By Anjali Nauriyal
With the inauguration of Songsten Library by His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama another valuable chapter has been added to Doon’s fabled Tibetan connection. In his inaugural address the Dalai Lama highlighted the suffering and misfortune of Tibet both in the spiritual as well as the temporal worlds. “Fortunately,” he said, “many learned and religious masters have been able to come into exile to the holy land of India. As a result, the four Tibetan Buddhist schools of Sakya, Geluk, Kagyu and Nyingma along with the pre-historic Bon tradition have been revived and firmly established in exile.” The setting up of Songsten library is of paramount significance in this regard. The library has been visualized as a Centre for Tibetan and Himalayan Studies and is the outcome of the long cherished dream of Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, chief patron and chairman of the library.
“The library is intended to function as a non-political institution geared to the collection and preservation of books, as well as research and publication on various subjects related to Tibet and the Himalayas,” says Norbuk Wangchuk, secretary, Songtsen Library.
Of particular interest is the collection of books on the Dunhuang Documents, the earliest written sources on Tibetan society and history. These documents were discovered in the early part of the 20th century at various caves around the Silk Route in Central Asian. Among the rare collections at the library will be the collection in various languages of the Buddist Kagyur, the Bon Kagyur, Tengyur and commentaries of great scholars. The Library has been named after the 33rd Tibetan King, Songsten Gampo (617-650 A.D). Yumbhu Lakhar, popularly known as Tibet’s first castle ands built in the second century B.C. by King Nyatri Tsenpo, is the architectural inspiration behind the design of the building. The setting up of this unique seat of learning has been applauded by the chief minister N.D. Tiwari who in his message for the occasion hoped that the library with its state-of-the art retrieval and reprography facilities and excellent connectivity, is poised to become a centre of excellence in the region. The library has sought affiliation with the Garhwal University which is shortly to come through.
