Dalai Lama to visit Ladakh in July after birthday celebrations

The Dalai Lama would visit Ladakh in July this year, following his 90th birthday celebrations in Dharamsala. This would be his first visit to Ladakh in two years. He is expected to stay there for 45 days.

The visit was officially confirmed in a letter issued by the Dalai Lama's office to Tsering Dorje, Chairman of the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA).

According to the letter dated June 21, the Dalai Lama would go to Leh on July 12.

In Ladakh, the Nobel Peace Laureate, would rest for a few days to acclimatise to the region’s high altitude. His itinerary includes several public and private engagements in Leh and surrounding areas.

A tentative visit to Zanskar, a remote and spiritually significant region known for its ancient monasteries and preserved Buddhist heritage, is also on the schedule.

However, specific dates for the Zanskar tour have yet to be finalised by his office.

The LBA has issued a public statement expressing “great joy” on his upcoming visit, noting the enormous spiritual and cultural importance of the Dalai Lama’s presence in the Himalayan region.

The upcoming visit follows the cancellation of a planned visit in July 2024 due to the Dalai Lama’s knee surgery in the United States. In the months following the cancellation, various religious and community leaders in Ladakh actively engaged with the Dalai Lama’s office to renew the invitation.

In October 2024, a high-level delegation comprising Thiksey Rinpoche, Tsering Dorje (LBA), Tsering Angdus of the Ladakh Gonpa Association, and Jigmet Rabtan of the Ladakh Youth Association met with the Dalai Lama at his residence in Dharamsala.

The meeting helped revive the proposal for a 2025 visit.

His teachings during the visit would focus on Buddhist philosophy, universal compassion, and interfaith harmony, values that he has consistently championed across the globe.

Before embarking on his journey to Ladakh, the Dalai Lama would participate in a series of 90th birthday celebrations in Dharamsala. The festivities would begin on June 30 with a public program and long-life offering ceremony at the Tsuglagkhang, the main Tibetan temple in McLeodganj.

The event would be organised by members of the Amdo Province (Dhomey Cholkha). The Dalai Lama originally hails from this province.

On July 5, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) would offer a long-life ceremony on behalf of all Tibetans in exile. The official birthday celebrations will take place the next day, on July 6, with global well-wishers expected to join virtually and in person.