A devotee at Kudung Shrine Hall of Bokar Ngedon Chokar Ling Monastery, where the body of the Bokar Rimpoche lies. Picture bu Suman Tamang

Mirik, Oct. 4: The 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, Orgyen Trinley Dorje, today arrived in Darjeeling district for the first time since he entered India four years ago, reviving hopes among his devotees that the Centre could allow him to enter the Rumtek monastery in neighbouring Sikkim in the near future.

The 19-year-old, recognised as the reincarnation of the 16th Karmapa by the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government, had fled the Tsurphu monastery in Tibet in January 2000, evading Chinese soldiers to enter India and stake his claim in Rumtek as the head of the Kagyupa sect.

Litigation and two more claimants to the throne have, however, prevented him from reaching the Rumtek monastery, the highest seat of the Kagyupa sect in the country that was set up by the 16th Karmapa.

The visit is significant in that it displays a shift in the stance of the Indian government, which has so far restricted the movements of Dorje within the country.

In fact, the Karmapa rarely moves out of Gyuto Monastery at Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh, where he had taken refuge after escaping from the Tsurphu monastery in Tibet to India.

The external affairs ministry has till date not allowed him to enter Sikkim, let alone Rumtek monastery that houses the revered Black Hat.

At Mirik, Dorje will preside over the 49th day of the funeral ceremony of Bokar Rimpoche, the senior-most spiritual master of the Kagyupa sect who passed away in August this year. He is said to have personally requested the government to grant him permission for the Mirik trip.

Hundreds of devotees, from Sikkim and neighbouring countries, flocked to Darjeeling today to get a glimpse of the spiritual head of the Kagyupa sect.

?It is a rare opportunity for his devotees. He is always in Dharamsala and hardly moves out,? said Sonam Choden, a disciple of the Bokar Rimpoche.

?We want the Centre to allow the Karmapa to enter Sikkim. We have also initiated talks at the ministry level on the issue,? said Sikkim Congress leader Nar Bahadur Bhandari, who arrived at Mirik today to meet the spiritual leader.

?Though granting permission to enter Sikkim depends entirely on the Indian government, we are hopeful that it will happen very soon. Previously, China did not even recognise Sikkim to be a part of India. Now that this problem does not exist, the Karmapa should be allowed to visit Rumtek,? said Karma Gelay, the spokesman for the Joint Action Committee of Buddhist Organisations.

The Karmapa?s visit to the Bokar Ngedon Chokar Ling Monastery in Mirik is also an indication of the thaw in Sino-Indian relations.

The spiritual leader is scheduled to fly off to Delhi after conducting the final round of prayers on October 6.