Dharamshala: A mass public prayer was organised in Dharamshala by the Tibetan Settlement Office to mourn the passing of Ngari Rinpoche Tenzin Choegyal, the younger brother of His Holiness 14th Dalai Lama.

Ngari Rinpoche, born in 1946 in Lhasa, was recognised in 1950 as the reincarnation of the 15th Ngari Rinpoche and was enrolled at Drepung Monastery. In 1959, he accompanied His Holiness the Dalai Lama into exile in India following the Tibetan uprising.

He pursued his education at St. Joseph’s College, Darjeeling until 1969 and continued further studies in India and abroad for an additional two years.

Beginning in 1971, Ngari Rinpoche served in various capacities within Tibetan NGOs and the Central Tibetan Administration (then known as Gaden Phodrang). His roles included serving as a teacher at the Tibetan Children’s Village, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Security, and Secretary in the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, a position he held until 1988.

He also served as Vice President of the Tibetan Youth Congress from 1974 to 1977 and spent two years serving in the Dhanglob, contributing significantly to the Tibetan community in exile.

Likewise, 20 February 2026, Miao Tibetan Settlement also held a prayer service for the late Rinpoche’s swift rebirth.

– Report filed by Tibetan Settlement Office, Dharamshala