It was Good Friday and really a festive mood on 12th Jan morning for all the monks in this simple but beautiful Tashi Lhunpo Monastery at Bylakuppe town in Mysore district of Karnataka State, South India. Every individual in their best cloths looks very excited and every where on the road side is full of color with prayer flags flying high and people holding Khatak (Tibetan scarf), flowers & burning incense in their hands including monks, the special guest Hollywood actor Mrs. & Mrs. Richard Gere, the Abbot of Tashi Lhunpo monastery Kachen Lobsang Tsetan, the General Secretary Kelkhang Rinpoche and all the staff of this monastery.
Around 12.00pm the monks started blowing tradition long horn to welcome His Holiness who arrived in the official Ambassador car straight to the main Temple where he was traditionally welcome by the Abbot of this monastery. His Holiness was than invited to his special throne and the Abbot did the ceremonial offering with Buddhist tradition and followed by butter tea & sweet rice offering to His Holiness and the special guest the Prime Minister of Tibetan Government in Exile, Proffesor Samdhong Rinpoche, Abbot/former Abbot of other monasteries, District Commissioner of Mysore, Tibetan friend & Hollywood actor Mrs & Mr. Richard Gere, Government official and others assembled in the main temple hall. Then the prayer leader of this monastery started prayers and followed by the mass.
After the prayer His Holiness gave kind speech to the gathering about the special relation with this monastery as 1st Dalai Lama, Gyalwa Gedun Drupe had founded this monastery in 1447 and the relationship between the Dalai Lam & the Panchen Lamas is unique. Each Lama in their lifetime is not only involved in search for the others reincarnation, but also assumes the role, first as the disciple and later in life as the master, of the other. Also this monastery is the principal monastery in U-Tsang Province in Tibet and one of the great four learning centers of the Gelupa tradition.
His Holiness was than invited to the palace for the lunch and after that he left for the Tibetan S.O.S Village School.
