Arunachal Pradesh hosts Buddhist meeting at Dalai Lama’s first halt during his flight from Tibet in 1959

Zemithang, the first stop of the 14th Dalai Lama during his flight from China-occupied Tibet in 1959, hosted a major Buddhist conference on April 17.

The importance of the place in Tawang district was not lost on some 600 delegates, including Tibetan spiritual leaders, from across India who attended the conference organised by the Indian Himalayan Council of Nalanda Buddhist Tradition (IHCNBT).

India to host two-day international Buddhist conference

“Zemithang, as you might all know, is the last Indian border through which His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama entered India in 1959. Therefore, holding this conference here is significant,” Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said at Gorsam Stupa, where the conference was held.

Zemithang or Zimithang, in the Pangchen Valley, is a village and the last circle headquarters bordering Bhutan and Tibet. The place on the bank of the Nyamjang Chu (river) is about 96 km from Tawang, the district headquarters.

Zemithang means “sand valley” and the people of the area are referred to as Pangchenpa, meaning “people who gave up sin”.

Beijing contests the Zemithang circle’s border with Tibet along the Namka Chu and Sumdorong Chu valleys.

Admitting that while Buddhism has been expanding globally and witnessing an important resurgence in some traditional areas, Mr. Khandu pushed for the need to make it vibrant and connected deeper to Nalanda Buddhism.

“The main pillar on which Nalanda Buddhism stands is the principle of reasoning and analysis. This means we can even bring the teachings of Lord Buddha under the ambit of reasoning and analysis. This logic is based on science and perhaps Buddhism is the only religion that gives its followers this liberty,” he said.

The Chief Minister said Arunachal Pradesh has a big chunk of the Buddhist population and “fortunately, they have kept their culture and traditions safe with religious fervour”.

He underlined the co-existence of diverse faiths in India’s “land of the rising sun”.

“Arunachal Pradesh is not home only to Buddhism but to several religions including those who follow their own indigenous faith. I believe that every religion and faith should flourish and exist peacefully and I am proud the people of Arunachal Pradesh are doing just that,” he said.

Apart from the Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and northern West Bengal, the delegates were from the Densa South India monasteries.