Himachal Visit

Report of Visit to the Buddhist Belt in Himachal Pradesh

The undersigned, along with Shri Hukum Chand Negi, IRS (Retd.), Principal Commissioner of Income Tax, Vice President of IHCNBT, and In-Charge of Himachal Pradesh, and Shri Tenzin, IHCNBT, undertook a visit to Buddhist monastic institutions located in Shimla, Kinnaur, and Lahaul-Spiti districts of Himachal Pradesh. These regions, which lie along the borders, are home to a significant Buddhist population.

Purpose of the Visit

The primary objective of the visit was to interact with monastic institutions—both monasteries and nunneries—and inform them about the newly developed Monastic Education Curriculum created by IHCNBT in collaboration with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), Ministry of Education, Government of India. This curriculum, now officially recognized, allows monasteries to provide structured education in addition to spiritual training.

Observations

In Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti districts, numerous monasteries belonging to the Geluk, Kagyu, Sakya, and Nyingma traditions of Mahayana Buddhism were identified. Most of these are small, village-type monasteries serving primarily ritual and devotional purposes, without offering systematic monastic education. Only a limited number of monasteries and nunneries currently provide formal education, often supported by:

• Foreign funding through their respective Tulkus/Rinpoches (reincarnate lamas and scholar-lamas)
• Grants from the Ministry of Culture under the BTI scheme

Key Focus

Our efforts were concentrated on those monasteries and nunneries where structured education is already being imparted. These institutions showed strong interest in adopting the NIOS-recognized curriculum, which includes Bhoti Language and Bodh Darshan as academic subjects.

Key Points from Interactions

1. Teacher Requirement – Successful implementation of the curriculum depends on ensuring adequate numbers of qualified teachers across subjects.
2. Student Support – Monks and nuns pursuing their studies should be provided stipends and scholarships.
3. Teaching Materials – Institutions expressed the need for educational resources and vocational training materials, particularly for Buddhist Art, Sculpture, and Painting.
4. Infrastructure – Proper classrooms, hostels, and related facilities are necessary to sustain and expand educational activities.
5. Reduced Dependency – The new curriculum will strengthen local capacity, reduce over-reliance on foreign funding, and address existing educational gaps.