Dharamsala, HP, India, 15 June 2010 (By Phurbu Thinley, phayul.com) - Exiled Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Tuesday attended a celebratory function marking “fifty years of
friendship and understanding” among Indians and Tibetans here in this
north Indian hill town.
As part of the celebration Hindu priests conducted a fire ritual (havan) and prayer chanting ceremony in the presence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for his continued well-being and long life.
Senior
officials of the Central Tibetan Administration, members of the
organising committee of the event and hundreds of Tibetans, Indians and
visiting tourists participated in the event held at the courtyard of
the Main Tibetan Temple (Tsuglag khang) here.
“We
chanted and offered prayers for the well-being and long life of His
Holiness the Dalai Lama. And also in our puja we offered prayers for
the happiness, success and well-being of Tibetans here and all over the
world,” said Swami Ananda Ji, the leader of the priests.
|
| His Holiness the Dalai Lama gestures as he attends fire ritual (havan)
being conducted by Hindu priests for his continued well-being and long
life at the Main Tibetan Temple in Dharamsala, India, Tuesday, June 15,
2010. The prayer ceremony is part a day-long event organised by the
local Indian community of McLeod Ganj to celebrate “50 years of
friendship” with Tibetan exiles. (Photo by David Huang) |
The
day-long event, which also included offering free community meal in
traditional Indian style to the public, was organised by six
organisations representing the Indian community of McLeod Ganj, also
called Upper Dharamsala.
Meal was also offered to His Holiness
the Dalai Lama and, officials of the Central Tibetan Administration
(CTA) and Indian dignitaries at the Tsuglagkhang (Main Tibetan Temple)
courtyard here.
The event was jointly organised by Indo-Tibet
Friendship Society (ITFS), Hotel Association, Beopar Mandal, Bagsu Taxi
Union, Auto Union, and Trekkers Association of McLeod Ganj.
In
his opening speech, Mr Ajay Sing Mankotia, President of ITFS, described
the event as “a celebration of 50 years of togetherness” for Indians
and Tibetans in Dharamsala and elsewhere in Himachal Pradesh and India.
“This
celebration is an expression of gratitude to His Holiness the Dalai
lama and to show that that we are blessed by his presence here,” Mr
Mankotia said.
Mr Mankotia said Dalai Lama’s guidance and blessing
enabled people from both the communities to live and prosper together
in harmony and peacefully for the last 50 years.
“Your Holiness’
presence here for the last 50 years has not only helped us to grow
together, but also helped Dharamsala to prosper spiritually. This has
given Dharamsala the sanctity it enjoys now,” he said.
The exiled Tibetan leader thanked the organisers and the people of the town for the puja and the event.
In
his speech, the Dalai Lama reminded the Tibetans to continue to
preserve and uphold the values that define the Tibetan people and their
culture.
“In embracing modernity and progress, we must not
abandon the human values that has been so preciously passed down on to
us by our elder generations. These values make up our unique culture,"
the Dalai Lama said.
“It is these spiritual values that are so
ingrained in our culture and in our way of life that make us special
and loved by the outside world, and if we are to abandon these values,
then it will be a very disheartening situation," the Tibetan leader
said.
The Dalai Lama has been living in McLeod Ganj, a hill-top
town in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, since 1960,
following Chinese occupation of Tibet and a failed 1959 uprising
against the Chinese rule over it.
In April, Tibetan exiles
organised a two-day event here called “Thank You Himachal” to thank the
people and the government of the state on the 50th anniversary of the
Dalai Lama’s arrival in Mcleod Ganj.
The Dalai Lama arrived
here in April 1960, a year after entering India, to shift from his
temporary base in Mussoorie in the present-day Uttarakhand state. Since
then Dharmsala has served as the base for the Tibetan
Government-in-Exile.
Little over 35,000 Tibetans live in Dharamsala and 14 different Tibetan settlements across the hill state.
