HUBBALLI: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama landed at Hubballi Airport on Friday to begin his 45-day long stay at Mundgod Tibetan Camp. He was received by Dharwad DC Divya Prabhu on behalf of the state government. The Dalai Lama headed to Mundgod Camp by car under tight police security.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has invoked a PAP permit or Protected Area Permit for foreign nationals. Anybody other than Indian visitors have to take prior permission to visit the camp in Mundgod for the next 45 days. Citizens of Nepal and Bhutan have been exempted from this and they can carry the identity cards issued by the government.
“The Tibetan administration and the MHA have implemented strict rules for foreign visitors due to the nature of the visit of the Dalai Lama. He is expected to have high-level meetings with his fellow senior monks and administrative officials from the Tibetan Central Government about his successor. Hence many intelligence agencies globally are closely watching the Dalai Lama’s visit to Mundgod,” sources said.
“The foreign nationals applying for PAP have to mention details of the invitation from the monasteries in Mundgod and the same will be confirmed from the camp before issuing the permit. Though PAPs always existed, this time the MHA has laid down stricter rules,” the sources detailed.
The Dalai Lama will also be interacting with senior Buddhist monks who are in Mundgod, learning and teaching Buddhist higher studies. Digitisation of certain works will also be discussed during his stay in Mundgod.
While Mundgod Camp is home to close to 16,000 Tibetans, Bylakuple in Kodagu houses 60,000 Tibetan population.