- The 14th Dalai Lama is on a nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh
- His visit to the region has rattled Beijing who accused India of causing “serious damage” to ties
- The spiritual leader addressed a gathering at Dirang and consecrated another monastery in Tawang district
Dalai Lama Consecrates Thupsung Dhargyeling Monastery
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Thursday consecrated a Buddhist monastery in Arunachal Pradesh's West Kameng district even as China said his state tour will fuel bilateral tensions.
Hundreds of people from across India and neighbouring Bhutan gathered at the Thupsung Dhargyeling Monastery at Dirang, 50 km from Tawang.
“It should be a centre of learning for all. There must be lots of activities,” the exiled 81-year-old spiritual leader said afterwards.
The Dalai Lama Consecrates Monastery in Tawang
The Dalai Lama consecrated a Buddhist monastery on Thursday in India’s remote northeast, amid Chinese warnings of bilateral relations with India being damaged.
Nearly 10,000 people, some of them from neighboring Bhutan, greeted the Dalai Lama at the Thubchok Gatsel Ling Monastery in Tawang district in Arunachal Pradesh, an official said.
The ceremony was conducted in the presence of Governor PB Acharya, Chief Minister Pema Khandu, state Assembly Speaker TN Thongdok, Chief Secretary Shakuntala Gamlin and other dignitaries.
'Dalai Lama Not a Primary Issue in the Long Run'
The Dalai Lama is not the “primary problem” in Sino-Indian relations in the long run, a former Chinese diplomat who served in India said on Thursday, amid a row between the two countries over his visit to Arunachal Pradesh.
“In the long run, the Dalai Lama is not the primary problem in Sino-Indian relations, and it’s not a problem that cannot be solved,” Mao Siwei, who previously served as China's Consul General in Kolkata, was quoted by the state-run Global Times.
The Dalai Lama At Dirang Monastery
The Dalai Lama addressed a gathering at Thuphung Dhargeling monastery in Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh.