Thousands trek to Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama arrives at the Tawang monastery in the northeastern Arunachal Pradesh state in India. Photo / AP

TAWANG - Thousands of devout Buddhists poured into this remote Indian mountain town, arriving in packed trucks or on foot after long journeys along narrow paths for a rare chance to glimpse the Dalai Lama.

The Tibetan spiritual leader's week-long visit to this town near the Chinese border, which began last night, has been mired in a diplomatic squabble - highlighting the growing friction between Beijing and New Delhi as the two nuclear-armed giants vie for economic and political power.

The neighbours have been embroiled in a border dispute over the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh since 1962, and China has decried the visit and demanded that India stop it.

China regularly protests over the movements of the Dalai Lama, whom it accuses of seeking Tibetan independence, and it is especially sensitive to the issue after deadly anti-government riots in the region last year.

But the spiritual leader's visit to Tawang is particularly galling in part because of the town's proximity and close links to his native Tibet, which he fled 50 years ago when Chinese troops marched in.

New Delhi insists that the Dalai Lama, who has since lived in exile in India, is an honoured guest and free to visit any part of the country. However, in an apparent effort to placate China, foreign journalists were barred from travelling to the restricted region.

In Tawang, political sparring seemed irrelevant as the local population prepared to welcome the man they revere as a living god.

Many of those flocking to the town were poor villagers from surrounding areas and neighbouring countries who otherwise would be unable to see the Dalai Lama at his base in Dharamsala. The hill town is about 2000km northwest of Tawang.

Despite temperatures already dropping below freezing and icy winds, dozens of young volunteers swept the streets in the centre of town and others sprinkled water to settle the clouds of dust.

Roads leading from the helipad where the Dalai Lama landed last night were festooned with colourful Buddhist prayer flags.

The local administration, which expects 25,000 people, erected a small tent city, with 100 tents able to house around 10 people each. Other pilgrims sought shelter in monasteries and guest houses.

The Dalai Lama was to spend today at a 17th-century Tawang monastery, and is scheduled to conduct a series of public teaching sessions from a Buddhist temple.

- AP