ITBCI School


(Established in 1954)
Founded by:
Ven. Dhardo Tulku (Rinpoche), Lharampa

Ven. Dhardo Tulku (Rinpoche), Lharampa
  people feel that life is short. Because of this, instead of working for others, they try to aquire wealth for themselves. If we live in this way we become isolated. Our lives become like bubbles on the surface of water. But people can be inspired by action. If they see something is happening they can start to give. If you work hard in the right way the effects will spread like light. ----Dhardo Rinpoche

The late Dhardo Rinpoche (1917-90) was recognized as an incarnation, or tulku, of the chief abbot of Losel-ling College, Drepung Monastery located in central Tibet. He was the second tulku in the Gelugpa lineage and eleventh in the Nyingmapa lineage.

Dhardo Rinpoche was raised and educated within the classical Tibetan monastic system. He did his Lharampa Degree (Doctor of Philosophy) at Drepung Monastery and joined Gyud-med Tantric College. In 1951 he was sent by the Government of Tibet to act as abbot of the Tibetan Monastery at Bodh Gaya, India. Then for forty years, he lived in Kalimpong, in northern India, where he founded an orphanage and school for Tibetan refugees, which he named the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Cultural Institute (ITBCI). In addition he was the abbot of Yiga Choeling Monastery in nearby Ghoom until his death.

For more information about the life of Dhardo Rinpoche, see The Wheel and the Diamond: The Life of Dhardo Tulku by Suvajra, published by Windhorse Publications (1991).

  The Third Dhardo Tulku (Rinpoche), Tenzin Legshad Wangdi,was born in 1991. His father is Mr. L.W. Bhutia and his mother, Zenden Lhamo Wangdi. He was recognised in January 1995 by the 99th Ganden Tripa, the representative of Tsongkhapa, who was the founder of the Gelugpa school. His father had an audience with H. H. The Dalai Lama in September 1995 for the final blessings and confirmation.
The Enthronement ceremony, which was arranged by members of the ITBCI School, was held at the school on 25 April 1996. One week later another ceremony was held at Yiga Choeling Monastery, Ghoom, which was arranged by members of the management committee and the monks.

 

About ITBCI School

The Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Cultural Institute (ITBCI) School was established in 1954 by the Tibetan Lama, Dhardo Rimpoche, to provide a basic education for the children of some of the poorest Tibetan families. Since 1982, it has been funded by the Karuna Trust. Today more than two hundred children attend the school, including seventy boarders. Most are drawn from the local Tibetan refugee population, but the school also provides places for children of other nationalities from particularly poor backgrounds.

Part of the School's mission is to help preserve traditional Tibetan culture. So as well as English and mathematics, the children here learn Tibetan language and traditional Tibetan drawing, music, and dance. This aspect of the school's work is particularly important because during the past forty years, Tibet itself has been occupied by Chinese Communist forces who have tried to obliterate brutally and systematically every trace of Tibetan culture.

Without the extraordinary efforts of the Tibetans in India and institutions like the ITBCI School in Kalimpong, it is likely that the Tibetan language would have died out altogether.

Traditional Tibetan Culture Programs
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As part of the schools program to keep alive the traditional culture of Tibet, ITBCI is very much focused on the learning and performance of Tibetan music and dance. In 1961 the school introduced the Shes-Seng Zlos-Gar (Snow-Lion Cultural Performing Arts) program.

The schools first dance was the Snow Lion dance. The snow lion is the mythological animal that represents Tibet, the "Snowy Country." The school's cultural programs have expanded to include performances incorporating the six-stringed lute and hammer dasulmer as well as drum and various other dances. Some of the graduates of the ITBCI school have gone on to tour in Europe with professional Tibetan dance groups.

ITBCI School
Sadhu Dhara
Bagdhara Road
P.O. Kalimpong - 734301
Darjeeling District, West Bengal, INDIA

Phone : (03552) 55463
Phone : (03552) 58857(Residence)
E-mail slg_itbci@sancharnet.in