Overview
Founded by the Department of Religion and Culture of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the institute contains the Centre for Arts, the Academy of Tibetan Culture, the Literary and Cultural Research Centre and the library and publications department. The Norbulingka Foundation was established in 1995 for the preservation of ancient art practices of Tibet, especially crafts. The institute also runs two Tibetan retreats, one Norling inside the institutes premises and other Chonor House, at McLeod Ganj, near the Dalai Lama's temple.
The Centre for Arts, offers training in Tibetan statue making, thangka painting, printing, applique and tailoring, wood carving, wood and metal craft. The Academy of Tibetan Culture, established in 1997, offers a six year course of higher education in traditional Tibetan studies.
The institute also has the two-storeyed 'Seat of Happiness Temple' (Deden Tsuglakhang) built in 1985 and set amidst the Japanese inspired Norbulingka gardens. It is known for its 1,173 murals of Buddha, frescoes of all the Dalai Lamas and drawings chronicling the life of the 14th Dalai Lama. In the main hall stands the 4 mt high gilded copper Budddha Sakyamuni statue, made by institute's master statue-maker, Pemba Dorje, and one of largest such statues outside Tibet. Around the temple are workshops of artisans and apprentices, which produce various handicrafts, also sold at the Norbulingka Gift Shop and Showroom, for the benefit of Tibetan refugees.
The Losel Doll Museum has diorama displays of traditional Tibetan scenes, using miniature Tibetan dolls in traditional costumes.
A short distance from the institute lies the Dolma Ling Buddhist nunnery, and the Gyato Monastery, temporary residence of the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje.
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