More than compassion: How India's backing of Dalai Lama shapes Himalayan geopolitics

First Post

3 days ago

Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama speaks in a video broadcast at the start of the 15th Tibetan Religious Conference, a meeting of religious leaders in McLeod Ganj, near Dharamsala on July 2, 2025. AFP
The morning of July 6, 2025, was rainy and foggy in McLeodganj, Dharamshala, buzzing with an air of celebration. The small town was gearing up to honour the 90th birth anniversary of the Dalai Lama. Prime Minister Narendra Modi heartily congratulated the Dalai Lama, while senior government officials were said to be part of the festivities. This incident seems to have gotten under the skin of the Chinese, with their Foreign Ministry issuing a sharp rebuke to India, saying that India must stop 'meddling' in their internal affairs and acknowledge the 'anti-China separatist' nature of the Dalai Lama. But why should we?
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Buddhism's roots in India date back 2,500 years—ancient spiritual and cultural ties that transcend borders and eras. Tibet's embrace of these ideals created a relationship grounded in far more than mere geography. In 1959, when the 14th Dalai Lama fled Chinese annexation and walked into India through Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, it wasn't just a refugee crisis—it was a reaffirmation of this timeless bond.
Yes, Nehru's decision to grant asylum was controversial, but wise. India framed it as a humanitarian act on its soil. As C.V. Ranganathan, who welcomed the Dalai Lama, later said, 'He has no support from the Indian government in any political activity aimed against China.' Undoubtedly though, this did provide India a soft power anchor in the Himalayas.
Hosting the Dalai Lama empowers India to stand tall as a champion of religious freedom and cultural pluralism—two ancient pillars of the Indian ethos. This moral authority shores up our global reputation. In the tense lead-up to his 90th birthday, there were indications from foreign powers that highlighted this soft power. The US restored $6.8 million in Tibetan aid, emphasising international solidarity. The Bharat-Tibet Sahayog movement in Nagpur strongly rejected China's attempt to 'unilaterally decide' the Dalai Lama's successor. Far from being just ceremonial acts, these events declare: India stands for voice and choice, even while powerful neighbours press vocally against them.
Tibet also remains a strategic buffer between India and China. By supporting this historic bond, New Delhi retains leverage amid rocky diplomatic terrain. The Dalai Lama's recent assertion that his foundation—not Beijing—will choose his successor is a direct challenge to Chinese claims. Kiren Rijiju's endorsement drew a stinging response from Beijing: 'Choose words carefully,' they warned. This riposte matters. It means India's voice is being heard—and heard loudly.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Of course, the Dalai Lama's flight to India accelerated a timeline by making the Chinese more paranoid of Indian intentions. Delhi is, of course, playing humanitarian host—but also displaying strategic depth.
Post-2020 border skirmishes in Galwan and Ladakh exposed China's will to test India's defences. In that context, supporting the Dalai Lama sends India's border communities a powerful message: India won't back down from symbolic or spiritual stakes near that frontier. The resurgence of Tibetan identity in Dharamshala—monasteries reopened, schools reorganized—is cultural revival. But it has also become a geopolitical statement projected from India's hill states. And when Washington's bipartisan delegation meets with the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala, that too echoes across Indian foreign policy.
There is the burning impending question: who will follow the current Dalai Lama? China has invoked the 'Golden Urn'—a Qing-era procedure—to claim legal authority. Yet, the Dalai Lama's office has made it clear: traditional monks, not Beijing officials, will choose the next incarnation. India's support of that position adds institutional weight. In case a Beijing-approved 'false Dalai Lama' emerges, India becomes the host and promoter of the genuine lineage in the eyes of many Buddhists and nations alike. That religious legitimacy is a potent form of influence—far beyond conventional diplomacy.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
India's embrace of Tibetan culture boosts its Buddhist soft power. The Dalai Lama is a global icon of peace and mindfulness, and his presence anchors India within that narrative. Institutions like the Central University of Tibetan Studies in Varanasi, co-founded by Nehru and the Dalai Lama, advance academic and spiritual scholarship on Indo-Tibet traditions. Dharamshala continues to serve as a pilgrimage magnet, attracting students, historians, monks, and tourists—synergising cultural heritage with diplomatic outreach.
India is home to around 85,000 Tibetan exiles, across states such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Karnataka. New Delhi's consistent funding of refugee schools, legal status, and cultural preservation further cements friendship and loyalty among these communities. This integration breeds loyalty, not resentment. During a time when India prudently restricts Chinese influence across local supply chains and infrastructure projects, a Tibetan presence rooted in Indian soil acts as a perfect counterbalance.
Of course, critics are in their own way correct to say that India's economic ties with China are vital. India cannot alienate Beijing while supporting the Dalai Lama. However, India's policy does not reject business—it only seeks to safeguard sovereignty. Not an exclusion, but a calibration, if one can think of it that way. China can be successfully countered in the Himalayas and in the Indian Ocean while trading with China at the same time. India's playbook will naturally seek to blend strategic resilience with economic pragmatism—balancing soft power influence with trade realities.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
India's support for the Dalai Lama is far beyond any act of sentimentalism or nostalgia. It is also sophisticated statecraft. It preserves a civilisational legacy, strengthens moral leverage, secures Himalayan strategy, and signals to the world that India will not shrink from symbolic stakes. Yes, Beijing pushes back. Yes, economic costs exist. However, India continues to choose principles backed by strategic calculus. It hosts the spiritual as a bulwark for the geopolitical. Each prayer in Dharamshala, while nurturing the Buddhist nucleus, also echoes across policy circles in New Delhi, Beijing, Tokyo, and Washington.
Support for the Dalai Lama affirms India's commitment to values and its enduring resolve in geopolitics. This is not simply wishful idealism, but also a way of redrawing influence in the Himalayas.
The author is a freelance journalist and features writer based out of Delhi. Her main areas of focus are politics, social issues, climate change and lifestyle-related topics. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD