Losar Festival Experience : 4 Days in Palpung Sherabling Monastery, Bir

It must have been that dreamy year of 2015 when we first set foot in Bir. The winter cold of December notwithstanding, a stay was found in tiny Gunehr village as we walked and hitchhiked to all corners of Bir. Even in those two days amid all the explorations of different monasteries in Bir, it was Palpung Sherabling’s otherworldly location in Upper Bhattu amidst a rolling pine forest that beckoned to us. The auspicious occasion of Losar – the Tibetan New Year Festival was deemed to be the opportune time to revisit Bir.

It was a late snowfall at home in Kullu Valley in 2024, so we were staring at a whiteout at the beginning of February. The dates for Losar festival at Palpung Sherabling were said to be from 8th February to 10th February. With copious amounts of rainfall causing landslides on the Mandi-Kullu highway, we contemplated about taking the alternate Kandi-Kataula road. The plan was to drive from Kullu Valley to Bir as it was a pleasant 6-7 hours drive for a total of 170 odd kms. Our aim was to try and stay at the monastery guest house itself as that was the right way of experiencing the Losar Festival. We were not keen to stay in Bir and attend the Losar festivities as Palpung Sherabling Monastery is a good 4-5 km distance away.

There seemed to be no way to book the monastery guest house in advance and uncertainty reigned. We started our journey early morning on 7th of February around 630 am and made good time. It was a cold morning that progressed to a nice sunny day and we took our first break after crossing Mandi to stop at a forest nursery to eat a packed tiffin for breakfast. The Mandi-Pathankot highway felt like a small single lane highway till we crossed Jogindernagar and only then did the road widen. We wanted to reach early to increase our chances of staying at the monastery complex and also have ample daylight in case an alternate stay was needed if Plan A didn’t work out.

We made it to Palpung Sherabling monastery parking at about 230 pm. The guard instructed us to go to the monastery office and figure things; he did not seem confident about the stay at all and suggested a guest house within walking distance of the monastery premises. It was a steep downhill walk from the parking area and we reached the monastery office. After a few minutes of talking with the monks and explaining that we wanted to experience the spiritual environment and stay here for the Losar festivities we were told to go to another office. The other office was a walk across the bridge and the monks there asked us our purpose of visit. Upon learning we live in Kullu Valley and that we had come specially to Bir to be part of the Losar Celebrations they allowed us to stay in the monastery guest house and told us to be well behaved.

It seemed that the monastery had devised this two office method to dissuade less serious folks from staying at the monastery. One of the monks told us that it had happened numerous times earlier that tourists had landed up at the monastery in high season and were drinking and creating ruckus in the sanctified premises. The guest house building was adjacent, with a green lawn in front and the ground floor housed a restaurant with a few tables set up in the lawn. The rooms were austere but clean with two single beds, white bedsheets and duvet blankets, an ensuite bathroom, reasonable storage space and had a large window overlooking the forest. We could hear the distant sound of prayers and kept our bags and rushed to the main monastery that could be accessed by a five minute walk by crossing the stream over a bridge.

Palpung Sherabling Monastery

Palpung Sherabling Monastery is located about 5 kms from Bir and is a complex of buildings set in a pine forest. It is an important monastery in Tibetan Buddhism belonging to the black hat (Karma Kagyu) sect of Buddhism with the original centre in Sichuan. The main feature inside the monastery is the massive two storey statue of Maitreya.

We looked forward to the next 3-4 days and being a part of this sanctified environment. It was about 4 pm and monks were practising for the masked dances while the lamas chanted in the prayer room of Palpung Sherabling. I have always found the deep guttural sounds of the prayers accompanied with drums and cymbals to be very peaceful. After some time, the prayers ended and younger monks stepped out to a tiny coffee café in the monastery premises. A number of Lamas, foreign (tourists?) and Tibetans who lived abroad occupied most of the tables. We also found space and asked for a coffee and ginger lemon honey tea and a slice of one of the freshly baked cakes. The staff at the café was from Bihar and I made small talk with him to confirm that he would make excellent ginger tea in the morning!

Random conversations with the other patrons at the café flowed, and we shared a table with a middle-aged Swiss lady of Tibetan origin. She was very emotional after coming back to India and attending the Losar Celebrations and expressed words of gratitude to Indians in general for being kind hosts to the Tibetan community in exile. It was a heartfelt conversation and tears streamed down our eyes while we gulped our drinks with the passable maida banana bread. The weather was pretty chilly and yet we saw a female (monk?) in a single layer and enlightening others with the knowledge of the training the mind for everything.

