Mongolians in India
Encyclopedia
There is a small community of Mongols in India, comprising mostly Buddhist monks
and scholars as well as international student
s from Mongolia
.
in the 1950s followed the Tibetans
and fled to India
after the 1950 invasion of Tibet and the 1959 Tibetan uprising
. Many of them settled in Kalimpong, West Bengal
. The Dilowa Hutukhtu
maintained contact with them. American scholar Owen Lattimore
suggested to then-Defence Minister of India
Krishna Menon that they could be valuable sources of intelligence against the People's Republic of China
about conditions in Tibet.
Mongol scholars from Tibet made valuable contributions in Indian academia; for example, Lama Chimpa assisted George de Roerich
in compiling a Russian-Sanskrit dictionary. Other noted Mongol scholars in India from this era include Da-Lama, Rigzin Wangpo, Geshe Wanggyal, Geshe Kaldan, and Geshe Agwang Nima; some remained in Kalimpong, while others left the district to teach at famous universities including the Banaras Hindu University
and the University of Delhi
. Most continued as monks, but some returned to secular life, married, and had children. Tohtoh, one such young man, studied at the Central Tibetan School in Mussoorie
, Uttarakhand
before emigrating to the United States
, where he was involved in founding the Mongol-American Cultural Association.
in India, but went to Lhasa
to study at Drepung Monastery
in the 1930s. He was instrumental in reviving Buddhism in Mongolia
, arranging the Dalai Lama
's visit to Mongolia in 1979, which resulted in an agreement for monks from Mongolia to come to India to study Buddhism. During his service as India's ambassador to Mongolia he encouraged more Mongol monks to come to India and study at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala
, in Karnataka
at the Drepung Gomang in Mundgod
or the Sera Monastery
in Bylakuppe
, and in other places. Due to his efforts the number of scholarships for Mongols to study in India expanded from just a few to over one hundred.
In January 2004, India and Mongolia also signed an agreement to construct a Mongol-run Buddhist monastery in Bodh Gaya, Bihar
, where according to Buddhist tradition Gautama Buddha
attained enlightenment
. The Bihar government gave a free grant of land on which to build the monastery; then-Prime Minister of Mongolia
Nambaryn Enkhbayar
personally laid the foundation stone
. Construction was delayed due to a dispute with the local government, but was expected to finish by mid-2010.
Penor Rinpoche
's Kunzang Palyul Choling
, in partnership with the Khamariin Khiid in Sainshand Sum, Dornogovi Province
, Mongolia, began sponsoring Mongols to study Buddhism in India at the Namdroling Monastery
in Bylakuppe in 2005. Two came the first year. In 2006, American Buddhist author B. Alan Wallace
sponsored eight more young men to join them. A group of nine Mongol women entered the neighbouring Tsogyal Shedrup Dargyeling nunnery in 2008.
the office of the president of Mongolia
estimated that more than 500 Mongolian citizens were living in India. About 300 of them were students in Indian universities and colleges, a third in Delhi
alone. About 20 Mongol students were taking EFL courses at the International School of English Language in Solan
, Himachal Pradesh
, and another 20 at the English and Foreign Languages University
in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
. In Pune
that same year, there were 10 or so Mongol information technology
trainees and students. More than 230 Mongolian student-monks were living in Mundgod .
Buddhist monasticism
Monasticism is one of the most fundamental institutions of Buddhism. Monks and nuns are responsible for preserving and teaching Buddhist teachings and guiding Buddhist lay followers. Earlier Buddhist monks were enlightened...
and scholars as well as international student
International student
According to Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development , international students are those who travel to a country different from their own for the purpose of tertiary study. Despite that, the definition of international students varies in each country in accordance to their own national...
s from Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
.
Onward migration from Tibet
Mongols who were originally studying in TibetTibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
in the 1950s followed the Tibetans
Tibetan diaspora
The Tibetan diaspora is a term used to refer to the communities of Tibetan people living outside Tibet. Tibetan emigration happened in two waves: one in 1959 following the 14th Dalai Lama's self-exile in India, and the other in the 1980s when Tibet was opened to trade and tourism. The third wave...
and fled to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
after the 1950 invasion of Tibet and the 1959 Tibetan uprising
1959 Tibetan uprising
The 1959 Tibetan uprising, or 1959 Tibetan Rebellion began on 10 March 1959, when a revolt erupted in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, which had been under the effective control of the Communist Party of China since the Seventeen Point Agreement in 1951...
