In Camp 4 in Bylakuppe

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The roads to Camp 4 are lined with Prayer flags fluttering in the wind. Old, tattered, new, bright, faded; all kinds surround the trees, the electric poles, backyards and fences. It is a sultry afternoon in April, and a cuckoo calls out for rain with longing. Rows of Silver Oak trees flank the roads and narrow streets and the bougainvillea are in full bloom. Across the Paljor Dhargey Ling guest house where we are to stay is a vast open space, leading to narrower gullies. Camp 4 is a quaint place. There are monks in maroon robes and yellow shirts walking on the streets and old women with colorful banded aprons, clutching prayer beads. 

 Located to the west of Mysore in Coorg in Karnataka, Bylakuppe has been the home of Tibetan refugees since 1960 after the Chinese Occupation of their country led to a life in exile. After Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh, the camps near Bylakuppe represent the second largest Tibetan settlements in India. Murky as the path to this quaint Karnataka town has been for the refugees, they have adapted, while holding on to their way of life. From the roof of the world to this town in South India, it must have been quite a journey for the original settlers. 



Location: Bylakuppe, Karnataka, India

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