The Great Game and Trail of Two Exiles

The 13th Dalai Lama Thupten Gyatso ascended the throne amidst the geopolitical rivalry known as “The Great Game,” as Czarist Russia and British India vied for influence in Central Asia.

In 1904, Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India, dispatched an expedition under Captain  Francis Younghusband to open trade routes and counter Russian influence. The British advance prompted the Dalai Lama to flee to Mongolia—his first exile.

Though the Tibetan army resisted, they suffered heavy losses at the Battle of Guru, where over 700 Tibetan soldiers perished. British forces occupied Lhasa, but the resulting Lhasa Convention notably omitted any recognition of Chinese authority—an implicit affirmation of Tibet’s independence.

In 1910, following a Chinese military incursion led by General Zhao Erfeng, the 13th Dalai Lama fled once more—this time to India. He crossed Dromo and crossed over India. These journeys, though arduous, opened his eyes to the modern world.

In Darjeeling and Calcutta, his encounters with British officials and exposure to modern infrastructure broadened his vision for Tibet’s future.

British troops under General Macdonald entering Lhasa in 1904 with over 1,000 soldiers and 7,000 Indian laborers. Photo courtesy: National Museums Liverpool
Tibetan villagers building defensive walls, likely at Nenying near Gyantse. The monastery and village were looted on 26 June 1904. Photo courtesy: National Museums Liverpool
Map of the 1904 British Mission to Tibet, published in Lhasa by Perceval Landon. Photo courtesy: National Museums Liverpool
The 1904 Lhasa Convention, signed by British, Tibetan, and monastic representatives following the Younghusband Expedition
Pencil portrait by Russian artist N.Y. Kozhevnikov in Urga (Ulaanbaatar), 1905—earliest known illustration of the Dalai Lama. Photo courtesy: Agvan Dorjiev Foundation
A monastery building in Urga where the 13th Dalai Lama stayed during exile. Photo courtesy: Agvan Dorjiev Foundation
Mural at Norbulingka Palace depicting the 1908 meeting between the 13th Dalai Lama, Emperor Kuang-hsu, and Empress Dowager T’zu-hsi.
The 13th Dalai Lama in a sedan chair during the Empress Dowager’s funeral rites in 1908.
The 13th Dalai Lama with Sir Charles Bell and Maharaj Kumar Sidkeong Tulku of Sikkim at Hastings House, Calcutta, 1910. Copyright: Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford
On 4 March 1910, the 13th Dalai Lama meeting with Viceroy Lord Minto in Calcutta to report on his exile. Copyright: Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford
The 13th Dalai Lama with Sir Charles Bell and dignitaries during his stay at Hastings House. Copyright: Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford
The 13th Dalai Lama blessing Tibetans at the British Residency in Yatung, Chumbi Valley, in 1912, en route to Lhasa after two years in exile. Copyright: Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford
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