Tashi Jong: The Kalon of the Department of Religion and Culture, Tsegyal Chukya Dranyi, visited the Khamgar Drukpa Institute of Higher Studies, Dharmakara, to attend the 9th anniversary celebration of the Indian Himalayan Council of Nalanda Buddhist Tradition (IHCNBT) Conference in Tashi Jong on 5 July, 2026.

Before attending the event, the Kalon visited Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery, Pal Phuntsok Chokhor Ling, and the Khamgar Drukpa Institute of Higher Studies, Dharmakara.

Upon arriving at the nunnery, he was received by the Secretary and Accountant of the Tashi Jong settlement Office, along with the Director of the Tashi Jong Handicraft Centre. Kalon Tsegyal Chukya Dranyi then met Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo at Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery, where they held an in-depth discussion on the preservation, promotion, and development of the Buddha Dharma. Following the meeting, the Kalon offered prayers in the nunnery’s prayer hall and toured the monastery premises.

Kalon Tsegyal Chukya Dranyi subsequently visited Pal Phuntsok Chokhor Ling in Tashi Jong, where he was welcomed by the monastery’s abbot. The Kalon toured the main assembly hall, offered prayers, and visited the monastery grounds, the community hall, the newly built hospital, and the local office.

The Kalon then proceeded to the main assembly hall of the Khamgar Drukpa Institute of Higher Studies, where he offered prayers before visiting the library and the dialectic school’s offices. Prior to the official programme, he held discussions with the abbot of the dialectic school on the monastery’s current situation.

At 10:00 a.m., the Chief Guest, Himachal Pradesh Governor Shri Kavinder Gupta, arrived at the venue, where the ceremony commenced with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp. Monks then recited auspicious prayers and long-life prayers for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Students from Indian government higher secondary schools sang the Indian national anthem, followed by welcome songs presented by students of the Khampa Ghar School.

After the presentation of badges and mementos to the dignitaries on stage, Shri Adv. Maling Gombu, Chairman of the Arunachal Pradesh Khadi & Village Industries Board (APKVIB) and Secretary of the Indian Himalayan Council of Nalanda Buddhist Tradition (IHCNBT), delivered the welcome address.

This was followed by a speech from Acharya Roshan lal Negi related to the occasion, after which Dr. Rajiv Kumar Singh, Director of the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), addressed the gathering. Students from Indian government primary schools then presented traditional cultural performances from the region. Thereafter, the Guest of Honour, Kalon Tsegyal Chukya Dranyi, delivered his address on the theme, “Preserving the Legacy of Buddhist Studies from Nalanda to the Himalayas.”

In his speech, the Kalon described the occasion as a bridge spanning centuries of human intellectual development that connects the civilisations of different nations/kingdoms. He said the Nalanda tradition represents not only a significant chapter in history but an enduring journey of wisdom that continues today. He highlighted Nalanda University as one of the world’s greatest centres of learning in logic, philosophy, physics, and other disciplines, producing renowned scholars such as Nagarjuna, Chandrakirti, and Shantideva, who emphasised investigating reality through reason and logic rather than blind faith. He noted that it was for this reason that Emperor Trisong Detsen invited Shantarakshita and Padmasambhava to Tibet in the eighth century to establish Buddhism. Although Tibetan Buddhism had once been dismissed as merely a “religion of lamas,” he said it is now widely recognised as an authentic Mahayana Buddhist tradition rooted in Nalanda. Citing His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the Kalon added that the Nalanda tradition aligns closely with scientific inquiry because it encourages critical investigation of reality through logic and reasoning.

The Kalon further explained that although Nalanda University was destroyed in the twelfth century, its teachings survived through the Mahayana institutions established in Tibet, where the Kangyur and Tengyur preserved Buddhist scriptures and commentaries in the Tibetan language. Following the events of 1959, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and more than ten thousand Tibetan refugees carried the authentic Nalanda tradition of Tibetan Buddhism back to India, its original homeland. Stressing the relevance of Buddhist wisdom in today’s turbulent twenty-first century, the Kalon urged everyone to move beyond simply admiring the legacy of the great masters and instead work collectively to preserve and carry forward this invaluable tradition.

Following his address, Kangra District Commissioner Hemraj Bairwa delivered a speech. Traditional Tibetan music and dance performances from Tashi Jong followed, after which the remaining dignitaries addressed the gathering, including State Legislative Assembly Member Kishori Lal, the representative of His Holiness Khamtrul Rinpoche, Abbot Chöying Lhundrup, and the Chief Guest, Himachal Pradesh Governor K.V. Gupta. The programme concluded with a summary address by Abbot Dondrue Gatsal Negi, after which all participants stood to sing the Indian National Anthem, marking the successful conclusion of the ceremony.

On the return journey to Dharamshala, the Kalon also visited Dorzong Monastic Institute near Gopalpur.

-Report filed by Department of Religion and Culture