Thursday, February 25, 2010

Tibetan Refugees in Bylakuppe Camp, India

These are photos of Tibetan refugees at a Tibetan refugee camp in South India called Bylakuppe. These are older people who left Tibet in the 1950's and 1960's when China was first invading Tibet.


Photo of a Tibetan woman gardening. This cat was just lounging on this woman's back as she picked vegetables. The woman didn't seem to mind, and she was laughing when I asked to take her picture. This is one of the sweetest things I have ever seen. I have a soft spot for cats.


Photo of Tibetan Medicine Doctor. I visited this man's traditionall Tibetan medicine clinic at the Tibetan refugee camp. Tibetan medicine is a holistic form of medicine, that incorporates all aspects of health, including spiritual health. The diagnosis process is a lot like Traditional Chinese medicine, feeling the pulse and looking inside the mouth. The doctor may prescribe certain herbs or even meditation to cure his patients.


Photo of Traditional Tibetan Medicine. Since many of the herbs used in Tibetan medicine are hard to find in India, the are shipped from Tibet. The doctor stores them like this to give to his patients.


Photo of a red Dragonfly. This dragonfly is the same color of the robes of Tibetan Buddhist monks. Could this be an incarnation of a lama?


Photo of an old Tibetan Refugee. This woman came from Tibet in the 1950's as a refugee. She was one of the original people who started the Bylakuppe camp. We visited her in her home and she told us some of her amazing story of survival.

1 comment:

Kjetil Solgaard said...

thank you for a very interesting article and very nice photographs from Bylakuppe. I am traveling to Bylakuppe over Christmas and I am looking for contacts both regarding health and stories about fleeing from Tibet. therefore I was very interested when I saw both the picture of the old woman and the pictures of the Tibetan doctor, if possible I was hoping to get some information from you, I will of course provide more information about me and my travel first, either by mail or telephone, whatever is best for you.

well anyway, keep up the good work!

kjetil ar solgaard