Dharamshala, Oct. 27 -- For 80-year-old Rinchen Khando Choegyal, the steady decline in new arrivals stands in stark contrast to her memories from decades ago, when thousands crossed the Himalayas from Tibet seeking education and religious freedom.

"When we started the project, we struggled to manage all the nuns because of limited resources and the large influx from Tibet," says Choegyal, founding director of the Tibetan Nuns Project (TNP), established in 1987. "We had no places for them to stay. We rented small houses and pitched tents."

"Tibetans inside Tibet were once eager to come to India to study," Choegyal added. "In those days, if Tibetans escaped, no one stopped them-Beijing's policy was to let them leave, assuming the exile co...