Tibetan Community Leaders and Representatives Gather in Kathmandu to Pray for Victims of Dingri Earthquake

Kathmandu: On 11 January 2025, the Tibetan community in Nepal gathered at the Shelkar Chode Gaden Lekshey Ling—a Nepal-based heritage replica of the Shelkar Chode Monastery in Dingri—to offer prayers and mourn the loss caused by the devastating earthquake that struck Tibet’s Dingri and surrounding regions, including Lhatse (Ch: Lazi), Sakya (Ch: Sajia), Tingkye (Ch: Dingjie), and Ngamring (Ch: Angren).

The mass prayer service, organised by the Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office (also known as the Office of Tibet), was attended by around 167 representatives from 47 Tibetan civil society organisations and various other institutions.

Notable attendees included Representative Tsepri Lopan Tulku Ngawang Chokdup, Tibetan Parliamentarian Tashi Dhondup, former Tibetan Parliamentarians Ven Jamyang Trinley and Dolma Tsomo, Office of Tibet Secretary Karma Gyaltsen, Tibetan Settlement Officers, and civil servants from settlements in and around Kathmandu. The service also saw the participation of former Tibetan Settlement Officers, members of local Tibetan assemblies, and representatives from regional Tibetan freedom movements in the Kathmandu area. Monastic representatives from 57 Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, led by Abbot Tenzin Drogon of the Shelkar Chode Monastery, also attended the event, alongside representatives from local Tibetan NGOs.

During the ceremony, Representative Tsepri Lopan Tulku Ngawang Chokdup addressed the gathering, reflecting on the challenges posed by the earthquake. He emphasised the spirit of solidarity and compassion exhibited by Tibetans from all three traditional provinces of Tibet, who have been supporting one another through this tragedy. He pointed out that this mutual assistance, widely shared across social media platforms, embodies the teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, particularly his guidance that Tibetans from all regions should stand by each other through thick and thin. He urged the Tibetan diaspora to draw inspiration from this spirit of unity and compassion during difficult times.

-Report filed by Office of Tibet, Nepal