Dalai Lama will lead the 11-day-long Kalchakra Puja in Bodhgaya from December 31 this year. Telegraph Picture

Gaya, June 6: The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, will lead the 11-day-long 29th Kalchakra Puja at Bodhgaya beginning from December 31 this year. The puja will continue till January 10 next year.

Kalchakra Puja is being organised at Bodhgaya after a gap of nine years. It was held at Bodhgaya in 2003 from January 12 to 20.

Dalai Lama has led Kalchakra Puja on 28 occasions out of which on 12 occasions, it was held outside India.

Dalai Lama had visited Bodhgaya in January last year to deliver a 10-day religious discourse at Kalchakra Maidan.

A large ground towards north-west of Mahabodhi Mahavihara was named Kalchakra Maidan as Kalchakra Puja is organised at the ground. Aparm from that, Dalai Lama delivers discourse to his followers from the huge dais built towards the eastern end of the Kalchakra Maidan.

With the announcement of Kalchakra Puja to be organised at Bodhgaya in December-January, preparations have started in full swing. Travel agents are booking hotels in advance.

Bodhgaya Hotel Association general secretary Sanjay Singh told The Telegraph: “We expect around a lakh Buddhist devotees and other foreigners to participate in Kalchakra Puja.”

Buddhists devotees, including monks and the nuns from Tibet and the northeastern states, take part in the Kalchakra Puja.

The Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC) sources confirmed the programme that Dalai Lama would lead the 11-day Kalchakra Puja at Bodhgaya.

BTMC is responsible for maintenance and upkeep of the world heritage Mahabodhi Mahavihara.

Sources said Dalai Lama would stay in Bodhgaya from December 28 this year to January 12 next year.

During first three days of the 11-day Kalchakra Puja, Dalai Lama would prepare sand mandla with senior monks of Namgyal monastery in Bodhgaya and also lead prayers for world peace and other religious initiations would be conducted.

From January 3 to 5, he would deliver discourse based on Buddhist theory given by Kamalsheel, Geshe Langri and Nagarjuna.

On January 6, the traditional Kalchakra dance will be performed and Dalai Lama would give — diksha — on Kalchakra from January 7 to 9 next year.

On concluding of Kalchakra Puja on January 10, Dalai Lama would pray for longevity of his followers and the followers too would pray for longevity of Dalai Lama.

The 14th Dalai Lama had led his first 22-day Kalchakra Puja at Bodhgaya from December 25, 1973 to January 15, 1974. After the Kalchakra Puja concluded, Dalai Lama had donated Rs 10,000 to BTMC for maintenance and upkeep of Mahabodhi Mahavihara, which has now been included in the world heritage list by Unesco on June 22, 2002. Since then the Dalai Lama has led Kalchakra Puja on two occasions in Bodhgaya in 1985 and in 2003.