Mundgod, town in India
Mundgod is a small town in Uttara Kannada district, in the state of Karnataka in western India. It sits in a hilly, forested area near the edge of the Western Ghats, surrounded by farmland and rural roads.
Mundgod was for centuries a small farming village inhabited by local communities in the Uttara Kannada region. After 1959, Tibetan refugees were resettled in the area, which changed the town in a lasting way.
Mundgod is widely known for its Tibetan refugee settlements, which give the town a character unlike most others in Karnataka. Visitors can walk through areas with Buddhist monasteries, Tibetan food stalls, and prayer flags strung between buildings.
Mundgod is most easily reached by private vehicle or local bus, as the roads are narrow and sometimes rough in places. Services in town are limited, so it is a good idea to carry water and food for the day.
The Tibetan settlements around Mundgod, sometimes called Mini Tibet, form one of the largest Tibetan communities outside Tibet. Several thousand Tibetans live there, maintaining their own language, food traditions, and monastery life largely intact.
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