History Dharamshala

1 history

1.1 before british raj
1.2 settlement british , gurkhas
1.3 establishment of tibetan exile community
1.4 today
1.5 transcription , pronunciation

history
before british raj

until british raj, dharamshala , surrounding area ruled katoch dynasty of kangra, royal family ruled region 2 millennia. royal family still keeps residence in dharamsala, known clouds end villa . under british raj, regions part of undivided province of punjab, , ruled governors of punjab lahore. katoch dynasty, although highly regarded culturally, had been reduced status of jargidars (of kangra-lambagraon) under treaty of jawalamukhi, signed in 1810 between sansar chand katoch , maharaja ranjit singh of sikh empire. indigenous people of dharamshala area (and surrounding region) gaddis, predominantly hindu group traditionally lived nomadic or semi-nomadic transhumant lifestyle. due lack of permanent settlements in area, gaddis lost seasonal pastures , farmland when british , gurkhas arrived settle.

settlement british , gurkhas

saint john’s church in wilderness @ dharamsala, built in 1852

in 1848, area known dharamshala annexed british.

dharamsāla lies on spur of dhaola dhār, 16 miles north-east of kāngra, in midst of wild , picturesque scenery. formed subsidiary cantonment troops stationed @ kāngra, , first occupied station in 1849, when site required cantonment accommodate native regiment being raised in district. site found upon slopes of dhaola dhār, in plot of waste land, upon stood old hindu resthouse, or dharmsāla, whence name adopted new cantonment. civil authorities, following example of regimental officers, , attracted advantages of climate , scenery, built houses in neighbourhood of cantonment; , in 1855 new station formally recognised headquarters of [kāngra] district.

in 1860, 66th gurkha light infantry moved kangra, himachal pradesh dharamshala, @ first made subsidiary cantonment. ideal position new base found on slopes of dhauladhar hills, near site of hindu sanctuary, or dharamshala, hence name of town. battalion later renamed historic 1st gurkha rifles, beginning of legend of gurkhas, known bravest of brave . consequently, fourteen gurkha platoon villages grew settlement, , exist day, namely dari, ramnagar, shyamnagar, dal, totarani, khanyara, sadher, chaandmaari, sallagarhi, sidhbari, yol, , on. gurkhas worshipped @ ancient shiva temple of bhagsunag. gurkhas referred dharamshala bhagsu , referred bhagsuwalas.

the 21st gurkha regiment dharamshala performed heroic feats during world war , north west frontier province campaigns. gurkha cantonment reached zenith during world war ii, when battalions dharamshala made history. many place names in town still retain former cantonment terminologies: depot bazaar, pensioners lines, tirah lines (named after 19th century tirah campaign), bharatpore lines (named after 1826 battle of bharatpore).

the second lord elgin, viceroy of india died here (at 1st gurkha rifles officers mess) in 1863 , buried in cemetery of st. john in wilderness, small anglican church distinguished stained-glass windows. dharamshala became popular hill station british working in or near delhi, offering cool respite during hot summer months.

before earthquake of 1905, upper part of station, rises height of 7,112 feet [2,168 metres], contained european houses, station church, , officers mess , lines of 1st gurkhas, public gardens, post office, , 2 bazars, forsythganj , mcleodganj. public offices, bazar, , few european houses made lower station, low 4,500 feet [1,372 metres]. 1st battalion of 1st gurkhas used stationed here, moved upper station in 1894-5.... public gardens, were, before earthquake, laid out taste in lawns , terraces, contained valuable collection of indigenous , imported trees , shrubs, , overlooked assembly rooms, handsome building comprising public hall, library , reading-room , billiard-room. church beautifully situated in recess of mountain.

in 1905, kangra valley suffered major earthquake. on 4 april of year, earth shook, demolishing of cantonment , neighbouring city of kangra, himachal pradesh bhagsunag temple. altogether, 1905 kangra earthquake killed 20,000 people. 1,625 persons perished @ dharamsāla alone, including 15 europeans , 112 of gurkha garrison.

