Dharamsala and McLeod Ganj, meditation in the mountains

Why come here for yoga

Dharamsala (धर्मशाला, dharmaśālā, a rest house for pilgrims) is two towns on one mountainside. Lower Dharamsala is an Indian hill town; McLeod Ganj, up the hill, is the Tibetan settlement. In May 1960, the Central Tibetan Administration moved here from Mussoorie (Wikipedia, McLeod Ganj), and the town has been the seat in exile of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama ever since. Tushita reminds visitors that although "Dharamsala" is used as a synonym for the Dalai Lama's home, the actual Tibetan settlement is McLeod Ganj.

Come here for meditation and Buddhist study, not for the lineages of haṭha yoga. The two traditions share a vocabulary (dhyāna, samādhi, the training of attention) and much of their history, and many practitioners of meditation find in McLeod Ganj teachers who have spent their lives in retreat.

Tushita Meditation Centre

Tushita describes itself as "a centre for the study and practice of Buddhism from the Tibetan Mahayana tradition", located "in the forested hills above the town of McLeod Ganj". According to its history page, in 1972 Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche bought an old colonial house near the village of Dharamkot and founded Tushita Retreat Centre, later renamed Tushita Meditation Centre, as a sister centre of Kopan Monastery in Nepal. Tushita means "the place of joy", the pure land of the coming Buddha Maitreya.

Its best-known programme is a 10-day residential Introduction to Buddhism; it also runs intermediate courses, retreats, drop-in events and pujas. Visitors are asked to keep silence on the grounds, since residential courses and retreats are always under way.

The Dalai Lama's teachings

The Office of His Holiness publishes his schedule. It states that registration is required for all teachings in Dharamsala: it opens a few days before and closes the day before the teaching, from 9 am to 1 pm and 2 to 5 pm, at the courtyard of the Main Tibetan Temple (Tsuglagkhang); foreigners bring copies of their passport, Indian visa and C form, and a nominal fee of Rs 10 is charged. It adds that, as a long-standing policy, His Holiness accepts no fees for his talks. On 16 October 2026, the schedule listed long-life prayers offered to him at the Main Tibetan Temple on 21 October 2026 and 24 February 2027, with the warning that dates are subject to change.

Sacred places

• Tsuglagkhang, the Dalai Lama's temple, with statues of Śākyamuni, Avalokiteśvara and Padmasambhava; nearby Namgyal Monastery (Wikipedia, McLeod Ganj).
• The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, the Norbulingka Institute and the Tibet Museum, founded in 1998.
• Bhagsu (Bhagsunag), a village near McLeod Ganj named after its old temple of Śiva, with the Bhagsunag waterfall (Wikipedia, Bhagsu).
• Tushita itself, with its gompas and stupas, open to quiet visitors.

When to go

According to Tushita, the area has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate. A short, pleasant spring in March and April; summer from April, peaking in early June; monsoon from July to mid-September, with very heavy rain that makes Dharamsala one of the wettest places in the state; winter from December to mid-February, with temperatures at or below 0 °C, snow and sleet. Tushita closes every winter and has no heating in any season: bring layers, a sleeping bag and an umbrella all year.

Altitude: Tushita gives about 1,220 m for Dharamsala, 1,770 m for McLeod Ganj and 1,888 m for its own site. Expect a noticeable temperature drop as you climb.

Getting there

• By train: the nearest stations are Pathankot and Pathankot Cantonment (ex-Chakki Bank), on the line to Jammu Tawi; from either, Tushita counts about two and a half hours by taxi or around four hours by local bus to McLeod Ganj. Tushita mentions the overnight Jammu Mail from Old Delhi (not New Delhi) station; check current timetables on IRCTC, as they change.
• By air: Dharamsala airport (DHM), also called Kangra or Gaggal, has direct flights only to and from Delhi; Tushita says the taxi from there takes about one hour. Mountain weather causes delays and cancellations: arrive a day before your course.
• By road: about 10 to 12 hours from Delhi; from Dharamsala, 20 to 30 minutes by taxi or bus up to McLeod Ganj (Tushita).

Before you travel, read our page on the India e-Visa, and keep copies of your passport, visa and C form if you hope to attend a teaching.

Budget

The only official price we can date: Rs 10, the nominal registration fee for the Dalai Lama's teachings in Dharamsala (his office's website, read 16 October 2026). For Tushita's courses, read the conditions on each event page of its website and ask the centre directly about costs; get any amount in writing.

Etiquette

• Walk clockwise around temples, stupas and prayer wheels, as Tibetans do.
• Do not point your feet at altars or teachers; remove shoes where asked.
• In teaching halls and at Tushita: silence, phones off, and photography only where it is clearly allowed.
• Monks and nuns are not tourist attractions: ask before photographing them.

Health and safety

• Altitude and mountains: the FCDO asks travellers to make sure their insurance covers altitudes over 2,400 m, mountain rescue and helicopter costs. France Diplomatie describes Himalayan treks as demanding, with unstable weather and limited communications, and advises a medical check before going.
• GPS and satellite devices are illegal without a licence in India, even in transit (FCDO; France Diplomatie): leave your handheld GPS at home; phones with GPS apps are not concerned.
• Monsoon: landslides can close mountain roads; check before travelling.
• Scams: France Diplomatie names Dharamsala, with Goa and Rajasthan, among places where some vendors offer to ship valuables abroad and then make fraudulent card charges.
• Emergency number: 112.

Choosing a retreat or a training here

For a meditation course, ask: which tradition and which teacher? Is it residential, and in silence? What is expected of participants (attendance, precepts)? For a yoga teacher training in McLeod Ganj or Dharamkot, ask the questions you would ask anywhere: who teaches, which lineage, how many hours, what certificate and who recognises it. Compare with what Yoga Alliance does and does not certify and with our page on the 200-hour teacher training. Many travellers combine the mountains with a stay by the Ganga in Rishikesh.

Questions people ask

Sources

1. Tushita Meditation Centre, McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala (official site) checked October 16, 2026
2. History of Tushita — Tushita Meditation Centre (official site) checked October 16, 2026
3. Weather and when to visit — Tushita Meditation Centre (official site) checked October 16, 2026
4. Location and travel information — Tushita Meditation Centre (official site) checked October 16, 2026
5. Schedule — The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama (official site) checked October 16, 2026
6. McLeod Ganj — Wikipedia (Central Tibetan Administration since 1960, Tsuglag Khang, Namgyal) checked October 16, 2026
7. Bhagsu — Wikipedia (Bhagsunag temple and waterfall) checked October 16, 2026
8. India travel advice: safety and security — UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office checked October 16, 2026
9. Inde — Conseils aux voyageurs, sécurité (Himalaya, Dharamsala), France Diplomatie, updated 5 October 2026 checked October 16, 2026

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