The Billing Rana '22
The village of Billing delivered something straight from a time capsule during my time in Lahaul.
For the first time in 3 years, a celebration occurred around the construction of a new chhorten (stupa).
Chhortens are the most visually noticeable aspects of Tibetan Buddhism. They pepper themselves around circumferences of villages, or usually encase relics of an important religious figure.
So a fresh mint chhorten in Billing was definitely a call for local frivolity. Invitations extended to every human present in Lahaul. Symbolic rites woke once more from their slumber.
The mountains might just be the last stronghold of a religious tradition that deviates from the mainstream in India.
