Arunachal CM calls on Dalai Lama, gifts his first dwelling after fleeing Tibet to trust

DHARAMSALA — Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Friday had an audience with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, and invited him to visit the northeastern state.

He also announced the gifting of a ‘Phodrang’ (meaning palace in Dzongkha language) that was used as the Dalai Lama’s temporary residence in Tawang, a revered seat of Buddhism in Arunachal Pradesh, after he fled from Tibet following Chinese invasion in 1959, to the Dalai Lama Trust.

Khandu met the 89-year-old spiritual leader at the latter’s residence in McLeodganj near Dharamsala, where he participated in special prayers seeking long life for the Buddhist monk.

“Humbled and grateful for a warm audience with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama at his residence… I felt deeply blessed to receive his compassionate blessings,” Khandu wrote on X.

“During our heartwarming conversation, I invited His Holiness to visit Arunachal Pradesh, and he graciously accepted, saying he would come whenever he feels the call,” he added.

A spokesperson for the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) said the Arunachal Chief Minister participated in the ‘Tenshug’ ceremony offered by the Monpa community for the Dalai Lama at Tsuglagkhang, the main Tibetan monastery in McLeodganj. The five-day prayers will conclude on Saturday.

The Dalai Lama is expected to visit Arunachal Pradesh in the near future, marking a significant moment for the people of the state who share a deep reverence for his spiritual leadership.

Aides of the spiritual leader believe the Dalai Lama shares a deep emotional bond with Arunachal Pradesh as it was the place through which he entered India after his escape from Tibet on March 31, 1959, and was received by Indian officials who escorted his entourage to Bomdila.

Tawang, a picturesque town located at an altitude of more than 11,000 feet, is home to one of most sacred Buddhist monasteries. The place is spiritually important for Tibetan people as the sixth Dalai Lama was born in the 17th century at the Urgelling Monastery near Tawang.

If the Dalai Lama travels to Arunachal Pradesh, it would be his eighth visit to the northeastern state after visits in 1983, 1996, 1997, twice in 2003, 2009, and 2017.

Last year, the Dalai Lama’s plan to visit Arunachal in October-November was cancelled. Officials did not give a reason for the cancellation of the visit though some believe it may be the fallout of geopolitical implications.

During his last visit to Arunachal, many people had come from Bhutan, one of the few independent Buddhist countries, to see the Dalai Lama.

“By and large, Tibet and Bhutan have historically maintained good relations with each other,” a post quoting the Dalai Lama said on his official website.

China had been protesting the Dalai Lama’s visits to Arunachal Pradesh, accusing the spiritual leader of carrying out separatist activities in Tibet.

On reaching Dharamsala on Thursday, Chief Minister Khandu met with the seventh Yongzin Ling Rinpoche.

“I feel profoundly blessed to have received his blessings for me and my family,” Khandu wrote on X.

“Also, incredibly honoured to have received a copy of ‘The Life of My Teacher’, a biography of Kyabje Ling Rinpoche authored by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama,” he added. Incidentally, September 5 is celebrated as Teachers’ Day.

Sharing details about the book, the Arunachal CM wrote, “It is a heartwarming tribute to the life of Sixth Ling Rinpoche, a towering figure in Tibetan Buddhism, who was a powerful anchor for the 14th Dalai Lama from childhood to his emergence as a global spiritual leader. Feeling thankful and blessed to have received this gift.”

In 1959, the occupying Chinese troops suppressed the Tibetan national uprising in Lhasa and forced the 14th Dalai Lama and over 80,000 Tibetans into exile in India and neighbouring countries.

On reaching India after a three-week treacherous journey, the Dalai Lama took up residence for about a year in Mussoorie in Uttarakhand.

Currently, the Tibetan government-in-exile is based in Dharamsala, where a community of Tibetans lives in exile with the Dalai Lama, hoping to sustain their struggle to secure complete autonomy in their Chinese-ruled homeland, Tibet.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)