. Many of them settled in Kalimpong, West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
. The Dilowa Hutukhtu
Diluwa Khutugtu Jamsrangjab
Diluwa Khutugtu Jamsrangjab was supposedly the last Mongolian Khutugtu, a Lamaist dignitary believed to be an incarnation of Buddha, politician and Mongolian-American scholar. Jamsrangjab was a Khalkha Mongolian and considered the living Buddha among the Mongols. He had strong friendly ties with...
maintained contact with them. American scholar Owen Lattimore
Owen Lattimore
Owen Lattimore was an American author, educator, and influential scholar of Central Asia, especially Mongolia. In the 1930s he was editor of Pacific Affairs, a journal published by the Institute of Pacific Relations, and then taught at Johns Hopkins University from 1938 to 1963...
suggested to then-Defence Minister of India
Defence Minister of India
The Ministry of Defence is India's federal department allocated the largest level of budgetary resources and charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the Indian armed forces.The Indian Armed Forces ; the...
Krishna Menon that they could be valuable sources of intelligence against the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
about conditions in Tibet.
Mongol scholars from Tibet made valuable contributions in Indian academia; for example, Lama Chimpa assisted George de Roerich
George de Roerich
George Nicolas de Roerich was a prominent 20th century Tibetologist. His name at birth was Yuri Nikolaevich Rerikh...
in compiling a Russian-Sanskrit dictionary. Other noted Mongol scholars in India from this era include Da-Lama, Rigzin Wangpo, Geshe Wanggyal, Geshe Kaldan, and Geshe Agwang Nima; some remained in Kalimpong, while others left the district to teach at famous universities including the Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University is a public university located in Varanasi, India and is one of the Central Universities of India. It is the largest residential university in Asia, with over 24,000 students in its campus. BHU was founded in 1916 by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya under the Parliamentary...
and the University of Delhi
University of Delhi
The University of Delhi is a central university situated in Delhi, India and is funded by Government of India. Established in 1922, it offers courses at the undergraduate and post-graduate level. Vice-President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari is the Chancellor of the university...
. Most continued as monks, but some returned to secular life, married, and had children. Tohtoh, one such young man, studied at the Central Tibetan School in Mussoorie
Mussoorie
Mussoorie is a city and a municipal board in the Dehradun District of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is located about 35 km from the state capital of Dehradun and 290 km north from the national capital of New Delhi...
, Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
before emigrating to the United States
Mongolian American
Mongolian Americans are immigrants from Mongolia to the United States and their descendants. The term Mongol American is also used to include ethnic Mongol immigrants from groups outside of Mongolia as well, such as Kalmyks, Buryats, and people from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region of China...
, where he was involved in founding the Mongol-American Cultural Association.
Direct migration from Mongolia
Ties between Mongolia and India were expanded by the efforts of the 19th Kushok Bakula Rinpoche. He was originally from LadakhLadakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
in India, but went to Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
to study at Drepung Monastery
Drepung Monastery
Drepung Monastery ,, located at the foot of Mount Gephel, is one of the "great three" Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet...
in the 1930s. He was instrumental in reviving Buddhism in Mongolia
Buddhism in Mongolia
Buddhism in Mongolia derives much of its recent characteristics from Tibetan Buddhism of the Gelugpa school. Traditionally, Mongols worshiped heaven and their ancestors, and they followed ancient northern Asian practices of shamanism, in which human intermediaries went into trance and spoke to...
, arranging the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
's visit to Mongolia in 1979, which resulted in an agreement for monks from Mongolia to come to India to study Buddhism. During his service as India's ambassador to Mongolia he encouraged more Mongol monks to come to India and study at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala
Dharamsala
Dharamshala or Dharamsala is a city in northern India. It was formerly known as Bhagsu; it is the winter seat of government of the state of Himachal Pradesh and the district headquarters of the Kangra district....
, in Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
at the Drepung Gomang in Mundgod
Mundgod
Mundgod is a panchayat town in Uttara Kannada district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It lies en route to Hubli from Sirsi. It is a Main road town.-Tourist attractions of Mundgod region:* Tibetan colony Mundgod...
or the Sera Monastery
Sera Monastery
Sera Monastery is one of the 'great three' Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet, located north of Lhasa. The other two are Ganden Monastery and Drepung Monastery. The origin of the name 'Sera' is attributed to a fact that the site where the monastery was built was surrounded by wild roses in...
in Bylakuppe
Bylakuppe
Bylakuppe kannada:ಬೈಲಕುಪ್ಪೆ, Tibetian:བལཀུཔེ is the location of "Lugsum Samdupling" and "Dickyi Larsoe" , two adjacent Tibetan refugee settlements, as well as a number of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. The area is located in the west of the Mysore district in the Indian state of Karnataka...
, and in other places. Due to his efforts the number of scholarships for Mongols to study in India expanded from just a few to over one hundred.
