Hundreds of Tibetans celebrate the Dalai Lama's birthday
Hundreds of Tibetans celebrated the 89th birthday of the Dalai Lama in North India. Tibetan and Buddhist flags adorned the grounds of the Tsuglagkhang Temple in the city of Dharamsala, where the spiritual head of the Tibetans resides. He settled there after the 1959 uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet failed. The city is also the seat of the Tibetan exile government.
In the temple, schoolchildren sang "Happy Birthday, Your Holiness", while a three-tiered cake was cut and sweets distributed. The children had also prepared the performance of traditional dances. The audience applauded a music band with drums and bagpipes.
Tibetan and Indian representatives looked on from a slightly elevated platform. Photos on the walls showed the Dalai Lama, among other things, as a child. The spiritual head was, however, not present. The Dalai Lama is currently in the USA, where, according to his secretary, he underwent a knee operation.
China does not recognize the Tibetan exile government. A dialogue with representatives of the Dalai Lama has not taken place since 2010. The Dalai Lama has declared that he is working for extensive autonomy and the protection of Tibetan Buddhist culture.
The celebration also included a group of young Lamas joining the festivities, honoring the Dalai Lama's Birthday. Despite being in the USA for his knee surgery, the Dalai Lama's hundredth birthday was commemorated with llama processions and prayers in several Tibetan communities around the world.
