Dalai Lama

New Delhi, Nov. 6: The Dalai Lama has sent a message to Tibetan exiles in Sikkim at a time the community is marking 50 years of its stay in the state and just two days before his contentious trip to Arunachal Pradesh.

China has objected to the Dalai Lama’s visit to Tawang but Delhi has told Beijing that the Buddhist spiritual leader is free to travel anywhere in India.

Earlier, Beijing had claimed that parts of Sikkim were its territory, too.

Speaking of the close relationship between Tibetans and Sikkimese throughout history, the Dalai Lama dwelt on how Buddhism contributed to the evolution of the Sikkimese identity.

“This Buddhist cultural heritage encourages the cultivation of such ideals as compassion, peace and non-violence, which have a role to play in the development of the Sikkimese society. Therefore, one way of getting the benefit from this heritage and preserving it is to incorporate its message in the educational system,” he said in a message dated October 27.

Tibetan Buddhists belong to the Gelugpa sect and Sikkimese Buddhists to the Nyingmapa, but the two have had good fraternal relations for a long time.

Sikkim has a large population of Tibetan refugees and the festival, which will go on till November 10, is the community’s way of thanking the Government of India and the Sikkim government for providing them refuge.

“It is befitting that this festival is being held to coincide with the 50 years of the Tibetan people’s life in exile,” the Dalai Lama stated in the message.

The Dalai Lama is visiting Tawang on November 8.

Tawang is the area where he entered India in 1959 when he fled Tibet. In a way, his trip would also mark 50 years of his stay in the country.

Sources said the Budd- hist leader will fly by an Arunachal Pradesh state helicopter from Guwahati to Tawang.

Honoured as a state guest, the Dalai Lama is expected to visit Itanagar later.