A large number of Tibetans from Darjeeling and the neighbouring areas are heading to Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh to be part of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday.

“I, along with my friends, left New Jalpaiguri for Delhi today to reach Dharamshala. We plan to reach there before the birthday of His Holiness and will return on July 9,” said Diki Bhutia, a Tibetan by ancestry.

According to the Tibetan lunar calendar, the Dalai Lama was born on the fifth day of the fifth month, which was June 30 this year. However, according to the Gregorian calendar, His Holiness was born on July 6, 1935, to a farming family in Taktser, which is in Amdo province in northeastern Tibet.

At the age of two, the child, then named Lhamo Dhondup, was recognised as the reincarnation of the previous 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso.

“Many Tibetans tracing their roots to Amdo province organised a celebration of His Holiness's birthday in Dharamshala on June 30. His Holiness was in attendance,” said a source.

More than 7,000 people gathered at three venues — Kalachakra Temple, the Tsuglagkhang courtyard and Kirti Gompa.

However, the buildup to the Dalai Lama’s birthday celebration had started much earlier.

On June 4, former students of the Central School for Tibetans (CST), Darjeeling, the Tibetan Community of New York & New Jersey (TCNYNJ) and the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota (TAFM) organised a long life ceremony for His Holiness at Tsuglagkhang, the main Tibetan temple, at Dharamshala. The Dalai Lama was present at the ceremony.

“This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to express our deep gratitude to His Holiness,” said Tsultrim Dorjee, from the 1997 batch of CST.

On May 29, 2011, His Holiness signed a document formally transferring his temporal authority to a democratically elected leader. By doing so, he had formally put an end to the 368-year-old tradition of the Dalai Lamas functioning as both the spiritual and temporal heads of Tibet.