Tibetan Spiritual Leader Dalai Lama Celebrates 87th Birthday. PM Modi & Others Send Wishes

Hollywood actor Richard Gere joined in celebrations organised by Central Tibetan Admininistration of Tibetan govt in-exile at main Buddhist temple in Tsuglagkhang, Dharamshala

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama

Source : ANI

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, also referred to as His Holiness, celebrated his 87^th birthday Wednesday. The 14^th Dalai Lama is also known as Tenzin Gyatso and has been reverred as an icon of ahimsa (non-violence) and karuna (compassion). Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished the spiritual leader on his birthday over a call. He later tweeted praying for his long life and good health.

Conveyed 87th birthday greetings to His Holiness the @DalaiLama over phone earlier today. We pray for his long life and good health.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 6, 202

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also took to social micro-blogging site Twitter to extend his best wishes to the Tibetan leader .  

My best wishes to His Holiness the @DalaiLama on his 87th Birthday. I pray that he continues to spread love and compassion for many more years to come.

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 6, 2022

Hollywood actor Richard Gere joined in celebrations organised by Central Tibetan Admininistration of Tibetan govt in-exile at main Buddhist temple in Tsuglagkhang, Dharamshala reported news agency ANI. Gere can be seen cutting the cake with the Dalai Lama and others present inside the temple amid loud cheers.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur also witnessed the celebration through video conferencing.

#WATCH | Himachal: 87th birthday of Dalai Lama being celebrated in Dharamshala. Hollywood actor Richard Gere also participated in celebrations organised by Central Tibetan Admn of Tibetan govt in-exile,at main Buddhist temple, Tsuglagkhang. CM Thakur joined via video conferencing pic.twitter.com/Hwre6Gj0yF

— ANI (@ANI) July 6, 2022

The Tibetan establishment in exile and Tibetans celebrated the occasion in the main temple of the Dalai Lama at McLeodganj.

Here are some unknown facts about the spiritual leader to recall on his birthday

• The 14th Dalai Lama was born on July 6, 1935 in farming family at a remote village of Taktser, located in the province of Amdo in Tibet.
• He was named Lhamo Thondup, which literally means ‘Wish-Fulfilling Goddess’.
• In 1959, when the Tibetan national uprising was stifled by the Chinese troops in Lhasa, the Dalai Lama along with more than 80,000 Tibetans were forced into exile in India and neighbouring countries.
• Upon reaching India after travelling for three weeks, Dalai Lama initially stayed in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand for a brief period.
• On March 10, 1960 he moved to Dharamsala, which also serves as the headquarters of the exiled Tibetan establishment.
• The Dalai Lama, whom Beijing regards as a dangerous "splittist", or separatist, considers himself a son of India.
• At present, India is home to around 100,000 Tibetans and the government-in-exile, which has never gained recognition from any country.
• He remains the longest running and longest-living Dalai Lama among his predecessors.
• His Holiness has also been recognised for his work for global peace and harmony. He received Nobel Prize in 1989.
• Dalai Lama gets up at 3 AM and does meditatation till 5 AM followed by a short walk around the residential premises, according to the official website. His Holiness usually have a breakfast comprising porridge and tsampa, traditional barley flour and likes to spend his morning reading Buddhist texts, before holding audiences in the afternoon.