Diplomat Stobdan leaves enduring legacy on Himalayan Buddhism

Ambassador Phunchok Stobdan, who passed away on Sunday, leaves behind a legacy of seminal work on Buddhism in the Himalayas. A vocal advocate of leveraging the “Buddhist Circuit” as a tool of soft power, he often argued that it was among India’s greatest diplomatic assets in Southeast and Central Asia.

Stobdan was one of India’s foremost diplomats with deep expertise in Eurasian affairs and trans-Himalayan issues impacting New Delhi. His work reflected intellectual rigor and a nuanced understanding of Buddhist diplomacy.

He notably served as India’s Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, where he played a key role in strengthening ties with Central Asia—a region he consistently described as vital to India’s strategic “extended neighbourhood.”

After retirement, he was a Senior Fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) and also served with the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS).

His seminal book, ‘The Great Game in the Buddhist Himalayas’ (2019), is regarded as an important reference for scholars. It explores how India and China’s quest for strategic dominance is shaped by historical, strategic, religious, and cultural factors that continue to influence their present-day positions along the Himalayas.

Stobdan questioned India’s existing Tibet policy, arguing that modern Himalayan Buddhism had been significantly shaped by “Tibetanisation,” while Indian Buddhist institutions were increasingly coming under the influence of Tibetan lamas. “Powerful lamas are setting up parallel sectarian networks and infrastructure from Tawang to Ladakh,” he had observed.

He also argued that India was constrained in playing the “Tibet card,” suggesting that the prevailing situation could, in some ways, be more advantageous to China than to India.

Stobdan contended that the Dalai Lama’s arrival in India in 1959 may have aligned with China’s strategic interests, asserting that Beijing allowed him to leave. He drew parallels with the Qing dynasty’s historical use of Tibetan lamas to expand imperial influence.

According to him, India’s own Buddhist traditions rooted in Nalanda and Vikramshila—practised by Sakyas and Vajracharyas—were being allowed to decline.

He warned that the cultural proximity between Himalayan and Tibetan Buddhism could create strategic vulnerabilities for India, particularly in the context of the future reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.

Referring to the ongoing dispute in Ladakh, his book traces its origins to the Tibetan invasion of Ladakh and the takeover of Drukpa monastic lands. He also cited China’s claim over Demchok in southeastern Ladakh as being linked to an assertion made by the Dalai Lama in the 17th century.