Choglamsar Tibetan Settlement

Choglamsar Tibetan Settlement is a Tibetan refugee settlement located in Choglamsar, about 8 km southeast of Leh in Ladakh, India. Established in 1960 to rehabilitate Tibetan refugees, it is one of the largest Tibetan settlements in Ladakh. The settlement includes residential areas, schools, monasteries, a handicraft centre and the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies, and is known for preserving Tibetan culture, crafts and Buddhist education near the Indus River.

Visitors can expect a quiet residential settlement along the Indus River with Tibetan-style houses, prayer flags, small monasteries and chortens. The main points of interest are the Tibetan handicraft centre and shops selling carpets, thangkas and woollen products, the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies campus, and nearby monastic institutions. The area offers a glimpse of daily community life, traditional crafts, and Buddhist cultural elements in a semi-urban setting close to Leh.

Established in 1960 as a rehabilitation settlement for Tibetan refugees following their arrival in India. Land at Choglamsar was allocated for housing, agriculture and community institutions, and the settlement later developed schools, cooperatives and religious centres to support the community.

The settlement is a centre for preservation of Tibetan culture, language and Tibetan Buddhism in Ladakh. It houses educational and religious institutions including the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies, handicraft cooperatives, and monasteries that maintain traditional arts, crafts and Buddhist learning.