CM highlights immense cultural significance of His Holiness Tsangyang Gyatso
ITANAGAR, 3 Dec: Addressing an event on the Sixth Dalai Lama in Tawang, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said that the people are unaware of the historical significance of his life or the cultural and literary legacy he has left behind.
“The cultural significance of His Holiness Tsangyang Gyatso is immense, particularly for the people of Arunachal Pradesh and the entire Himalayan belt, and yet when we look around us, we do not see the vibrancy of his legacy in the land of his birth. Yes, we are a little aware of his life and the songs that he has written. But the community in general even today is not significantly aware of the historical significance of the life of Tsanyang Gyatso, nor much even of the cultural and literary legacy he has left behind,” the chief minister said.
Pema Khandu said this while inaugurating the international conference on the Cultural and Historical Significance of His Holiness the Sixth Dalai Lama Gyalwa Tsangyang Gyatso in Tawang, the birthplace of His Holiness the Sixth Dalai Lama, Gyalwa Tsangyang Gyatso. “Tawang, as many of you know, is not just the tranquil home of monasteries and faith but is also the esteemed birthplace of the Sixth Dalai Lama His Holiness Tsangyang Gyatso. This sacred connection endows this conference with greater meaning, as we gather to reflect upon a towering figure whose extraordinary life traversed the realms of spirituality, poetry, and tumultuous political drama,” the chief minister said.
The keynote address was delivered by Venerable Yangteng Rinpoche, Eminent Scholar and Secretary, Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The day also saw tribute performances by the 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, Arunachal Pradesh, the Thubten Shedrubling Foundation, and the Center for Cultural Research and Documentation (CCRD).
“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 transHimalayan Buddhist heritage and intellectual inquiry.”
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.
Venerable Tulku Tenzin Gyurmey Rinpoche of the Thubten Shedrubling Foundation, Tawang in his introduction to the event said that the symposium will help collate the works of the 6th Dalai Lama which is spread across the world.
