Dharamshala — The Tibet-Himalayan Relations Conference inaugurated in Dharamsala with over 80 participants from Bhutan, Nepal, India and Tibet. Scholars and representatives from the Ladakh, Monyul, Sikkim and Sharpa will discuss their history and relations with Tibet. The Sikyong said, 'This conference focuses on the historical, cultural and commercial relations between the Himalayan states and Tibet, and aims to promote better mutual understanding.'
The Tibet-Himalayan Relations Conference inaugurated in Dharamsala with over 80 participants from Bhutan, Nepal, India, and Tibet. The conference is organised by the Tibet Policy Institute, the Dalai Lama Institute for Higher Education, Sara College for Higher Tibetan Studies and the Monlam Charitable Trust. It runs from 3 to 7 September 2025 at the Sikyong Hall, CTA, Gangkyi, Dharamshala, HP, India. Sikyong Penpa Tsering attended the inauguration as the chief guest, and Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel attended as a special guest, along with experts from the Himalayan region.
Tempa Gyaltsen Zamlha, Deputy Director of the TPI, chaired the conference and welcomed the participants. The opening address was delivered by Secretary Dawa Tsering, Director of the TPI, he highlighted the shared religious and cultural heritage of Tibet and Himalayan communities, stating that such meetings are essential for stakeholders to discuss their common past and collective heritage.
Sikyong addressed the gathering by saying, "This conference will discuss the historical, cultural and commercial relations between the Himalayan states and Tibet, and will seek to better understand how each of us has influenced and interacted with the others over the centuries. It will also examine how we have managed to maintain peaceful relations among ourselves through our very strong cultural ties. It was only because of the occupation of Tibet by Communist China in the 1950s that things changed, and this too must be known to the whole world."
Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel then addressed the conference and emphasised that Tibet had a history dating back more than 2,000 years, since the birth of the Tibetan Empire, with remarkable developments in the political, cultural and religious spheres in the 7th century under the reigns of Kings Songtsen Gampo and Trisong Detsen. He highlighted the significant expansion of Tibetan territory beyond its three traditional provinces, as evidenced by historical sources.
"However, today Tibet remains under Chinese occupation. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, along with thousands of Tibetans, live in exile, and the Central Tibetan Administration has been established in India with the support of the Indian government and people. Despite the absence of physical authority, Tibetans in the three provinces, with the blessing of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, continue to share a strong sense of belonging and unity, which he has emphasised as being paramount," the Speaker added.
The five-day conference will cover the Genealogy of the Choegyal Lineage of Ladakh, the Genealogy of Depon Lhagyari of Tibet, the Lhasay Tsangma Lineage in Monyul, the Preservation and Continuity of Bhutan's Heritage: The Role of the Central Monastic Body (Zhung Dratshang), Tibet and Himalaya: Many Million Years Together Geotectonic and Geographical to Socia Cultural and Economic Relationship and Tibet's Relations with the Himalaya in History. Among the academics and experts who will present their work are Chosgyal Jigmed Wangchuk Namgyal, Ladakh, MP Lhagyari Namgyal Dolkar, Mr Leki Phuntso, Ashi Kesang Choden T, Professor Jampa Samten, Mr Tshering Tenzin, Mr Ngawang Tenzin, Professor Shekhar Pathak, Professor Siddiq Wahid, etc.
