TravelPhotography: Golden Temple, Bailakuppe, Karnataka

Bylakuppe is the Tibetitan Refugee resettlement, location of “Lugsum Samdupling” (established in 1961) and “Dickyi Larsoe” (established in 1969), in the west of Mysore district. The nearest town is Kushalnagar in Kodagu in the State of Karnataka. The Golden Temple in Bylakuppe, Karnataka, is a home for thousands of Tibetans living in exile and a center for Tibetan Buddhism in South India. The Tibetian refugees make up a population of about 10,000. It consists of a number of small camps/agricultural settlements close to each other, and has a number of monasteries, nunneries and temples in all the major Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Most notable among them are the large educational monastic institution Sera, the smaller Tashilunpo monastery (both in the Gelukpa tradition) and Namdroling monastery (in the Nyingma tradition). The spectacular Golden Temple which is also a major tourist spot in the area. Golden Temple is the main tourist attraction in Bylakuppe. Stepping inside the temple feels like walking into another world, and the noisy streets of South India suddenly seem to be very far away. Three beautiful golden Buddha statues each of 40 Feet namely Padmasambhava, Buddha and Amitayus look down at visitors above the altar. The walls are adorned with colourful paintings depicting gods and demons from Tibetan Buddhist mythology. The altar is decorated with flowers, candles and incense, and small birds nesting amongst the golden statues fly happily around the temple. This place is very calm and majestic sight, surrounded by its landscaped gardens. During festivals, the main courtyard becomes an open stage where masked dancers twirl in colorful costumes to the sound of gongs and massive ceremonial trumpets. Tourists are welcomed to visit the monasteries and temples. Photography is allowed even inside the temple.