Visitors to the Darjeeling hills looking for a one-off experience will now be able to get a glimpse of the rich and diverse culture and traditions of the Himalaya region within the confines of a newly-built museum by the local Tibetan community.

Named ‘Himalayan Tibet Museum’, it is situated on Gandhi Road in the upper part of town. The museum not only explores the unique culture and heritage of various communities residing in the Himalayan belt, but also possesses one of the finest and comprehensive collections of regional artefacts. The museum showcases the richness of the culture and traditions of various communities, which is highly praiseworthy, but the idea for its coming up stemmed more from the incorrect history shown by the Chinese in the National Museum in Tibet.

Set up by the efforts of Manjushree Centre of Tibetan Culture (MCTC) at Gandhi Road in Darjeeling, the museum is blessed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama who has also donated precious artefacts to the museum that opened on July 2. The artefacts donated by the His Holiness the Dalai Lama include the diamond sutra text which contain teachings of Lord Buddha handwritten in gold ink, prayer bell, amulet and statues of Lord Buddha.

People visiting the museum can learn more about the Tibetan and Himalayan culture through different exhibits. Some of the items on display are a must watch and the visitors can understand more about Potala Palace, Tibet through the models. Another interesting knowledge one can gain is from the models on display of the three great ancient religious kings of Tibet.

Exhibits at the museum related with Himalayan culture are various musical instruments found in the Himalayas like rahebera (Kashmiri violin), Dra-yen (Tibetan guitar), saranagi and madal. Traditional attire of the people in the Himalayas and their utensils are also on display.

The museum also provides information on Tibetologists who worked in Darjeeling like George Nicolas De Roreich, Rahul Sanskriti and Sarat Chandra Das.

The entry ticket to the museum costs Rs. 30 for the visitors while it is Rs. 15 for school students.