Dalai Lama reaches Gangtok on three-day visit to Sikkim after 13 years

 The spiritual leader of the Tibetan community flew from Delhi to Bagdogra in the morning where he was received at the airport by Ven Sonam Lama, the minister of ecclesiastical affairs of the government of Sikkim

Sikkim governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya and First Lady Kumud Devi, met His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his arrival in Gangtok on Monday.: Picture courtesy: The Sikkim government

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, 12.12.23 : His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Monday reached Gangtok on a three-day visit to Sikkim after 13 years.

The spiritual leader of the Tibetan community flew from Delhi to Bagdogra in the morning where he was received at the airport by Ven Sonam Lama, the minister of ecclesiastical affairs of the government of Sikkim. From Bagdogra, the Dalai Lama flew to Gangtok in a helicopter where he was welcomed by Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) at the Libing helipad.

“His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be giving one-day teaching on Gyalsey Thokme Sangpo’s 37 Practices of a Boddhisattava (Laklen Sodunma) on Tuesday morning at Paljor stadium in Gangtok,” said a source.

His Holiness will also virtually lay the foundation stones of Karmapa Park project at Rumtek and Gyalwa Lhatsun Chenpo statue project at Simmik Khamdong constituency in Gangtok district.

At the helipad, monks from various monasteries of the state performed a traditional Buddhist dance ritual and prayer known as “Sherbang.”

Apart from chief minister Golay and his wife Krishna Rai, the Speaker of Sikkim legislative Assembly Arun Kumar Upreti, chief secretary V.B. Pathak, DGP A.K. Singh and other officials were present to welcome the Dalai Lama at the helipad.

Representatives of the Tibetan government-in-exile and Tibetan settlement office were also present.

Hundreds of devotees and common citizens had lined up along the streets of Gangtok to welcome and catch a glimpse of His Holiness as his motorcade passed through the streets of Gangtok.

Later in the day, Sikkim governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya and first lady Kumud Devi also met the Dalai Lama in Gangtok.

On Thursday, the Dalai Lama will go to Salugara in Siliguri, Bengal, to deliver a general teaching followed by the ceremony for the generation of Bodhicitta (semke) at the Sed-Gyued monastery at Salugara.

His Holiness was earlier scheduled to visit Sikkim From October 16 to 22, on the invitation of the Sikkim government but the visit was postponed in the wake of the October 4 floods.

His Holiness has a large number of followers in the region.

Courtesy & source- The Telegraph