Deer Park Institute was founded in 2006 by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche in a building that once housed a Tibetan school, and its name echoes the deer park at Sarnath where the Buddha gave his first teaching. The institute runs a programme of seminars, workshops, and residencies exploring classical Indian philosophy, Buddhist thought, art history, and contemplative practice — with teachers drawn from both the Tibetan tradition and Indian academic scholarship.
The building itself, set in the Tibetan Colony, has a handsome assembly hall, a library, and comfortable accommodation for residential students. If there's no programme running when you visit, the library is often open and the grounds are pleasant. The institute publishes a useful calendar well in advance; visitors planning to attend a teaching should book early as popular programmes fill quickly. Even a day seminar here can reorient a trip to Bir from a paragliding holiday to something more reflective.