My monastery’s name is Sera Mey Monastery, located in southern India. Southern India is home to many monasteries; most of the larger ones are situated here. When His Holiness the Dalai Lama requested a state minister to allocate land for Tibetan refugees, the Karnataka Chief Minister kindly offered the land to His Holiness for this purpose. As a result, many monasteries and Tibetan colonies were established in southern India. However, we were only granted forestland, not pre-cleared land suitable for building houses or farming. Our elder generation cleared the forest and prepared it for habitation and agriculture. At that time, our elder generation faced significant challenges in settling the Tibetan colony and monastery here. Through this process, we Tibetans have been settled in southern India to pursue new knowledge.
After clearing the forest, our elder generation built monasteries and schools in Tibetan villages to educate monks and young people. Gradually, all our monasteries and villages grew from every direction. As a result of the increasing population, education and economy also developed organically. The current state of the Tibetan colony in southern India is truly beautiful. This place has become my second home, where I have spent over 30 years studying. The weather and food are well-suited to my lifestyle. Especially, the climate here is very balanced – neither too hot like Delhi in summer nor too cold like Himachal in winter. Ha ha! Life in a monastery is indeed very simple and peaceful.