The Tibet House in New Delhi
The Tibet House in New Delhi provides glimpses of Tibetan culture to the visitors. It is situated at the Institutional Area at Lodhi Road. It is an excellent resource centre for those who look for information about the history of Tibet or Tibetan culture. The activities of Tibet House have been shaped by the long-standing issue of the alleged Chinese intervention of Tibet. The Chinese government officials always maintain that Tibet is a part of China. They never liked the fact that India provided political asylum to the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, Dalai Lama. But Tibet House largely managed to steer clear of controversies that occasionally surface between China and Dalai Lama, on various affairs, such as the agitations of certain sections of Tibetan people during the recently concluded Beijing Olympics.
The Tibet House was established in 1965 by Dalai Lama. It is said that Tibetan refugees started coming to India even from the late 1950s fearing the alleged atrocities by the Chinese army. The institution is a result of those early refugees’ efforts. The institution hosts a museum that exhibits Tibetan artifacts and other memorabilia of Tibetan origin. It also has a neatly maintained library where books and periodicals that deal with various aspects of Tibetan people and their culture. One can find plenty of books and articles that deal with the so-called Tibet issue involving the Dalai Lama and the Chinese Government. The book collection includes those books that Dalai Lama took with him when he fled from Tibet on the face of mounting Chinese aggression.