14th Dalai Lama begins month-long visit to Ladakh

Kargil, July 12: The 14th Dalai Lama arrived in Leh on Saturday, beginning a month-long visit to Ladakh.

The Tibetan spiritual leader was given a warm welcome upon his arrival.

He was received at the airport by representatives of the Union Territory administration, including Director General of Police Ladakh Dr. S.D. Singh Jamwal; Secretary, Transport, Bhupesh Choudhary; and Secretary, Higher Education, Bhanu Prabha.

Chief Executive Councilor of LAHDC Leh, Adv. Tashi Gyalson, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ladakh, Mohmad Hanifa Jan; Deputy Commissioner of Leh, Romil Singh Donk; and Senior Superintendent of Police Leh, Shruti Arora, along with heads of various religious organizations and dignitaries, were also present.

Security at the airport had been beefed up in view of his visit.

Leh was in a festive mood as people gathered at the Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport to welcome the 14th Dalai Lama, who is visiting the region after a gap of two years.

Thousands of people, including devotees and well-wishers, lined the roads from the airport to Jivetsal, Choglamsar, to offer a grand and respectful welcome to His Holiness with traditional attire, ceremonial scarves and prayers. The Tibetan spiritual leader was received with ceremonial honors and warm greetings by representatives of various religious and cultural organizations and local leaders.

In his address to invited guests at Jivetsal Photang, the Dalai Lama reaffirmed the profound importance of nurturing a heart of compassion and kindness for the benefit of all sentient beings. He further urged the people of the Himalayan region to uphold their sacred duty to protect, sustain and promote the rich legacy of Buddhist teachings and wisdom that once thrived in Tibet.

According to sources, the Dalai Lama will spend the initial days acclimatizing to the high altitude before beginning his teaching schedule, which includes public discourses and interactions with youth and religious communities.

On June 6, the spiritual leader celebrated his 90th birthday and called for “achieving peace of mind through cultivating a good heart and by being compassionate.”

The Dalai Lama’s last visit to Ladakh was in 2023.

His planned visit to the region in July 2024 was canceled due to knee surgery in the United States.

His current visit comes at a critical time when there are talks of appointing his successor, and his office has clarified that “no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter.”