Discovery, Recognition and Enthronement of the 14th Dalai Lama

132 Pages·2000·7.442 MB·English

by  Khemy Sonam Wangdu, Sir Basil J Gould, Hugh E Richardson

Discovery, Recognition and
Enthronement of the 14th Dalai Lama

Discovery, Recognition
and Enthronement of the
14th Dalai Lama
A Collection of Accounts
by
Khemey Sonam Wangdu
J.
Sir Basil Gould
Hugh E. Richardson
LIBRARY OF TIBETAN WORKS & ARCHIVES
© 2000 Library ofTibetan Works & Archives
Part II: Discovery, Recognition and Installation oft he Fourteenth Dalai
Lama: Transcripts from Crown copyright documents in Oriental and
India Office Collections of the British Library appear by.permission of
Her
the Controller of Majesty's Stationery Office.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior
permission of the copyright owner. All enquiries should be addressed
to the publisher.
ISBN: 81-86470-28-X
Published by the Library ofTibetan Works & Archives, Dharamsala,
H.P. (India), and printed at lndraprastha Press (C:.l3T), Nehru House,
4, Bahadurshah Z~far Marg, New Delhi-11 0002
Dedicated to
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
on the occassion of 60th anniversary of His
enthronement and 50th anniversary of His assuming
political power ofTibet.

Publisher's Note
We are happy to present this anthology on the Discovery, Recognition
and Enthronement oft he 14th Dalai Lama on the occasion of the sixtieth
anniversary of the enthronement ofH.H. the 14th Dalai Lama and on
the fiftieth anniversary of his assuming political power.
The first part, Discovery of the Dalai Lama, is an eye witness ac
count by Khemey Sonam Wangdu, who was a civil servant of the
Government ofTibet and assistant to the officer who led the search
party to the Amdo region.
The second part Report on the Discovery, Recognition andEnthrone
ment of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama is a report by Sir Basil J. Gould
printed by the GQvernment of India Press, New Delhi in 1941. Sir
Basil J. Gould was Political Officer in Sikk.im (1935-1945) and was a
British delegate at the enthronement ceremony of His Holiness the
14th Dalai Lama in 1940 in Lhasa, Tibet, representing His Majesty's
Government and His Excellency the Viceroy of India.
The third part Tibetan Lamas in Ulestern Eyes was written by Hugh
E. Richardson. Hugh E. Richardson is one of the world's leading
authorities on Tibet, her history and culture. He lived in Lhasa for nine
years between 1936-1950, heading the British and later the Indian
Mission there.
It is hoped that these eye witness accounts will give a clear picture
of the traditional methods followed in discovering the 14th Dalai Lama
ofTibet and of the actual events which took place during that dme.
We would like to thank Ms. Jane Perkins and Prof. Michael Futrell
for going through the first part, Discovery oft he Dalai Lama.
Publication Department
Library ofTibetan Works & Archives
Dharamsala, India
December 2000

Contents
Part One: Discovery of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama: An
Eye Witness Account 1
Prologue 2
Death of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama and Appointment
of a Regent 3
Starting the Search 9
The Journey to A mdo 11
Search and Discovery 15
Governor Ma's Demands 22
The Journey to Lhasa 35
Part Two: Discovery, Recognition and Installation of the
·Fourteenth Dalai Lama 53
Tibet and the Tibetans 55
The Government ofTibet 57
The Dalai Lamas 59
Death of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama 60
TheTashi Lama 61
Signs and Portents 62
The Wise Men Set Out 63
Arrival of the New Dalai Lama 64
The Real Facts of the Discovery 66
Ransom 69
The Fourteenth Dalai Lama 70
The Return to the Throne 71
The Chinese Delegation 73
The British Delegation 74
Tibetan Ceremonial 75
Driving out the Old Year 76
New Year's Day 77
Visit to the Dalai Lama 77
viii Discovery, Recognition and Enthronement oft he 14th Dalai Lama
Other Visits 80
The Dalai Lama's Family 81
The Holy Walk 82
Entry of the Dalai Lama into the Potala 82
The Procession 84
The Ser-Thri-Nga-Sol 85
The First Day 87
The Ceremony 89
Gift's from England and India 92
New Year Ceremonies 96
About the Dalai Lama 98
Part Three: Tibetan Lamas in Western Eyes 103
Tibetan Lamas in Western Eyes 105