I remembered Bir’s legendary sunset skies from a previous visit and excused ourselves to take a walk to the stupa that was located higher up and would provide a vantage point. We were feeling a bit tired and hungry but the lure of the orange skies in this stupendous setting was beckoning to us and we made the ascent to the stupa in no time. The timing turned out to be impeccable as the sun had already started on its downward march. There was no one around in the stupa complex and the sound of birds chirping with the blazing sky made it into an ethereal evening. Once the sun went down, it got colder quite rapidly and we had to started our walk back for there were monkeys on the way and we wanted to avoid them in the dark.

At the monastery, there was nothing much happening so we walked back to the guest house area to have an early dinner since we were very hungry having only had a packed brunch on the way. The effects of the drive were being felt and we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner of thukpa, spring rolls, and thenthuk washed down with some black tea. We met a couple who was visiting for Losar; the man was from Sikkim and the lady from New York. The restaurant at the guest house was a popular place and even young lamas and senior monks were enjoying their evening in the cosy interiors. We filled our water bottles and climbed up to our room which turned out to be warm and cosy. We would later learn that the evening sunshine came directly into our allotted room! We sent a silent prayer of thanks to the monk who had given us a room on this side of the building.

I decided to have a hot shower to relax the tired body and mind and dive into the clean bed. It felt wonderful to be able to stay here; amid the green environs of the forest and not make any choices as there was only one place to eat. We slept blissfully to the gentle sound of rustling leaves and woke up fresh. While stepping out, we wore our jackets and were greeted with bright sunshine. The tables in the garden were bathed in sunshine and we asked for 2 masala chai to be served with parle g biscuits. We could not hear the chants of prayers from the main monastery and figured it was better to have breakfast first. After chai we had a quick round of aloo paranthas that felt nice soaking in the warmth of the sun.

We tried to ask the monks if there was a rough schedule for the festival but the chilled mountain style meant they said we will automatically come to know by word of mouth! The walking trail across the bridge was very cold as the sun had not hit this region yet. Today was the 8th and passing conversations with young lamas revealed that the main masked dance was scheduled for the 9th. We were told that morning prayers have already finished and that we are welcome for breakfast/lunch/dinner from the monastery communal kitchen if we wished. So it happened that we went back to the guest house to get some work done on the laptop and the copious sunshine enabled us to sit in the open garden.

We stepped out again around noon and this time decided to walk on an unknown trail on the opposite side. We came across a walkway with white chortens and a couple of privately run guesthouses, a shop, café and restaurant. It felt like a very nice establishment and I figured that if one can’t secure a room in the monastery guest house then this may be an alternate instead of staying 4-5 kms away in main Bir. There seemed to be no tourists and we only came across some day visitors. We walked around the chortens a couple of times taking in the serenity of the surroundings with blue skies in the background.

It was a pretty steep climb back and we decided to head to the monastery which turned out to be a good decision. The preparations for the masked dance were in full swing and it seemed to be a final rehearsal before the main performance that was scheduled for the next day. Chairs for viewers had been set up on the ground floor and also on the first floor that provided a great view of the proceedings. Unlike yesterday when only a few monks were practising, today there were more than 20 lamas moving in a circle. We observed the preparations and sat in the prayer hall for a few minutes silently meditating in the austere setting.

We chose to have our evening tea at the café and were ecstatic upon seeing some lamas behave like normal kids; playing and running after each other. I am reminded how we normal people think of monks as godly beings while the truth is that they are humans too and Buddhism seems pretty cool with their ideology of not being too strict with their rules. Some of the young lamas made small talk with us upon learning we have come from Kullu Valley as the world of Himachal Pradesh is very small and everyone knows everyone here. There was no other ceremony planned for the evening as tomorrow was the big day and festivities would begin early in the morning.

We saw a number of little lamas make their way to a clearing in the jungle and naturally got curious. Upon asking, it was found that there is a school and lodging in a separate area about 15 minutes walk. It was about 5 pm and we followed the trail and came to another set of buildings that looked totally stunning with the orange hour. Monkeys were flipping around windows, there was a signboard for a temple but the building was closed. It was soon going to be sunset time and we found a vantage point overlooking two chortens and snowy peaks in the background. After being privy to another one of Bir’s majestic evenings – we started on our way back.

