Tibetans living in exile in Shimla on Saturday observed the 37th birthday of the 11th Panchen Lama, Gendhun Choekyi Nyima, with prayers, offerings and renewed calls for his release.
The event was organised jointly by Jonang Monastery and the Shimla chapters of the Tibetan Women’s Association and the Tibetan Youth Congress. Monks and members of the Tibetan community gathered at the Dingu Hill prayer site near the monastery to pray for the Panchen Lama’s long life and immediate return.
Tsewang Phuntsok, Chief Representative of the Central Tibetan Administration, said the anniversary carries deep significance for Tibetans and the wider Buddhist world. Born on April 25, 1989, Gendhun Choekyi Nyima was recognised by the Dalai Lama at age six as one of Tibetan Buddhism’s highest spiritual leaders, second only to the Dalai Lama himself.
Phuntsok recalled that the 10th Panchen Lama suffered imprisonment after raising concerns about Tibetan rights, and said that in 1995 Chinese authorities took the 11th Panchen Lama and his family into custody. He noted there has been no reliable information about the boy’s whereabouts or welfare since then, and that the Panchen Lama recognised by the Dalai Lama remains accepted by Tibetan Buddhists worldwide while the Beijing-appointed alternative is not.
He added that Tibetan communities around the world mark the day to promote their culture, language and traditions, and urged the international community, including the United Nations, to send a delegation to Tibet to determine the Panchen Lama’s condition and press for his release along with other political detainees.
Freedom activist Tenzin Nangyal said the occasion matters to Buddhists everywhere and that, despite decades of uncertainty, the community continues to commemorate the birthday symbolically in the hope that future celebrations can include the Panchen Lama himself.
Monastic leaders stressed the Panchen Lama’s cultural and spiritual importance. Acharya Kunga Choephel described him as one of Tibetan Buddhism’s two central spiritual pillars and said prayers are intended to preserve Tibetan religion and culture and to secure the Lama’s return.
According to historical records, Gendhun Choekyi Nyima was born in Lhari village in Nagchu, in the Tibetan Autonomous Region. After the Dalai Lama recognised him in 1995 as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama, Chinese authorities rejected that recognition and installed Gyaincain Norbu. Chinese officials are alleged to have detained Gendhun Choekyi Nyima and his family shortly after, and his whereabouts have remained unknown since, making him one of the world’s longest-unaccounted-for political figures.
The peaceful gathering in Shimla, marked by prayer and reflection, was described by participants as a quiet but determined expression of resistance to religious suppression and a reaffirmation of identity as the Tibetan community continues to press for international attention and action.
