Tibetans Mark 74th Birthday of Dalai Lama

Tibetans in the capital of Nepal celebrated the 74th birthday of their spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, with a religious procession of masked dancers and prayers.

The 14th Dalai Lama was born on July 6th, 1935, to a family of farmers in rural Tibet, and is believed the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. Tibetans believe he is also an incarnation of a bodhisattva – a living Buddha who has chosen to live amongst human beings to alleviate suffering. Devotees offer prayers to him everyday, and perform elaborate rituals in his honour on special festivals.

In 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama fled Lhasa after Chinese forces entered the capital. 50 years after the failed uprising in Tibet against Chinese rule, Tibetan refugees continue to look to their leader-in-exile for hope. More than 120,000 Tibetans live outside Tibet as refugees, with no prospect of returning home anytime soon.

Tibetans in the capital of Nepal celebrated the 74th birthday of their spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, with a religious procession of masked dancers and prayers.

The 14th Dalai Lama was born on July 6th, 1935, to a family of farmers in rural Tibet, and is believed the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. Tibetans believe he is also an incarnation of a bodhisattva – a living Buddha who has chosen to live amongst human beings to alleviate suffering. Devotees offer prayers to him everyday, and perform elaborate rituals in his honour on special festivals.

In 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama fled Lhasa after Chinese forces entered the capital. 50 years after the failed uprising in Tibet against Chinese rule, Tibetan refugees continue to look to their leader-in-exile for hope. More than 120,000 Tibetans live outside Tibet as refugees, with no prospect of returning home anytime soon.

Tibetans in the capital of Nepal celebrated the 74th birthday of their spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, with a religious procession of masked dancers and prayers.

The 14th Dalai Lama was born on July 6th, 1935, to a family of farmers in rural Tibet, and is believed the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. Tibetans believe he is also an incarnation of a bodhisattva – a living Buddha who has chosen to live amongst human beings to alleviate suffering. Devotees offer prayers to him everyday, and perform elaborate rituals in his honour on special festivals.

In 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama fled Lhasa after Chinese forces entered the capital. 50 years after the failed uprising in Tibet against Chinese rule, Tibetan refugees continue to look to their leader-in-exile for hope. More than 120,000 Tibetans live outside Tibet as refugees, with no prospect of returning home anytime soon.

Tibetans in the capital of Nepal celebrated the 74th birthday of their spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, with a religious procession of masked dancers and prayers.

The 14th Dalai Lama was born on July 6th, 1935, to a family of farmers in rural Tibet, and is believed the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. Tibetans believe he is also an incarnation of a bodhisattva – a living Buddha who has chosen to live amongst human beings to alleviate suffering. Devotees offer prayers to him everyday, and perform elaborate rituals in his honour on special festivals.

In 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama fled Lhasa after Chinese forces entered the capital. 50 years after the failed uprising in Tibet against Chinese rule, Tibetan refugees continue to look to their leader-in-exile for hope. More than 120,000 Tibetans live outside Tibet as refugees, with no prospect of returning home anytime soon.