This time we chose to take the way of the road since that would lead us directly to the monastery guest house; even though it was a much longer walk. The road seemed to be rarely used and we walked through a dense forest with the sound of birds and insects for company, not to mention the rustling leaves and the chilly wind! There was a full house at the restaurant and we were lucky when some monks made space for us to sit. We were ravenously hungry and in full mood for a nice dinner of varied Tibetan dishes. The chowmein was legendary and we asked for a second helping to wash it down with a bowl of hot steaming thukpa. With our bellies full of yummy food, we thanked the staff and took their leave to go to the room and enjoy the Darjeeling first flush tea that we had carried with us.

In the restaurant, a poster denoted that the monks of Palpung Sherabling monastery have received a grammy award. We got curious and in no time were listening to the melodious sounds on youtube. It felt like we had used the phone in a long time and that statement itself is pleasing to write as in the modern age we are never far from the new generation ‘idiot box’. After reading our respective books for a while, we called it a night. The blankets were (thankfully) cosy and it felt nice to enjoy the winter compared to the much colder temperatures of Kullu Valley. We decided to wake up early and be a part of the morning prayers that would kickstart the Losar celebrations.

There was a festive feel to the proceedings as soon as we got up. Predictably, the restaurant was closed in the morning and we were prepared to go directly to the main monastery for the prayers. At 8 am, the final rehearsal for the masked dance was in progress and with the soothing sound of prayers from the prayer hall created a memorable atmosphere. After an hour or so, everyone dispersed and we found ourselves in the café where the entire monastery seemed to have converged. We asked for coffee, tea and a cake before it got sold out! The staff from Bihar was in high spirits and sported a massive smile throughout the morning. I wondered if the serene setting involving constant interaction with monks had played a part in his content behaviour.

We went back to the main hall and sat on the chairs kept on the first floor. Religious paraphernalia was being kept in the centre and one of the junior monks told us that first lunch will be served for everyone in the community hall and only then the official masked dance will be held. There was a queue outside the community hall around 12 noon and we reluctantly stood in the line as well. Later, we saw all the festival attendees joining the queue and felt relieved that the food was actually for everyone. We took our plates and sat on one of the tables which were rapidly getting occupied. The food was delicious and we really enjoyed the communal feeling with pilgrims coming all the way from Zanskar, Spiti and the likes.

As always, I didn’t let go of the chance to make small conversation with anyone and everyone who met my eye. I have always been fascinated with how small the Himalayan world is, inspite of the massive distances involved. Someone from Ladakh could instantly break into a similar language conversation with someone from Arunachal Pradesh, which is like more than 2000 kms away. There were wizened faces from the high altitude lands with rosary beads in their fingers and a prayer on their lips. Once everyone had their fill, the languid feature of Himalayan life was on full display when any space with sunshine was occupied to enjoy a silent after-lunch slumber.

I was a bit confused at first as the masked dance (cham) was supposed to start right after lunch. Only later I realised when the lunch program was over and the gong was sounded to summon everyone inside that the masked dance was perhaps waiting for lunch to finish! Another classic practical feature of life in the mountains – there is always time for everyone. Then the masked dance began – first with slow measured movements and slowly picked up as the crescendo increased. Masked dances (cham) are performed to get rid of the evil spirits among many other reasons. I have been fortunate to attend masked dance festivals in Spiti, Ladakh, Lahaul, Zanskar and Arunachal Pradesh. What really surprised me was seeing that it was a Black hat (Called Zhana cham in Tibetan) masked dance as I had only read about this particular form of Tantric dance in old Buddhist books.

I got very intrigued and was told by someone who knew the basics that it is an old form of masked dance that is performed at select ancient monasteries only. Since Palpung Sherabling was originally established in Tibet, the black hat masked dance was being performed. The music playing was also a bit different with more sombre and startling tones. Since it was an indoor courtyard and this being winter; the warmth of the food quickly dissipated and we were sporting our down jackets and mufflers! A couple of new age instagrammers had also made their way to the festivities and thankfully didn’t enter the sacred dances in quest of a few likes!

