(TibetanReview.net, Sep04’25) – A Tibet-Himalaya Relations Conference is being held in Dharamshala from Sep 3 to 7 to bring together a host of Himalayan communities to enable them to connect with each other through discussions, cultural shows, and other interactions.
Hosted by the Tibet Policy Institute (TPI), the Think Tank of the Central Tibetan Administration, the programme is being jointly organised by it with the Dalai Lama Institute for Higher Education (Bengaluru), the College for Higher Tibetan Studies (Sarah), and the Monlam Charitable Trust.
The participants include royal lineage holders from across the Himalayan communities, scholars, and around 30 students from Himalayan regions. Although more than 120 participants were expected, representatives from Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur districts of Himachal Pradesh could not made it to the inaugural event due to road disruptions caused by recent incessant downpours which washed away roads and bridges.
Expectations are that those unable to make it to the inaugural event will be able to catch up later on.
In his opening remarks, Dawa Tsering, Director of the TPI, has highlighted the shared religious and cultural heritage between Tibet and Himalayan communities, saying such a gathering was crucial for stakeholders to discuss their common past and collective heritage.
In his remarks, the chief guest, Sikyong Penpa Tsering, has said, “This conference deals with the historical relationship, cultural relationship, and commercial relationship between the Himalayan states and Tibet, and try to get a better understanding of how each one of us influenced each other and interacted with each other over the centuries. And how we managed to keep our relationships at peace with each other because of our very strong cultural relationship. So only because of the occupation of Tibet by communist China in 1950s things changed, and that also needs to be known to the world.”
In a written message to the gathering, the Dalai Lama has said the conference was significant in view of China’s attempts to erase the Tibetan linguistic, cultural, and historical identity, which encompasses the centuries-old, interlinked histories of Tibet, Bhutan, and India.
He has urged the scholars, lineage-holders, lamas, and royal descendants from Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and the wider Himalayan regions to dedicate their efforts toward preserving their shared heritage.