Dharamshala soon to be named winter capital

An official announcement to make Dharamshala winter capital of Himachal Pradesh is expected before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singhhad announced to make Dharamshala second capital of the hill state. The hill town is known more for being the abode of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama. Over a century ago Dharamshala had missed the chance to become summer capital of British-ruled India. The British had arrived in the area in 1848. Then viceroy of India Lord Elgin was so much in love with the place that after his death in 1863 he was buried in the cemetery of St John's in Dharamshala. The town's fortunes declined after the devastating earthquake in 1905, which killed around 1,625 persons including 15 Europeans in Dharamshala alone while total 20,000 people were killed in the region. Dharamshala: Dharamshala is a city and a municipal council in Kangra district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is the district headquarters. It was formerly known as Bhagsu. The Dalai Lama's residence and the headquarters of Central TibetanAdministration and the exiled Tibetan government are in McLeodGanj, a village within the Dharamshala municipality. Dharamshala is 18 Kilometres from Kangra. Dalai Lama: The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, founded by Tsongkhapa (1357–1419). The name is a combination of the Sino-Mongolian word dalai meaning "vast sea" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "guru, teacher, mentor". According to Tibetan Buddhist doctrine, the Dalai Lama is the rebirth in a line of tulkus who are considered to be manifestations of the bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokitesvara. The line of Dalai Lamas began as a lineage of spiritual teachers; the 5th Dalai Lama assumed political authority over Tibet. Tenzin Gyatso, shortened from of Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, (born Lhamo Dondrub,) is the 14th and current Dalai Lama, as well as the longest lived incumbent. During the 1959 Tibetan uprising, the Dalai Lama fled to India, where he denounced the People's Republic and established a Tibetan government in exile.

What: Dharamshala soon to be named winter capital When: November 4, 2013