Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre in

Darjeeling Darjeeling (, , ) is a city in the northernmost region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the Koshi Pr ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, is a rehabilitation centre for

Tibetan Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...

refugees in the

Darjeeling Himalayan hill region Darjeeling Himalayan hill region, also known as the Darjeeling Hills or Darjeeling Himalaya, is a mountainous area on the north-western side of the state of West Bengal in India. This region belongs to the Eastern Himalaya range. The Darjeeling ...

. It was established on 2 October 1959, following the Dalai Lama's escape from Tibet. The production of Tibetan handicrafts is the centre's main activity.

Location

It is located on the hillside of Lebong in the Darjeeling District of

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

. The altitude is approximately above sea level. The temperature variation ranges from 17°-1.5 °C, accompanied by an annual rainfall of .

History

Situated in Lebong and locally known as Hermitage, the Tibetan Refugee Self-Help Centre (TRSHC) came into existence on 2 October 1959. In 1959, funds raised from a local charity led to the establishment of this centre by Zhu Dan (wife of

Gyalo Thondup Gyalo Thondup (; ; – 8 February 2025) was a Tibetan political operator in exile. The second-oldest brother of the 14th Dalai Lama, he was his closest advisor. From 1952 onward, he was based in India. Through the 1950s and 1960s, he worked wi ...

). The place initially provided emergency relief to Tibetan refugees who had trekked through the hazardous

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

into

. The Hillside had special significance for

Tibetans Tibetans () are an East Asian ethnic group native to Tibet. Their current population is estimated to be around 7.7 million. In addition to the majority living in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, significant numbers of Tibetans live in t ...

because the

Thirteenth Dalai Lama The 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso (full given name: Ngawang Lobsang Thupten Gyatso Jigdral Chokley Namgyal; abbreviated to Thubten Gyatso) (; 12 February 1876 – 17 December 1933) was the 13th Dalai Lama of Tibet, enthroned during a turbulen ...

had spent his exile in India from 1910 to 1912 following the Chinese invasion of Tibet at that time.

"It was within this view that a ten-member committee was formed in Darjeeling to organise a rehabilitation centre to be known as the TIBETAN REFUGEE SELF-HELP CENTRE. The founding members of the committee were: Mrs. Gyalo Thondup, President, Mr. T. Lawang, Mr. G. Tesur, Mr. Tenzing Norgay, Mr & Mrs. Joksari, Mr. T. Tethong, Monsignor Benjamin, Mr. Chumbay Tsering and Miss Tesur. Later, we had the pleasure of welcoming the following new members into the committee: Mrs. Laden-la, Col. & Mrs. Thapa and Mr. Dilip Bose."

The centre was registered as a charitable organization under the Government of India Act. Starting with just four workers, today the centre is home to 130 Tibetan families. The centre has been involved in a range of multifaceted activities, which include handicrafts and the training of artisans and craftsmen. These activities primarily focus on caring for the sick, the elderly, and the needy destitute.A brief story on Tibetan Refugee Self-Help Handicraft Center, Darjeelin

/ref> The centre now comprises one créche, one nursery school, and a pre-primary school (up to +2 standard). * Started on 1 October 1959 * Production of handicrafts is the centre's main activity *In June 1960, the Centre started a small Nursery School

References

External links

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Darjeelingnews.net
{{Darjeeling Tourist attractions in Darjeeling Tibetan people Refugees in India Tibetan diaspora in India