The masked dancers swayed with the ebbs and flows as the music crescendo went high and low. It felt like a surreal, enlightening experience and after an hour (or two) a big effigy was brought to the centre and some lamas were working on making it ready for the next step. At around 4 pm, the masked dance culminated and senior monks gathered around the centre effigy to perform the final rites in the celebrations of Losar Festival. Visitors were welcomed to pay their obeisances in a numbered queue and thereafter the monastery doors were thrown open for pilgrims to get blessings from the Rinpoche.

A joyful Tibetan music filled the outside areas of the monastery. Everyone was in a happy mood and we were invited to join for the evening dinner with the monks. It was around 430 pm and we felt pretty exhausted; the masked dance and festivities were a spiritual experience and now we wanted to rest. We went back to the monastery guest house; the sound of music omnipresent on the way. The monastery would be closed tomorrow and we were scheduled to leave from Bir back to Kullu Valley day after tomorrow.

As we had a free day, we planned an excursion to Bir. At the monastery guest house, after observing the sky change colours – we asked for an early dinner at 630 pm in the restaurant. They were also planning to wrap up early and had only kept the orders open out of concern for the in-house guests! So we were received to a full house in the restaurant with monks in a mood for chilling. After the excellent meal, it was time to wash the food down with some ginger lemon honey tea. I planned to have a hot shower after going back to the room and calling it an early night as we had an unplanned idea for the next day!

Next morning, after a great night’s sleep we decided to walk it out and not to take the car to Bir. After all, we had the entire day and no plan or to-do list. The sun was out in full force and we had already asked for a rough idea of the trail from the back of the monastery that crossed the countryside farms and would lead to the landing site in Bir in less than an hour. We were pretty excited at rolling down the years since it had been almost a good ten years since we had explored Bir when we were dating. We left from the serenely quiet monastery at 830 am and after getting initially confused with regards to the trail reached a small road where locals confirmed that we were on the right path.

In Bir, we revisited some of the monasteries only to find them closed – although they looked peaceful with new prayer flags installed for Losar. A number of Tibetan eateries were shut for the day and we landed at a coffee roasters café. The setup was nice surrounded by green fields; and the decor and cutlery was excellent too but the coffee itself was barely passable. I guess they were still setting up shop and didn’t let that hamper our experience. We were having a grand time walking the streets of almost empty Bir and seeing how much the sleepy town had changed in less than a decade.

After seeing the clock strike 1 pm, we decided to walk to Avva’s for lunch and start our return walk subsequently. I had to drive the next day and didn’t want the legs to get extra tired – after all the pleasure of the drive is more on a relaxed setting. Avva’s turned out to be an excellent experience and although we ate too much, we figured it would all get digested on the long walk back. We had decided to walk along the longer main road and not take the shortcut that we had come from in the morning. That way, if we needed to hitchhike we still had the chance to do so. Anyway, we had savoured the sight of monks, green fields and the white snowy Dhauladhars in the background while coming and hence wanted to walk in the shade this time.

The walk among the thick pine forests surrounding the region was blissful. Even though we felt sleepy at times, after about 40 minutes when we were halfway to the monastery guest house, we sat down on a bench in the forest to enjoy the sound of the birds. I was intrigued seeing small roads bifurcate to different places and wondered how it would be to end up at one of those unknown places! The rest of our walk was slow and we really enjoyed the last downhill bit in the end. It would soon be sunset time and we had found a easy place to observe the colours of the sky close to the restaurant. We confirmed that the restaurant would serve dinner and reconfirmed the opening time as 7 am for next morning.

After returning, we first went to the monastery guest house office and thanked the monks who had let us stay. We made a donation as they asked us for the daily charges which I don’t exactly remember but may have been INR 1000 per day. We planned to leave after breakfast, say at around 730 am so as to reach home by 3-4 in the afternoon – when it was still daylight. Dinner was a light and peaceful affair as almost all visitors who had come to attend Losar festival had left and it was only us in the restaurant. While we were about to finish, a couple of monks also walked in for dinner.

It was such a delightful experience attending Losar Festival at Palpung Sherabling Monastery that we were already planning to return next year for the same. With happiness in our hearts, we set about packing our bags for the next day. Sleep came easily and we woke up fresh; welcomed by the sunshine and ready to leave for home in Kullu Valley. On the way, we stopped for Mandyali dham at a dhaba in Narla town and totally enjoyed the INR 80 per person meal! We reached our home in Dobhi village earlier than estimated at about 4 pm.

Have you attended a monastery festival? I would love to hear from you.

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