Bengaluru: On behalf of the Central Tibetan Administration and the southern Tibetan settlements based in Karnataka state, Additional Secretary Thupten Tsering, the Chief Representative based in Bengaluru, paid a courtesy visit to congratulate Shri Basavaraj Bommai, the new chief minister of Karnataka state, on 6 August.
During the visit, the Chief Representative presented Sikyong Penpa Tsering’s congratulatory letter to the new Chief Minister. He also offered a statue of Lord Buddha and two books authored by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the chief minister as a token of appreciation for the Karnataka government’s hospitality and support to the Tibetan people.
Karnataka State is home to five of the largest Tibetan settlements and several large Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in India which are indispensable to the preservation of Tibetan religion and culture. Currently, there are nearly 50,000 Tibetans permanently residing in the state who are looked after by the state government.
Shri Basavaraj Bommai is the 23rd chief minister of Karnataka state. His late father Shri S M Bommai also served as the chief minister of the state in the late 1980s.
Filed by Chief Representative’s Office, Bengaluru