As the Dalai Lama turns 90, photos show the global arc of his life
In this combination of six photographs taken May 7, 2010, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama reacts during an interview with the Associated Press in Dharamsala, India. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer, File)
DHARAMSHALA, India (AP) — The Dalai Lama is revered as a deity by millions of Tibetan Buddhists and known worldwide as a resolute voice for peace, spirituality and Tibet ’s autonomy. He is also seen as a threat by China, which accuses him of wanting to wrest Tibet from Beijing’s control.
As the spiritual and political leader of Tibetan Buddhists, he established a government-in-exile in the Indian town of Dharamshala after fleeing Tibet in 1959. Since then he has traveled the world to raise the issue of Tibet and Tibetans, while spreading a message of nonviolence.
He has met world leaders and celebrities, from the likes of fellow Nobel Peace Prize winners Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu to multiple U.S. presidents, popes and Hollywood stars.
Television talk show host Tom Snyder, left, shares a joke with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama during the taping of NBC’s The Tomorrow Show in New York, Sept. 5, 1979. (AP Photo/Dan Grossi, File)
Television talk show host Tom Snyder, left, shares a joke with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama during the taping of NBC’s The Tomorrow Show in New York, Sept. 5, 1979. (AP Photo/Dan Grossi, File)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, center, is flanked by actor and activist Richard Gere, left, and model and actress Cindy Crawford, at a dinner to benefit the American Himalayan Foundation at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Ca., Sept. 17, 1993. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, center, is flanked by actor and activist Richard Gere, left, and model and actress Cindy Crawford, at a dinner to benefit the American Himalayan Foundation at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Ca., Sept. 17, 1993. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)
Pope John Paul II, left, meets with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Vatican Nunciature, embassy in Vatican City on Feb. 2, 1986. (AP Photo/Arturo Mari, File)
Pope John Paul II, left, meets with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Vatican Nunciature, embassy in Vatican City on Feb. 2, 1986. (AP Photo/Arturo Mari, File)
President George Bush, left, and Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama look up in the Capitol Rotunda on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 17, 2007, during the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony honoring The Dalai Lama. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
President George Bush, left, and Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama look up in the Capitol Rotunda on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 17, 2007, during the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony honoring The Dalai Lama. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
Mother Teresa of Calcutta, right, meets with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, at the Global Survival Conference in Oxford, England, April 12, 1988. (AP Photo/Dave Caulkin, File)
Mother Teresa of Calcutta, right, meets with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, at the Global Survival Conference in Oxford, England, April 12, 1988. (AP Photo/Dave Caulkin, File)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, left, walks hand-in-hand with South African President Nelson Mandela prior to an official reception at the presidential office in Cape Town, August 22, 1996. (AP Photo/Sasa Kralj, File)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, left, walks hand-in-hand with South African President Nelson Mandela prior to an official reception at the presidential office in Cape Town, August 22, 1996. (AP Photo/Sasa Kralj, File)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, left, displays the Nobel Peace Prize after receiving it from Egil Aarvik, Chairman of the Nobel Committee, at Oslo University’s Avla Hall in Norway, Dec. 10, 1989. (AP Photo/Pool, Norwegian News Agency, Inge Gjellesvik, File)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, left, displays the Nobel Peace Prize after receiving it from Egil Aarvik, Chairman of the Nobel Committee, at Oslo University’s Avla Hall in Norway, Dec. 10, 1989. (AP Photo/Pool, Norwegian News Agency, Inge Gjellesvik, File)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. touches heads with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, right, who received the first Lantos Human Rights Prize named for the late California Rep. Tom Lantos on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg, File)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. touches heads with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, right, who received the first Lantos Human Rights Prize named for the late California Rep. Tom Lantos on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg, File)
Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Polish President Lech Walesa, left, and fellow laureates Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, center, and Adolfo Perez Esquivel greet each other in Gdansk, Poland, Dec. 5, 2008. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, File)
Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Polish President Lech Walesa, left, and fellow laureates Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, center, and Adolfo Perez Esquivel greet each other in Gdansk, Poland, Dec. 5, 2008. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, File)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, second right poses for a photograph with former President of Afghanistan Sibghatullah Al Mojaddedi, second left, Delhi Jama Masjid high priest Syed Ahmed Bukhari and Sikh leader jathedar Avtar Singh, right, at an anti-terrorism Conference organized by Muslim organizations in New Delhi, India, June 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, second right poses for a photograph with former President of Afghanistan Sibghatullah Al Mojaddedi, second left, Delhi Jama Masjid high priest Syed Ahmed Bukhari and Sikh leader jathedar Avtar Singh, right, at an anti-terrorism Conference organized by Muslim organizations in New Delhi, India, June 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama greets Lady Gaga, right, before a question and answer session at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Indianapolis, June 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama greets Lady Gaga, right, before a question and answer session at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Indianapolis, June 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, front right, and Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama leave after a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin on Sept. 23, 2007. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, Pool, File)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, front right, and Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama leave after a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin on Sept. 23, 2007. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, Pool, File)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, left, holds actress Whoopi Goldberg’s hand during the World Peace event on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, July 9, 2011. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez, File)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, left, holds actress Whoopi Goldberg’s hand during the World Peace event on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, July 9, 2011. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez, File)
President George Bush, front right, and others, pose with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, in yellow robe, during the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony Honoring the Dalai Lama in the Capitol Rotunda on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 17, 2007. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
President George Bush, front right, and others, pose with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, in yellow robe, during the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony Honoring the Dalai Lama in the Capitol Rotunda on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 17, 2007. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, left, receives a souvenir from the former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi, India, Jan. 4, 2016. (AP Photo /Tsering Topgyal, File)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, left, receives a souvenir from the former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi, India, Jan. 4, 2016. (AP Photo /Tsering Topgyal, File)
Retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu, left and Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama share a lighter moment as they interact with children at the Tibetan Children’s Village School in Dharamshala, India, April 23, 2015. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia, File)
Retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu, left and Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama share a lighter moment as they interact with children at the Tibetan Children’s Village School in Dharamshala, India, April 23, 2015. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia, File)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama speaks during a conference on Quantum Physics and Madhyamika Philosophical View, in New Delhi, India, Nov. 12, 2015. (AP Photo /Tsering Topgyal, File)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama speaks during a conference on Quantum Physics and Madhyamika Philosophical View, in New Delhi, India, Nov. 12, 2015. (AP Photo /Tsering Topgyal, File)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, right, greets a Buddhist devotee as he arrives at the Tibetan Children’s Village school near Leh, India, July 3, 2014. (AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal, File)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, right, greets a Buddhist devotee as he arrives at the Tibetan Children’s Village school near Leh, India, July 3, 2014. (AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal, File)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama slings a t-shirt signed by the Australian cricket team players as he poses for a photograph with the team at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, March 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia, File)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama slings a t-shirt signed by the Australian cricket team players as he poses for a photograph with the team at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, March 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia, File)
As he celebrates his 90th birthday on Sunday, The Associated Press has curated a selection of photos of the Dalai Lama, from his early days in India to appearances he has made around the world.
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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.