Himalayan Times (1954)

January 31, 1954

A car for the panchen

LAMA s

Kalimpong, Jan. 28
Never in its long history
has the Tashiihirmpo mo-
nastery heard the din of
motor car. Indeed manv
uf the inhabitant of Shi-
gatse, Tilut's aecond city
» here the great monastery
is. have n»ver se*n a car,
nor expect-d to find one
on their ancient streets.
Bat receutly restored to
the Tashilhumpo amid ge-
neral rejoicing is the Pan-
chen Lama, reincarnation
cf the Dhvani Budha. and
after the Da'ai Lnma, the
most important figure in
tl.e upritual life of Tibet.

The 16-year old Panchen
Lama, wise and intelligent
ftu beyond his rears, hn-s
nevcrtl.eless a normal boy's
desires, and one of thfni
has been to have a err
of his own. So now in
Indii j on a special mission
is a high rnnkjrg repre-.
sentht ve of H>« Holiness
'he P.nch«n L«ma. Hi*
in la on it ro receive on
behitlf rf Hia Holiness* ear
prewnlrd by the Peking
Government and shipped
to Csli utta from Hongkong
where it was piirehssel.
The car, a new Hnmber,
haa ore rely special o«a
Hi\. It is painted vePow
in conformity with ' the
rebgious order to which
His Holin.'ss belong'

A specially selected drtv
• er has already left wnh
the car ft>r Kalimpong,

where it will be carefully
dismanted and carried piece
by piece into Tibet by
relays of coolies. Carrying
most of the parts will
present little difficulty, but
the chassis poses a prob-
lem and will requT • some
20 coolies to carry :t alone.
When one considers the
formidable teirain and high
snowbound passes oyer
which the enr will be car-
ried on its 20 days march
to Shigatse from Kalim-.
pong, the difficulties of the
undertaking cm readi'y
be realized.

Once in Rhigatse the car
will be expertlv reassem-
bled, and will await ,the-
command of His-Holiness
the Panchen Lama.

This is pot the first car
to b<- taken into Tib«t.
The Palai Lama possefS'S
more than ore car and a
jeep. Petrol and oil for
these cars are regula'ly
carried into Tibet by cara-
van from India.

And so in future when
the: drums boom and- the
trumpet wail.fr-m the hiah
walls, of the Tahshilhi'mpo'
monastery announcing that
li s Ho'iness will' pass ifi
orocession, the peoole of
Sliigatse: will see their
divine ruler, clothed in the.
yellow robes of -his office-,
pa-s by on a rooderD cha-
riot surrounded by the
mediaeval pomp and; pa-
geritry cf ancient Tibet,

N,ine

,C. .

FOOD SCAREC1TY FOR

LAMAS

Clashes at Chamdo

Kalimpong Jan. 28

Wide spread clashes
between the Lamas of
Chamdo in Eastern Tibet
and the Chinese authori-
ties there are' reported by
travellers coming here from

Tibet ii ' a result of food

searecity . and insufficient
food supplies to monaste-
ries in T'bet According
to these sources the Lamas
of different monasteries
near about Chamdo have
not been getting free
supplies of food, as they
got previously, and on
demanding these of the
t hinese authorities recently
they have 'been asked 'to
give up their robes' and
to work as members of
the Liberation Army be-
fore any food supply could
be assured. This was too
much for the Lamas who
have revolted and on their
trying to'obtain. Supplies

'by" force, -from; Chinese
liice Godowns clashes have
oecured and sections ■ of
Chinese troops sent back

. from Tibet recently to
China for food searecity
in Tibet have been recalled
to take charge of situ ition
at Chamdo

C'ashes are reported
to be continuing and a
few casualties are said to
have oecured.

fUrtJEcLING RiDIO CO., DARJStLlNG the pioneer radio concern of Darjeeliag district.