The 14^th Dalai Lama

Event (Tibetan Calendar Date)

Thirteenth Dalai Lama Passes Away in Lhasa at the age of 57 (Water-Bird Year, 10th month, 30th day)

Born in Taktser, Amdo, Tibet (Wood-Pig Year, 5th month, 5th day)

Departs Amdo for three-month journey to Lhasa

Public Declaration of the Official Recognition of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama near town of Bumchen

Enters Lhasa after three-month journey from Amdo (Earth-Hare Year, 8th month, 25th day)

Enthronement Ceremony (Iron-Dragon Year, 1st month, 14th day)

Begins monastic education at the age of five

Receives Vows of Novice Monk from Taktra Rinpoche (1st month, 10th day)

Assumes full temporal (political) power after China's invasion of Tibet in 1949 (Iron-Tiger Year, 10th month, 11th day)

Departs Lhasa for Dromo because of Chinese threat

Resides in Dromo (Yatung)

17-Point Agreement signed by Tibetan delegation in Peking under duress

Chinese delegation led by General Chiang Chin-wu, newly appointed Commissioner and Administrator of Civil and Military Affairs of Tibet, meets with His Holiness in Dromo (Yatung)

Departs Dromo (Yatung) for Lhasa (Iron-Hare Year, 5th month, 17th day)

Arrives Lhasa from Dromo (Iron-Hare Year, 6th month, 13th day)

Receives Gelong Ordination from Ling Rinpoche (Wood-Horse Year, 1st month, 15th day)

Confers 1st Kalachakra Initiation in Norbulingka Palace, Lhasa.

Visits China for peace talks and meets with Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders, including Chou En-Lai, Chu Teh and Deng Xiaoping

Visits India to participate in 2500th Buddha Jayanti celebrations

Receives Geshe Lharampa Degree during Monlam Ceremonies in Lhasa (Earth-Pig Year, 1st month, 13th day)

Tens of thousands of Tibetans gathered in front of Norbulingka Palace, Lhasa to prevent His Holiness from going to a performance at the Chinese Army Camp in Lhasa. Tibetan People's Uprising begins in Lhasa.

Artillery Shells fired from Chinese troops land outside Norbulingka Palace

Escapes at night from Norbulingka Palace in Lhasa

Tibetan Government formally reestablished at Lhudup Dzong. 17-Point Agreeement formally repudiated by Tibetan Government.

Enters India from Tibet after a 14-day harrowing escape

Hold international press conference and formally repudiates the 17-Point Agreement

Arrives Mussoorie and resides at Birla House

Arrives in Dharamsala to take up residence at Swarg Ashram

Presents a draft democratic constitution for Tibet. First exile Tibetan Parliament (Assembly of Tibetan People's Deputies) established in Dharamsala.

First visits abroad (since coming into exile) to Japan and Thailand

Moves residence from Swarg Ashram to present day Thekchen Choeling (Byrne Estate)

First visit to the West (Italy, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, UK, West Germany & Austria)

First contact with the Government of the People's Republic of China established since coming into exile in 1959

Delivers historic Five Point Peace Plan for Tibet in Washington, D.C. to members of the U.S. Congress

Delivers historic Strasbourg Proposal for Tibet in Strasbourg, France to members of the European Parliament

Awarded the 1989 Nobel Prize for Peace in Oslo, Norway

Initiates a number of additional major democratic steps, including the direct elections of Kalons (Ministers) by the Assembly of Tibetan People's Deputies and the establishment of a judiciary branch. Previously Kalons appointed directly by His Holiness.

First direct democratic elections held by the Tibetan people for the post of Kalon Tripa (Senior Minister) in the history of Tibet

On March 14 His Holiness the Dalai Lama sends a letter to the Assembly of Tibetan People's Deputies (Tibetan Parliament in exile) requesting them to devolve his temporal power. On May 29 His Holiness signs into law the formal transfer of his temporal power to the democratically elected leader. This brings to an end the 368-year old tradition of the Dalai Lamas being both spiritual and temporal head of Tibet.