Dalai Lama visits Tawang

The Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama revisited Tawang for the 5th time in his last 50 years of exile, inspite of Chinese opposition and pressure to India governemnt. Tawang is a very sensitive issue with regard to Indo- China boundary disputes, as China claims the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India to be its own. The hill town of Tawang houses a major Tibetan Buddhist monastery, which the Dalai Lama visited today to offer religious prayers and inaugurate a museum and a libray in the monastery.

Apart from being the first town the Dalai Lama crossed over into India when he escaped from Tibet in 1959 on Matrch 31st, Tawang also happens to be a very sacred place for Tibetan Buddhists as the Fifth Dalai Lama was born here.

The Dalai Lama will be attending events in Tawang till the 12th of November and then visit other towns of Bomdilla and state capital of Arunachal Pradesh - Itanagar before returning to Delhi on 16th November.

The Dalai Lama repeatedly told journalsit that "my visit entirely non political" China sees the event to be highly politicised.