Forging a Buddhist Homeland: Memory and Identity among First-Generation Tibetan Exiles in Darjeeling and Gangtok

Shivangi Dhillon* and Vedangi Saxena

The first-generation Tibetan refugees who arrived in India post-1959 are the last living repositories of pre-diasporic memory, language, ritual practice, and oral traditions. In the Himalayan communities of Darjeeling (West Bengal) and Gangtok (Sikkim), this living heritage and material traces of early exile face imminent loss. This study documents these fragile cultural resources by examining how elder refugees construct India as a contested Buddhist homeland and how this shapes contemporary Tibetan refugee identity. The research adopts a multidisciplinary qualitative methodology combining three approaches: semi-structured oral history interviews with purposively sampled first-generation refugees; ethnoarchaeological surveys of refugee-built communal sites and artefacts; and analysis of archival settlement records. This triangulation enables a multi-vocal reconstruction of the exile experience. Findings reveal that India functions as an ambivalent "homeland" in Tibetan exile discourse. Communities actively repurpose India's Buddhist paradigm, sacred geography and religious pluralism to preserve Tibetan identity while maintaining a strong diasporic orientation towards Tibet. These dynamics challenge static notions of homeland and belonging. The study demonstrates that the "Indian chapter" in these refugees' lives represents an ongoing negotiation of faith, belonging, and nationalism. India emerges as a contested terrain where Tibetan memory is not merely preserved but continuously reimagined. To safeguard this heritage, the paper recommends establishing oral history centres and supporting elder-centred cultural festivals. The ethnoarchaeological inventory developed will inform local conservation initiatives for a methodological model in future diaspora studies.