Dharamsala, Dec 28: Tashi Lhunpo Monastery and the Central Association of His Holiness the Panchen Lama on Sunday organized an exhibition of rare photographs and age-old thangka paintings (traditional Tibetan scroll art)that document the lives of His Holiness the Panchen Lama, from the first incarnate to the present, in a move to remind the world about the forgotten lineage.
Venerable Tsering Phuntsok, the Minister of Religion, Central Tibetan Administration, was the Chief Guest for the event at the Tsuglakhang courtyard, and he along with Kachen Lobsang Tseten Rinpoche, the Abbott of the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, Bylakuppe inaugurated the five-day photo exhibition, which is being organized to commemorate 20 years of the passing away of the Xth Panchen Lama, Lobsang Trinley Lhundrup Choekyi Gyaltsen.
The main aim of holding such an exhibition is to show the world that His Holiness the Xth Panchen Lama had consistently worked for the welfare of the Tibetan people and had struggled to preserve Tibetan cultural and religious traditions even under Chinese rule, Venerable Lobsang Dorjee, President of the Central Association of His Holiness the Panchen Lama said.
“Despite the Chinese government’s recent attempts to cast His Holiness the Xth Panchen Lama as an ally, these rare collection of pictures of the Xth Panchen Lama at Tibet’s factories, agri-products centres, vocational schools, healthcare and education centres, are proof of the fact that he worked solely for the benefit of the Tibetan people and the Tibetan cause,” Dorjee added.
With the disappearance of His Holiness the XIth Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima after the Chinese government forcefully kidnapped the young boy in 1995, the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery is facing a crisis, Khen Rinpoche Kachen Lobsang Tseten said. Through this exhibition, the monastery hopes to create awareness amongst the public and garner support for the campaign to release the XIth Panchen Lama, he added.
The photo exhibition that had a compilation of more than 200 photographs is the result of years of collecting rare pictures of His Holiness the Xth Panchen Lama from various sources, including close aides of the Xth Panchen Lama and books, among others.
The collection of thangka paintings that spans the lives of the Panchen Lamas till the current incarnate included 13 rare 18th century thangka paintings of Phakpa Rabjor and Panchen Palden Yeshe, among others. The most recent thangka painting was one of Panchen Gedhun Choekyi Nyima by acclaimed Tibetan artist Buchung Nubgya.
“I applaud the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery and the Central Association of His Holiness the Panchen Lama as they have very meticulously put together this collection of rare photographs, which I believe will serve to create awareness among the world about the Panchen Lama issue,” Venerable Tsering Phuntsok, the Minister of Religion, Central Tibetan Administration, said.
Also part of the photo exhibition, were a collection of modern paintings by artist Tashi Lodoe. His paintings included one of the Xth Panchen Lama and another depicting the search for the XIth Panchen Lama.
The Tashi Lhunpo Monastery and the Central Association of His Holiness the Panchen Lama will on Dec 30th, 2009 organize a tenshug or long life prayer offering for His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama as part of a ceremony to commemorate 20 years of the passing away of His Holiness the Xth Panchen Lama. This will be followed by a concert in memory of His Holiness the Xth Panchen Lama on Dec 31, 2009.
