Norbulingka Institute

Norbulingka Institute is a Tibetan cultural preservation centre located at Sidhpur near Dharamshala in Kangra District, Himachal Pradesh. Founded in 1988 to sustain Tibetan artistic traditions and provide employment to refugees, it was inaugurated in its present form in 1995. Set in landscaped Japanese-inspired gardens, it houses workshops, the Losel Doll Museum and the Seat of Happiness Temple.

Visitors can expect a landscaped campus with Japanese-inspired gardens, streams and ponds surrounding traditional Tibetan-style buildings. Areas open to visitors include artisan workshops for thangka painting, appliqué, woodcarving and embroidery, the Losel Doll Museum with dioramas of Tibetan life, the Seat of Happiness Temple with large gilded Buddha statues and murals, a craft shop, cafe and guesthouse. Guided tours explain the arts and cultural preservation work.

Founded in 1988 by Kelsang and Kim Yeshi to preserve Tibetan artistic traditions and provide employment and training to Tibetan refugees in India. The institute in its present campus was inaugurated by the 14th Dalai Lama in 1995. It is named after Norbulingka, the summer palace in Lhasa, and was built following traditional Tibetan architectural principles.

Functions as a centre for the preservation and teaching of traditional Tibetan arts including thangka painting, thangka appliqué, wood carving, wood painting, embroidery and tailoring. It houses the Losel Doll Museum and the Seat of Happiness Temple, and supports the continuity of Tibetan cultural heritage through training, production and exhibition.