The Department of Religion and Culture is one of the seven major departments of Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) whose primary objective is to looks after the religious and cultural affairs of Tibetan people.
This was first set up as “Council of Religious Affairs” by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Tibetans in May 1959, almost immediately after coming into exile in India. It has worked to rehabilitate refugee monks and nuns and establish new institutions serving to the aspirations of preserving religion and cultural heritage which were being destroyed by Chinese army.
In the year 1960, when His Holiness and His government shifted to Dharamsala from Mussorie, the office was rechristened as Chorig Lekung or Department of Religion and Culture (DRC) under CTA following democratic changes made to the administration.
There are about 40,000 monks and nuns in 265 affiliated monastic institutions and nunneries across India, Nepal and Bhutan. Also there are six Tibetan cultural institutions and centers under the department which functions as autonomous bodies.