the gurkhas rebuilt town along temple, today acknowledged 1st gurkha rifles heritage. british had planned make dharamshala summer capital of india, moved shimla after disaster.

not did gurkhas of dharmshala make major contribution india s defence, many freedom fighters indian national army, had been founded netaji subhas chandra bose. indian national army captain ram singh thakur, gurkha village of khanyara, composed of india s popular , stirring patriotic songs, including kadam kadam badaye ja . acknowledged netaji research bureau, kolkata. important contribution of noted gurkha social commentator, late master mitrasen thapa, village of totarani, has been acknowledged himachal pradesh government. recently, park dedicated memory of late brigadier sher jung thapa, mvc, hero of skardu , has been opened alongside road between lower , upper dharamshala.

establishment of tibetan exile community


kalachakra temple in main street of mcleod ganj

the tibetan settlement of dharamshala began in 1959, when holiness dalai lama had flee tibet , prime minister of india, jawaharlal nehru, allowed him , followers settle in mcleodganj (in upper dharmshala), former colonial british summer picnic spot. nehru delighted forgotten ghost-town wasting in woods , , offered dalai lama. there established government-in-exile in 1960 , namgyal monastery. dharamshala had been connected hinduism , buddhism long time, many monasteries having been established there in past, tibetan immigrants in 19th century.

in 1970, dalai lama, tenzin gyatso, opened library of tibetan works , archives houses on 80,000 manuscripts , other important resources related tibetan history, politics , culture. considered 1 of important institutions tibetology in world, new director geshe lahkdor, old translator of h.h. dalai lama.

today

several thousand tibetan exiles have settled in area, , live in , around mcleodganj in upper dharamshala, have built monasteries, temples , schools. mcleodganj known little lhasa , after tibetan capital city, or dhasa (a compound of dharamshala , lhasa ). has become important tourist destination many hotels , restaurants, leading growth in tourism , commerce.

dharamshala winter capital of himachal pradesh. legislative assembly @ sidhbari, near chinmaya tapovan ashram, , winter sessions of government held there. dharamshala 1 of famous bird watching spots in india.

transcription , pronunciation

pejas, scriptures of tibetan buddhism, @ library in dharamsala

due lack of uniform observance of transliteration , transcription conventions hindi (and devanagari script in hindi written), name of town has been transcribed english (and other languages using romanic scripts) variously dharamshala, dharamsala and, less frequently, dharmshala , dharmsala. these 4 permutations result 2 variables: transcription of word धर्म (dharma)—particularly second syllable (र्म)—and of third syllable (शा).

a strict transliteration of धर्म written dharma [ˈdʱərma]. in modern spoken hindi of region, however, there common metathesis in vowel , consonant sounds in second syllable of words (including धर्म) transposed, changes dharma dharam (pronounced somewhere between [ˈdʱərəm] , [ˈdʱərm], depending on speaker). thus, if goal of transcription phonetic accord modern spoken hindi, dharam , dharm both legitimate options.

regarding third syllable, devanagari श corresponds english sh sound, [ʃ]. शाला transcribed in english shala .

therefore, accurate phonetic transcription of hindi धर्मशाला roman script common (non-technical) english usage either dharamshala or, less commonly, dharmshala , both of render sh (/ʃ/) sound of श in english sh convey correct native pronunciation, dharamshala [dʱərəmˈʃaːlaː] or dharmshala [dʱərmˈʃaːlaː]). nonetheless, alternate spelling dharamsala continues used in cases despite inaccuracy, , 4 spelling permutations can found in english language materials of local , state governments, in publications, , on internet.

regardless of spelling variations, correct native pronunciation sh sound (/ʃ/). in actual practice, spelling variant common , concordant standards of transcription , native pronunciation dharamshala . official indian english spelling dharamshala .