Hundreds of mostly exiled Tibetans celebrate the Dalai Lama's 89th birthday in India's Dharamshala

Hundreds of mostly exiled Tibetans celebrate the Dalai Lama’s 89th birthday in India’s Dharamshala

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Tsering Dolma, a school girl, gets ready to perform a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

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Two boys in a traditional costumes wait for their turn to perform a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

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Exiled Tibetan school girls in a traditional costumes eat cakes and sweets as they wait to perform a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

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A band from the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts plays at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

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A volunteer distributes Indian sweets to exile Tibetan Buddhist nuns at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

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Exiled Tibetan school children and volunteers put cakes on paper plates before distributing them to a gathering at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

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Exiled Tibetans in a ceremonial outfits eat cakes as they wait to perform a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

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Exiled Tibetan children in ceremonial outfits look on from a balcony as they wait to perform a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

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A young exiled Tibetan girl gets her lips painted by her teacher before she performs a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

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Exiled Tibetans watch a cultural performance from a balcony at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

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Exiled Tibetans sit in front of a large Tibetan flag at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

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Exile Tibetans in a ceremonial dress perform a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

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A large cake sits on a decorated table as Tibetan and Indian officials stand for their national anthems at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

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Exiled Tibetan children in ceremonial outfits wait to perform a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

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An exiled Tibetan applies eyeliner to another as they wait to perform a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

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Exiled Tibetans in ceremonial outfits wait to perform a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

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Exiled Tibetan monks carry ceremonial offerings at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

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An exiled Tibetan wears an amulet with a portrait of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama before he performs a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of the spiritual leader at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

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Penpa Tsering, President of Central Tibetan Administration, right, pays his respects in front of a ceremonial chair of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of the spiritual leader at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

By ASHWINI BHATIA

DHARAMSHALA, India (AP) — Hundreds of mostly exiled Tibetans gathered in India’s hillside town of Dharamshala to celebrate the birthday of the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, who turned 89 on Saturday.

The Dalai Lama has made the hillside town his headquarters since fleeing Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. Representatives of a Tibetan government-in-exile also reside there.

The main celebrations took place in Tsuglagkhang temple inside the complex where the spiritual leader lives. Tibetan and Buddhist flags adorned poles and railings.

A volunteer distributed Indian sweets to exiled Tibetan Buddhist nuns as teachers helped children with their make-up as they prepared to perform traditional dances.

While a colorful three-tiered cake was cut inside the temple, schoolchildren sang: “Happy Birthday His Holiness.”

Artists from the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, dressed in traditional attire, played the drums and some marched with bagpipes inside the complex, drawing cheers and applause from the crowd. Then, Indian and Tibetan flags were hoisted, as the band played the two national anthems.

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Tibetan and Indian officials sat on a slightly raised platform as photos of the Dalai Lama, some from his childhood, hung on pillars around them.

The Dalai Lama, however, wasn’t present. He is currently in the U.S. where he has undergone a knee replacement, according to his secretary.

Addressing the gathering on Saturday, Penpa Tsering, the president of the Tibetan government-in-exile, announced that several events commemorating the Dalai Lama’s achievements would be held throughout the year.

China doesn’t recognize the exiled Tibetan government and hasn’t held any dialogue with the representatives of the Dalai Lama since 2010.

Last month, a group of bipartisan U.S. lawmakers met with the Dalai Lama at his Dharamshala residence, sparking anger from China which views the exiled leader of Tibetan Buddhism as a dangerous separatist.

The Dalai Lama denies being a separatist and says he only advocates substantial autonomy and protection of Tibet’s native Buddhist culture.

India considers Tibet to be part of China, though it hosts Tibetan exiles.