SAGE Educator
Study Tours

“Himalayan Cultures in India”

“Himalayan Cultures in India”

Participants will travel through North India on a journey of exploration into the cultures and religious beliefs and practices of several Himalayan peoples.

Trip Description:

This trip celebrates the importance of nature in Indian spirituality, combining the beauty of the Himalaya with the study of its rich and diverse Buddhist and Hindu cultures. We will explore Dharamsala, Rishikesh, Haridwar, and Darjeeling with well qualified local experts as we learn about the history, philosophy, and current status of Tibetan Buddhist & Hindu communities in India.

Your encounter of India begins in the capital city of New Delhi where participants will be oriented to this vast and diverse country. On your first day, participants will focus on the themes of Indian history and religious diversity, while experiencing life in India's modern capital. Participants then board a train for Pathankot, from where you will take a bus to Dharamsala, home of the exiled Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama, where you will spend several days exploring Tibetan Buddhism.

From Dharamsala, you will head east along the Himalayas, to the holy cities of Haridwar and Rishikesh, where the sacred Ganges River rushes out of the mountains and onto the Indian plains. Here you will study yoga, visit ashrams, and attend religious ceremonies so as to better understand the practice of Hinduism. You then take the train to Delhi and catch a flight to Darjeeling, home of the famous tea estates and experience the intermingling of Himalayan cultures and religions in this fascinating mountain town. Finally, you return to New Delhi and from there, return back to the USA.

The SAGE "Himalayan Cultures in India" trip is not a prescribed "tour" of India. It is an educational adventure designed to be inquiry based, where each participant will be guided by their own question. A variety of themes will be explored by the entire group, but within each theme, each individual is encouraged to be responsible for your own process of exploration. Time will be set aside for regular discussion and sharing. Whether you are a social studies or science teacher, school librarian or principal, this trip will allow you to explore the India that YOU are interested in. Lesson plans which result from this trip will be shared and distributed to other members of the trip by permission.

Educator Study Tour Application

Click here for Necessary Forms and Information once you have been accepted onto a SAGE Educator Study Tour.

Return to SAGE Special Programs page