Culture · Mussoorie & Landour, Garhwal
Happy Valley's Tibetan quarter and kitchens
Below the Library end of the Mall lies Happy Valley, where Tibetan refugees settled after 1959. Walk past prayer flags, a temple and the Tibetan school, then eat thukpa in a family kitchen.
Photo: Paul Hamilton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · CommonsOn 20 April 1959, after the uprising in Tibet, the 14th Dalai Lama took up residence in Mussoorie. He stayed until April 1960, when he moved to Dharamsala, now the seat of the Central Tibetan Administration. The first Tibetan school was set up in Mussoorie in 1960, and refugee families settled mainly in Happy Valley, on the slope west of Library Chowk.
Today the quarter has a Buddhist temple with prayer wheels, lines of prayer flags across the hillside, the Tibetan school and homes built up the slope. It is a residential area, so walk quietly, ask before photographing people, and walk round the temple and stupa clockwise. Visitors are usually welcome in the temple outside prayer times; remove shoes at the door.
Finish in one of the small Tibetan kitchens around Happy Valley and the Library end of the Mall for steamed momos, thukpa or thenthuk, a hand-pulled noodle soup. A meal costs ₹100–200. The walk combines easily with Company Garden nearby, or with the walk down to Kempty Falls road if you want a longer day.
Good for
Also in Mussoorie & Landour
More days here
Photo: Paul Hamilton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Landour heritage walk from Char Dukan
A slow morning loop round the Landour ridge: St Paul's Church at Char Dukan, the old Sisters Bazaar, Kellogg Church and…
Photo: Ps14061990 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Sunrise walk to George Everest's house
Drive or walk to Park Estate, west of Mussoorie, where the Surveyor-General who gave his name to the world's highest pe…
Trips through Mussoorie & Landour
Do this on a trip
Each of these trips stops in Mussoorie & Landour. Tell us and we keep a slot for this day.
Photo: Paul Hamilton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Comfort
Landour, Harsil apples and Gangotri
Private car with driver
Photo: McKay Savage from London, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Signature
Taj Rishikesh and Mussoorie in comfort
Private car with driver
Sleep nearby
Stays in Mussoorie & Landour
Photo: Paul Hamilton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Mid
Rokeby Manor
A restored 1840s stone estate on the Landour ridge near Char Dukan and St Paul's Church, now a small heritage hote…
Photo: Paul Hamilton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Mid
WelcomHeritage Kasmanda Palace
A white nineteenth-century mansion above the Mall Road, built in 1836 as part of the Christ Church complex and bou…
Photo: Paul Hamilton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Luxury
JW Marriott Mussoorie Walnut Grove Resort & Spa
A large resort at Siya village on the Kempty Falls road, west of Mussoorie, with valley-view rooms and suites, a s…
Questions
Before you book
Did the Dalai Lama live in Mussoorie?
Yes. The 14th Dalai Lama took up residence in Mussoorie on 20 April 1959 and stayed until April 1960, before moving to Dharamsala. The first Tibetan school opened in Mussoorie in 1960, and Tibetan families settled mainly in Happy Valley.
How do I reach Happy Valley from the Mall?
Walk west from Library Chowk for about 15–20 minutes, or take a taxi for the short drive. The road dips and climbs, so wear walking shoes. Most of the quarter is explored on foot along narrow lanes.
Is the Tibetan temple in Happy Valley open to visitors?
Visitors are generally welcome outside prayer times. Remove shoes, keep voices low, walk clockwise round the temple and stupa, and ask before photographing monks or residents. Small donations are welcome but not required.