Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 7 (ANI): With celebrations underway on the 91st birthday of 14th Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhist monks at the Dorje Drak Monastery offered special prayers for his long life and reflected upon his path of peace and compassion.
Speaking to ANI, Tibetan Buddhist monk Dawa Tsering called the birthday an important day and that devotees across the world are celebrating it.
“Today is a very important day. It is the birthday of our Guru and our spiritual master, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Across the world, devotees are celebrating his birthday and praying for his long life. Since morning, we have been offering prayers for his health and long life. After the prayers, we also celebrated by cutting a cake.”
He added, “His Holiness has always shown us the path of compassion and peace. He is spreading peace across the world, and we pray that he lives a long life and that there is peace throughout the world.”
A local Tibetan resident and teacher of English and the Tibetan language, Tenzin Chemi, told ANI how the Tibetans are honoured to celebrate his birthday every year.
“This is not just another birthday celebration. His Holiness is an extremely important figure for us and is recognised around the world as a promoter of peace. For Tibetan people, he is our Guru and an incarnation whom we deeply revere. From birth, we are taught to observe every important occasion connected with His Holiness, whether small or large,” she said.
She underlined, “Our prayers today are especially for His Holiness’s long life and for all his wishes to be fulfilled. We have been conducting prayers since early morning, and tomorrow a larger function will be organised in Shimla, where Tibetans from different parts of India are expected to participate.”
This worldwide reverence traces back to his early life in Tibet. Born to a small farming family in Takster on July 6, 1935, he was originally named Lhamo Thondup, which literally means “Wish-Fulfilling Goddess”, according to the Dalai Lama’s website.
At the age of two, he was recognised as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama and was brought to Lhasa in October 1939 before being formally installed as the head of the State of Tibet on February 22, 1940.
Named Tenzin Gyatso at the age of six, he officially assumed full temporal leadership of Tibet on November 17, 1950, in a ceremony held at the Norbulingka Palace.
However, his leadership took a dramatic turn in March 1959 when, following the suppression of the Tibetan National Uprising, the spiritual leader was forced to escape into exile in India along with more than 80,000 refugees.
More than six decades after he first entered exile, the anniversary serves as an enduring symbol of the broader struggle over faith, identity, and legitimacy. This remains a complex geopolitical and cultural challenge that Beijing has still failed to solve.
This event, organised systematically every year by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), remains a major draw for followers worldwide. (ANI)
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