Editing Dharamshala (section)

==Etymology==
''Dharamshala'' ([[Devanagari]]: धर्मशाला; [[ITRANS]]: Dharmashala; [[IAST]]: Dharmaśālā) is a [[Hindi]] word derived from [[Sanskrit]] that is a compound of the words ''[[dharma]]'' (धर्म) and ''shālā'' (शाला), literally 'House or place of Dharma'. In common usage, the word refers to a shelter or rest house for spiritual pilgrims.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dharmsala|title=Dharmsala, meaning|publisher=Merriam Webster|access-date=22 October 2023}}</ref> When permanent settlements were established in the region, there was one such rest house from which the settlement took its name.<ref name="dsal.uchicago.edu">{{cite book |chapter-url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V11_307.gif |title=The Imperial Gazetteer of India |chapter=Dharmsala |volume=XI |pages=301–302 |location=Oxford |publisher=Clarendon Press |year=1908 |via=Digital South Asia Library}}</ref>

Due to a lack of uniform observance of conventions for Hindi [[transcription (linguistics)|transcription]] and [[Devanagari transliteration|transliteration of the script used]] to write it, [[Devanagari]], the name of the town has been variously [[romanised]] in English and other languages as ''Dharamshala'', ''Dharamsala'', ''Dharmshala'' and ''Dharmsala''.<ref name="dsal.uchicago.edu"/> These four permutations result from two variables: the transcription of the word धर्म (dharma)—particularly the second syllable (र्म) and that of the third syllable (शा). A strict transliteration of धर्म as written would be 'dharma' {{IPA|[ˈdʱərmə]}}. In the modern spoken Hindi of the region, there is a common [[Metathesis (linguistics)|metathesis]] in which the vowel and consonant sounds in the second syllable of certain words (including धर्म) are transposed, which changes 'dharma' to 'dharam' pronounced somewhere between {{IPA|[ˈdʱərəm]}} and {{IPA|[ˈdʱərm]}}. Regarding the third syllable, the Devanagari श corresponds to the English ''sh'' sound, {{IPAblink|ʃ}} and thus शाला is transcribed in English as 'shala'. Therefore, the most accurate phonetic transcription of the Hindi धर्मशाला into Roman script for common (non-technical) English usage is either 'Dharamshala' or, less commonly, 'Dharmshala', both of which render the ''sh'' ({{IPA|/ʃ/}}) sound of ''श'' in English as 'sh' to convey the correct native pronunciation, 'Dharam''sh''ala' {{IPA|[dʱərəmˈʃaːlaː]}} or 'Dharm''sh''ala' ({{IPA|[dʱərmˈʃaːlaː]}}). Regardless of spelling variations, the correct native pronunciation is with the ''sh'' sound ({{IPA|/ʃ/}}).<ref name="multiconverter">[http://tdil-dc.in/san/transliteration/table.html Mapping table with 7 methods] of Harvard-Kyoto, ITRANS, Velthuis, SLP, WX-system and IAST, Devanagari used by [http://tdil-dc.in/san/transliteration/index_dit.html ILTP-DC for Sanskrit]. [http://tdil-dc.in/san/transliteration/index_dit.html Sanskrit transliteration tool. Convert from one scheme to another]. Maintained by the 'Indian Language Technology Proliferation and deployment centre' (ILTP-DC) of the government of India. Works with 7 systems: Harvard-Kyoto, ITRANS, Velthuis, SLP, WX-system, and IAST, Devanagari.</ref>

<i>Durvasa Rishi had come here from
Maharashtra to cool his right side. Pointing to a slab of stone,
she [shri Mataji] said Durvasa Rishi had done tapasya on this shila (stone
slab) and that is why the city was called <b>Dharam shila</b> ( धर्म शिला ), but the
British pronounced it as Dharamshala!<br/>
From the book : "The Tenth Incarnation", by Yogi Mahajan,  Paperback, in Volume I, Chapter 14, page 89 </i>

* <b>Dharam shila</b> ( धर्म शिला ) is a name meaning "Dharma Rock", "rock of righteousness" or "pillar of virtue," and suggests strength and a strong moral compass. The names meaning itself is powerful: a steadfast rock representing righteous conduct.