In January 2004, India and Mongolia also signed an agreement to construct a Mongol-run Buddhist monastery in Bodh Gaya, Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, where according to Buddhist tradition Gautama Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
attained enlightenment
Enlightenment in Buddhism
The English term enlightenment has commonly been used in the western world to translate several Sanskrit, Pali, Chinese and Japanese terms and concepts, especially bodhi, prajna, kensho, satori and buddhahood.-Insight:...
. The Bihar government gave a free grant of land on which to build the monastery; then-Prime Minister of Mongolia
Prime Minister of Mongolia
The Prime Minister of Mongolia is the highest member of the Mongolian government's executive arm, and heads the Mongolian cabinet. The Prime Minister is appointed by Parliament, and can be removed by a vote of no confidence.-Powers:...
Nambaryn Enkhbayar
Nambaryn Enkhbayar
Nambaryn Enkhbayar is a Mongolian political figure. He was the Prime Minister of Mongolia from 2000 to 2004, the Speaker of Parliament from 2004 to 2005, and the President of Mongolia from 2005 to 2009...
personally laid the foundation stone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
. Construction was delayed due to a dispute with the local government, but was expected to finish by mid-2010.
Penor Rinpoche
Penor rinpoche
Kyabjé Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche was the 11th throne holder of the Palyul Lineage of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, and said to be an incarnation of Vimalamitra. He was widely renowned in the Tibetan Buddhist world as a master of Dzogchen...
's Kunzang Palyul Choling
Kunzang Palyul Choling
Kunzang Palyul Choling is a center for Buddhist study and practice in the Nyingma tradition . Founded as the Center for Discovery and New Life in 1985, and then given to His Holiness Penor Rinpoche and renamed by him in 1987, KPC was Penor Rinpoche's first Dharma Center in the US.- Teachers :The...
, in partnership with the Khamariin Khiid in Sainshand Sum, Dornogovi Province
Dornogovi Province
Dornogovi is one of the 21 Aimags of Mongolia. It is located in the southeast of the country.-Administrative Subdivision:* - tosgon .** - The aimag capital Sainshand-References:...
, Mongolia, began sponsoring Mongols to study Buddhism in India at the Namdroling Monastery
Namdroling Monastery
The Namdroling Nyingmapa Monastery is the largest teaching center of Nyingmapa – a lineage of Tibetan Buddhism – in the world....
in Bylakuppe in 2005. Two came the first year. In 2006, American Buddhist author B. Alan Wallace
B. Alan Wallace
B. Alan Wallace is an American author, translator, teacher, researcher, interpreter, and Buddhist practitioner interested in the intersections of consciousness studies and scientific disciplines such as psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and physics...
sponsored eight more young men to join them. A group of nine Mongol women entered the neighbouring Tsogyal Shedrup Dargyeling nunnery in 2008.
the office of the president of Mongolia
President of Mongolia
The President of Mongolia is the head of state of Mongolia. The Constitution of Mongolia implements a parliamentary system, so while much of the President's role is ceremonial, he or she does wield significant political power.-Election:...
estimated that more than 500 Mongolian citizens were living in India. About 300 of them were students in Indian universities and colleges, a third in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
alone. About 20 Mongol students were taking EFL courses at the International School of English Language in Solan
Solan
Solan is a town and a municipal council in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is located south of state capital Shimla. The place is named after the Hindu goddess Shoolini devi. Solan was the capital of erstwhile princely state, Bhagat...
, Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
, and another 20 at the English and Foreign Languages University
English and Foreign Languages University
The English and Foreign Languages University , formerly the Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages , is a Central University in India. Its main campus is located in Hyderabad...
in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
. In Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
that same year, there were 10 or so Mongol information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
trainees and students. More than 230 Mongolian student-monks were living in Mundgod .
Notable people
- NominjinNominjin-Early life:Raised by her Mongolian biological mother and American stepfather, she has lived in Russia, Mongolia, India, and the Caribbean due to her parents' work; as a result, she speaks fluent English and Mongolian and several other languages including Russian and Malayalam...
, Mongol pop star who lived in India for five years - 9th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu9th Jebtsundamba KhutughtuThe 9th Jebtsundamba Khutuktu is supposed to continue the incarnation line of the Jebtsundamba Khutughtus in Mongolia. From the 17th century until 1924, the Jebtsundamba Khutughtus were the spiritual heads of the Gelug lineage of Tibetan Buddhism among the Khalkha Mongols...
, Mongolia's Buddhist khutugtu lama who had previously lived in Tibet
External links
- Mongol Studies in India: The Country of Buddha. Embassy of Mongolia in India, November 20, 2009. Mongolian Students Association in India, based in Delhi