One of the greatest thing about humanity is the various cultures that exist on the planet. Cultures are a way of expression of a society and it is done is so many different ways.

There is art, there is music, architecture and even clothes. These are only some of the defining factors of any culture and it is one of my favorite things to do to explore them and learn as much as possible about them.

I think I am lucky in that regards because I'm home to a country known for its thousands of cultures from the north to the south and the east to the west. That is why while travelling, you always get to see a diverse group of people and way of living. Today, I want to share one such journey where the main focus was Tibetan culture.

This is the Norbulingka Institute which was founded in 1988 and is situated near Dharamshala. It is dedicated to the preservation of the Tibetan culture.

As soon as you reach the gates, you are immediately interfacing with Tibetan architecture as you can see in the photo above, and this is only the beginning.

As you walk further along, the sight of Tibetan prayer flags greets you which had a certain calming feel to it. They say these flags purify the surrounding with positive energy.

The presence of greenery all around added a special feel to the place as man's architecture seemed to amalgamate with nature's own. It was as if I was taking a stroll down the very sights that are often shown in travel channels in our TVs and it felt really special, to say the least.

The presence of the pond in the vicinity had its own effect on the atmosphere as it brought another element of nature into the mix. It was simply serene and I was slowly understanding what Tibetan culture was all about.

It is the little things like these (the structure in the photo below) that amazes me the most. The way this structure was built might seem not too much of a big deal to a lot of people, but to me, it was a glimpse into the way of doing things in their culture.

While taking this particular photo, I felt like I was in a movie scene for some reason. I have seen this type of place in movies where they show scenes of Japan, with a single storied house with a water body surrounding it.

Another photo where the effect that greenery has on the its surrounding is really evident. I tried to imagine what this particular place would like without those trees and I came to the conclusion that it wouldn't be that nice.

Even simple things like doors tell a tale of the specific style of design and architecture in the Tibetan culture.

Prayer flags, lush green trees, and a majestic building that looked nothing short of a palace. Suffice it to say, this is a place like no other.

I have a lot more photos to share of the Norbulingka Institute, so stay tuned for the part II of this post which I will be posting tomorrow. Peace! :)

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