Shimla: Tibetan monks-in-exile keep faith alive with prayers on Dalai Lama's 91st birthday

The Tibetan Buddhist monksinexile offered special prayers to mark the 91st birthday of the 14th Dalai Lama at the Dorje Drak Monastery in Shimla Himachal Pradesh The monastic community and residents gathered early in the morning to participate in the religious rituals dedicating the day to the long life and global message of the spiritual leaderBorn to a small farming family in Tibets Takster on July 6 1935 he was originally named Lhamo Thondup which literally means WishFulfilling Goddess according to the Dalai Lamas websiteAt 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 the Dalai Lama was officially enthroned as the temporal leader of Tibet on November 17 1950 in a ceremony held at the Norbulingka PalaceHowever in March 1959 following the suppression of the Tibetan National Uprising the spiritual leader was forced to escape into exile in India along with more than 80000 refugeesMore than six decades after he first entered exile the milestone anniversary serves as an enduring symbol of the broader struggle over faith identity and legitimacy a complex geopolitical and cultural challenge that Beijing has still failed to solve For more than 60 years the Dalai Lama has continued working for the promotion of peace love and compassionThe annual event organised systematically every year by the Central Tibetan Administration CTA remains a major draw for followers worldwide Highlighting his physical absence from the main public stage this year his office stated that he travelled to Delhi in early June to undergo a left knee replacement operation which preceded his scheduled stay in the Ladakh region during the summerThis milestone birthday also comes on the heels of last years celebrations which were highlighted by the launch of the Year of Compassion campaign by the CTA That initiative focused heavily on environmental and cultural preservation through widespread treeplanting campaigns and the promotion of the Tibetan languageSpeaking about the significance of the occasion Tibetan Buddhist monk Dawa Tsering told ANI Today is an important day the birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama His birthday is celebrated across the globe and we are observing it here as wellSince early morning prayers and rituals have been performed at Dorje Drak Monastery for his longevity followed by a cake offering Preserving the institution of the Dalai Lama is crucial especially for the Tibetan community living in exileHis continued presence is essential not just for Tibetan Buddhist monks but for the entire world as he is a champion of global peaceEchoing similar sentiments regarding the leaders global and personal impact local Tibetan resident Tenzin Chemi told ANI Today is His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lamas 91st birthday We Tibetans especially those living in exile in India and across the world are in exileWe are honoured to celebrate his birthday every year Hes very important to us and hes a promoter of peace For us Tibetan people he is our guru our kind of a god an avatarThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever