Watch: Dalai Lama at his residence in Leh after arriving on month-long visit
This is the first official tour of the Dalai Lama outside his base in Dharamshala since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
The 14th Dalai Lama, who arrived in Leh on Friday, received a rousing reception. A large number of civilians and monks gathered to accord a warm welcome to the Tibetian spiritual leader. The Dalai Lama arrived at Leh airport in the afternoon as he commenced his Ladakh trip.
He left for Ladakh after a stopover in Jammu where he had arrived on Thursday from his base in Dharamshala.
"The people of Ladakh welcomed the Dalai Lama who is here on around a month-long visit. He announced said that if everything goes well he could also extend his stay in Ladakh," news agency ANI quoted president of the Ladakh Buddhist Association in Leh Thupstan Chhewang as saying.
"India and China are both competitive nations and neighbours, sooner or later you have to solve this problem through talks and peaceful means. The use of military force is outdated," the Dalai Lama said.
The Tibetan spiritual leader is on a two-day official visit to Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh.
This is the first official tour of the Dalai Lama outside his base in Dharamshala since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The visit also marks his first visit to the region since the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
