When the Dalai Lama set up his residence and Tibetan Government in Exile in India's Himalayas, one of his first missions was to establish The Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts in McLeod Ganj. It was designed to preserve Tibetan artistic heritage, especially opera, dance, and music and to serve as an international cultural force. Every Fall dozens of singers, dancers and musicians perform during Tibet's Day of Democracy. Instruments vary from the Tibetan flute to Scottish bagpipes.