WE know him better as the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan community. He was born as Lhamo Dondrub on July 6,1935. Tenzin Gyatso is the shortened version of his religious name.
At the tender age of two, he was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama and was formally enthroned as the 14th Dalai Lama in 1950.
Following China’s invasion of Tibet and the brutal repression of Tibetans in 1959, he fled to India with his retinue. He set up the Tibetan government in exile at Dharamsala.
Loosely translated, ‘Dalai Lama’ means ‘ocean of wisdom’. The title of Dalai Lama was first bestowed by the Mongol ruler Altan Khan on Sonam Gyatso in 1578.