Greetings to all!
After the waning of the COVID pandemic at long last and an unusually mild winter, 2023 is off to a great start in Bir.
Most of the local businesses are open, and both Deer Park Institute and Dharmalaya Institute have a rich variety of programs coming up.
As the crowds return, please help Bir stay clean and green by minimizing the use of plastics and being responsible with your waste.
Thanks and have a great year!
It has been over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in India, and most of us know people who have died or been extremely ill. Our hearts go out to everyone who has faced suffering.
Here in the Bir area, we continue to see alarming spikes in COVID cases, so it’s clear that the pandemic is far from over. And many of the villagers in and around Bir are especially vulnerable because of already weakened immune systems, especially the elderly.
It’s wise to wear a mask.
As we see many people understandably anxious to return to ‘life as normal’, and wanting to travel again, we just want to encourage everyone to be as careful as possible. If you can delay your travel until a large percentage of the population has been vaccinated, that is much, much better.
If you must travel, please take maximum precautions: wear your mask at all times, practice social distancing, wash frequently, etc.
We look forward to seeing everyone again after the majority of the population has been vaccinated and the very real danger of the pandemic has passed.
Meanwhile, stay safe!
For the benefit of foreign (non-Indian) travelers wishing to stay overnight in the Tibetan Colony of Bir, we are posting a copy of the Protected Area Permit (PAP) Application Form that the Government of India requires you to complete and submit to the Foreigners’ Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in order to receive the PAP, which allows you to stay overnight in the Tibetan Colony.
Please note that the PAP is required only in the case of overnight stays in the Bir Tibetan Colony by foreign citizens. It is not required for day trips to the Colony, nor is it required for visits or overnight stays in Bir proper (Upper Bir) or at the Dharmalaya Institute in Ghornala Village. Also, it is not required for citizens of India, Nepal, or Bhutan.
Download the PAP application.
(Thanks to SanghaSeva!)