Monks and other followers of Orgyen Thinley Dorji at the meeting in Darjeeling on Sunday. (Suman Tamang)

Darjeeling, Sept. 18: Followers of Orgyen Thinley Dorji, who is recognised as the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa by both the Dalai Lama and China, today demanded that the Centre allow him to visit Sikkim on November 17 to take part in a Buddhist function.

Thinley Dorji had fled Tsurphu monastery in Tibet in 1999, evading Chinese soldiers, and entered India in January the next year to stake his claim as the head of the Kagyupa sect in Rumtek, East Sikkim.

However, the 26-year-old has never been allowed to visit Sikkim by the Indian government. He is considered a reincarnate of the 16th Karmapa, who had died in 1981.

Apart from Thinley Dorji, there are two more claimants to the throne. The Rumtek monastery, set up by the 16th Karmapa, is the highest seat of the Kagyupa sect in the country.

Today, the supporters of Thinley Dorji from Sikkim and Darjeeling held a meeting at the Darjeeling Tourist Lodge.

Sonam Topden, the general secretary of the All Sikkim Buddhist Organisation (Joint Action Committee), said: “We have recently written to the Centre, requesting them to allow the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Orgyen Thinley Dorji to visit Sikkim for the Lhabab Deuchen celebration on November 17. The Sikkim government had forwarded the letter to the Union home ministry, which replied that it was lloking into the matter. Things are looking up and we are hopeful of a positive response.”

The nearest place to Rumtek monastery that Thinley Dorji has visited was Mirik, about 43km from Darjeeling, in 2004.

Topden said the meeting had been held to dispel false propaganda against Dorji. The meeting was jointly organised by the Sikkim organisation and the Darjeeling-based Himalayan Buddhist Cultural Association.

Thaye Dorji, another claimant as the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, had visited the Darjeeling hills in May 2011 and many believe that the decision of the Thinley Dorji group to start a campaign is also aimed at negating the impact of Thaye Dorji’s recent visit.

The controversy over the actual reincarnation started when there was a disagreement among the four regents of the Rumtek monastery on the interpretation of the prediction letter written by the 16th Karmapa regarding the incarnate.

One of the four regents, Shamar Rinpoche, believes that Thaye Dorji is the real reincarnate, and not Orgyen Thinley.

There was another twist to the ecclesiastical power struggle when Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, who was appointed to lead a party to Tibet in search of the Karmapa, died in a car accident.

The two other regents of the Rumtek monastery are Tai Situ Rinpoche and Gyaltseb Rinpoche. A lesser known Dawa Sangpo Dorjee, who was born in Mangan Sikkim, is the third claimant to the Rumtek seat.

Topden, however, said there was no reason for a controversy regarding the occupant of the seat of power at Rumtek. “As far as we are concerned, there is no controversy regarding the true incarnate.”