China has had a rather coloured history with human rights violations and Tibet is the biggest example of that. One thing that they did not account for was a man called Gyalwa Rinpoche, or as the world would come to know him as the 14th Dalai Lama.

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The Dalai Lama has had a rather contentious relationship with China for a number of reasons. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the Chinese military would have obliterated Tibet had it not been for India. In fact, the Chinese government has often described the Dalai Lama as a “Devil” & “A wolf In monk’s robes.”

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Here are some factoids about China & The Dalai Lama’s contentious relationship & how India plays a role in it.

1. China’s Travesty In Tibet

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China invaded Tibet in around 1950-1951, and established a militaristic colony in the region. Ibet is a resource rich country, and China being China, wanted their resources. Following this, the Chinese Army started treating the locals in the most inhumane way. Randomly arresting people off the streets, banning public gatherings arbitrarily - these became a very common day to day occurrence in Tibet. There were also several reports of military authorised rape and murders in Tibet. There are numerous reports about thousands of Tibetans being killed arbitrarily by the Chinese military.

2. China Wiping Out An Entire Culture

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China also interfered in the cultural practices of the people of Tibet. Firstly, they wanted the people of Tibet to learn China’s history as the “national history.” They also wanted to impose Mandarin as the official language in the region, not taking into account that Tibet is made up of a number of tribes that have their own languages and customs. Even religious practices became an issue.

3. China Interfering With Religious Practices

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Most of the people in Tibet follow a very specific kind of Buddhism. The Chinese government also started interfering with the religious practices of the Tibetan people. The Dalai Lama & The Panchen Lama the two supreme Lamas or scholars of Tibetan Buddhism are not just mere religious leaders. They hold a lot of political influence as well. This certainly did not sit well with the Chinese authorities, and so, they tried arresting The 14th Dalai Lama. Since their invasion many temples and monasteries have been destroyed by the Chinese Army

4. The Dalai Lama Escaping To India

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In 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama, fled the Chinese authorities and went into exile in India. India also took in a lot of refugees from the region of Tibet. All this was happening in the middle of heavy bombing and artillery fire in Lhasa, Tibet’s capital. 

5. India Protecting The Dalai Lama

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Once the Chinese authorities discovered that the Dalai Lama and his retinue had successfully crossed into India, they demanded that he be returned to China. At this point of time, India was recognising Tibet as an independent nation, but later on, over the years, we have come to recognise Tibet as a territory under the rule of China. The Government of India has allocated land to the exiled community to settle in India.

6. China’s Dirty Trick

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One of these practices that the people of Tibet follow, is selecting the Dalai Lama & The Panchen Lama. Traditionally, The Dalai Lama selects someone who the lamas of Tibet believe is the reincarnation of the first Panchen Lama, or the great scholar. Once the Dalai Lama dies, the Panchen Lama is tasked with finding the next Dalai Lama, and so the cycle continues. 

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Chinese officials actually kidnapped a 6-year-old boy named Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, a 6 years old, merely days after he was recognised by the Tibetan people as the 11th Panchen Lama, and instead placed another boy, from the heartlands of China, as the Panchen Lama. He has never been seen by anyone, ever since.

The bottom line…

The Dalai Lama is ageing, and people have already started discussing his successor. The Dalai Lama believes that there is a very good chance that he may be the last Dalai Lama ever. But because of how messy the situation is, and the fact that the elected Tibetan government, also called the Central Tibetan Administration, is based out of Dharamshala, India, there is a strong possibility that the next Dalai Lama, maybe born in India.

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