TAWANG, 2 Dec: A major international conference on the Cultural and Historical Significance of His Holiness the Sixth Dalai Lama Gyalwa Tsangyang Gyatso will take place from December 3-6 here in Tawang district, to critically examine his profound and multifaceted legacy. Tawang is the birthplace of His Holiness the Sixth Dalai Lama, Gyalwa Tsangyang Gyatso.
Hosted by a coalition of academic and governmental bodies, the event aims to restore scholarly attention to a figure whose life and works fundamentally challenge conventional paradigms of religious and political authority in Tibetan history.
Despite his singular circumstances, Tsangyang Gyatso left behind a treasured body of lyrical verse. Composed primarily in vernacular Tibetan, his poems articulate universal themes of impermanence, exile, and spiritual yearning, resonating across centuries and cultures. A central effort of the conference will be to compile and critically examine his extant writings to affirm the poetic and philosophical dimensions of his legacy.
“Gyalwa Tsangyang Gyatso’s life was a bridge between the spiritual and the secular, and his poetry is a testament to the enduring power of human expression amidst historical turmoil,” said a representative from the Thubten Shedrubling Foundation, one of the organizing partners. “This conference reaffirms Tawang’s vital role not just as his birthplace, but as a central locus of trans-Himalayan Buddhist heritage and intellectual inquiry.”
The four-day conference will bring together researchers specializing in Tibetan literature, Buddhist studies, history, and anthropology from institutions across India and around the world, making it a truly interdisciplinary platform.
With the inaugural address to be delivered by Chief Patron of the conference, Chief Minister Pema Khandu at Kalawangpo Convention Hall on 3 December, distinguished international participating institutions include Florida State University, University of Virginia, University of Michigan, and Harvard University from USA and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem from Israel.
Prominent Indian and Tibetan Institutions includes the office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama (Dharamsala), Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (Sarnath), Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (Dharamsala), Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro Institute (Bir), Thubten Shedrubling Foundation and the Rikya SertoklingInstitute (Tawang).
The conference will be addressed by key speakers and presenters from across the globe, such as Sangseraima Ujeed (Assistant Professor of Tibetan Buddhism, University of Michigan, US), Geshe Lhakdor (Director of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala), Dr. Alexander Zorin (Researcher and lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem) and Geshe T. Yarphel (Chief Tibetan Editor of the Collected Works on Dalai Lama), among others.
The keynote address will be delivered by Venerable Yangteng Rinpoche, Eminent Scholar and Secretary of the office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
During the four days of event, tribute performances are also to be presented by Loten Namling, Switzerland, Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, Dharamshala and Monpa Institute of Performing Arts, Tawang
The conference is being organized by the Department of Karmik and Adhyatmik Affairs, (GoAP), the Thubten Shedrubling Foundation, and the Center for Cultural Research and Documentation (CCRD).
