The Grand Buddhist Dharma procession has arrived at Buddha Peace Park in Bomdila, West Kameng district, as part of the year-long ‘Year of Compassion’ celebrations dedicated to the 90th birth anniversary of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. The procession, organised by the Monyul Sherab Sangpo Society (MSSS), began on Wednesday from the seven-century-old Lhagyala monastery, the birthplace of the legendary queen Khandro Drowa Sangmo. Devotees dressed in traditional attire welcomed the procession, which carried a statue of the 14th Dalai Lama, and joined in mass prayers seeking his longevity and well-being.
The objectives of the procession are to promote the universal guiding principles of the Dalai Lama, including compassion, peace, environmental conservation, and universal brotherhood, according to MSSS president Geshe Thupten Kunphen. He further emphasized the importance of promoting and adopting the Bhoti language, the language of the community’s spiritual values, in daily life. The procession will pass through several locations, covering over 250 km, before culminating in Tawang on 12 July.
It will also traverse part of the route taken by the Dalai Lama during his historic journey to India while escaping Tibet in 1959. At every stopover, devotees will offer special prayers for the good health, long life, and continued guidance of His Holiness, whom they revere as a living Buddha. The event was attended by several dignitaries, including Thrizino-Buragaon MLA Tenzin Nyima Glow, West Kameng ZPC Phurba Droima, ADC (HQ) Ashok Tajo, SP Dr DW Thongon, and Bomdila Buddhist Society secretary Dr Dechin Droka.
