India — Sikkim & Darjeeling: Art & Ritual in the Himalayas

The wonder that is India! A land of contrasts, India is a richly woven fabric of music, art, architecture, ritual, mysticism and religion. It is more than just another civilization, it is another world. Most who have made the journey would agree that India's 5,000 years of human history offers an overwhelming feast for the senses.

Home to Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Jews, Jains, Muslims, Zoroastrians, and Buddhists, India is a colorful kaleidoscope of spiritual traditions. Yoga, Karma, Ahimsa are a few of India's contributions to world civilization. India's great Seers and Sages of the past realized that the key to everlasting happiness is an inner quest for truth — Moksa and Nirvana — and India has been dedicated to this philosophy for centuries.

Our Sikkim & Darjeeling Study Abroad Program begins in one of India's most colorful cities — Kolkatta, the capital of West Bengal. Like Bombay and Madras, Kolkatta has its own distinctive flavor and charm very different from India's other large urban areas. The Bengalis of Kolkatta like to see themselves as the intelligentsia of India and take great pride in the many famous Indian poets, writers, musicians, and spiritual leaders who once lived here. Our stay in Kolkatta offers us the rare opportunity to experience first hand a large Indian city with all its new and different sights.

After Kolkatta, we enter into a completely different region of India — the Himalayas. The Himalayas are less populated than the plains of India and offer a completely different experience. Darjeeling and Sikkim take us into one of the most beautiful areas of India for our in-depth study of Buddhist culture and religion. Sikkim, the former Tibetan Buddhist Kingdom, is a living botanical garden with a spectacular rural environment. With its cascading waterfalls, terraced fields and snow capped mountains its seclusion became a very conducive location for the many Buddhist monasteries that we will be studying in during our program.

Course Description

This program is offered during winter sessions between the fall and spring semesters and is based in Calcutta, Darjeeling and Sikkim, the former Tibetan Buddhist Himalayan kingdom. During this intensive study abroad program you are immersed in India's urban and rural environments where you study sacred art, architecture, and religious traditions. In Calcutta you conduct field research about the spiritual traditions of Jainism, and Hinduism with visits to local temples and shrines. In Darjeeling and Sikkim the focal point of study is Tibetan Buddhism. Each day your classroom is a different Buddhist monastery where you receive lectures from prominent local scholars and Buddhist monks who share their in-depth knowledge and personal experience. Learn and practice Buddhist meditation each day. Study the timeless traditions of creating Buddhist sacred art with some of the most famous artists in Sikkim.

Download Course Description (PDF)

Course Objectives

• To learn the religious traditions of Jainism, Hinduism, and Tibetan Buddhism.
• To observe religious festivals, temple worship and religious rituals.
• To study Buddhist philosophy and practice Buddhist meditation.
• To learn the timeless traditions of creating Buddhist sacred art and to learn its symbolic meaning.
• To experience directly the monumentality and symbolism of Buddhist architecture.