Some tourists were enjoying a drench in the cool drizzle which gradually turned into rainfall. While others took shelter and enjoyed the valley view in the cloudy weather.
We stood under a shelter and waited for a while. On the wall there was a mention of Mantra
Om Mani Padme Hum and how it purifies us.
When the rain continued to fall non-stop we ran to the parking place. As we were having our rain jackets we did not drench much.
Finally after a pleasant day 3 of our tour we were back to our room wherefrom we continued enjoyed the beautiful nature in the rainy weather. From the balcony of our hotel room we stood staring at the dazzling view of the Doon valley
We packed up our bags as we had to leave to Shimla the next day i.e. on 26th Apr 2023. Stay connected and read my next post about our road trip from Mussoorie to Shimla.
Read My Previous Posts of This Trip:- An Evening at Har-ki-Pauri in Haridwar
- One Day sight-seeing in Rishikesh
- Road Trip to Mussorie
- Relaxing at Company Garden, Mussoorie
- Mussoorie to Shimla Road Trip on the Ghat Roads
- Hailstorm Experience at Kufri in Shimla
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