On 18 August, 2026, the 108 Peace Institute, in collaboration with the Department of Political Science, St. Bede’s College, Shimla, organized a lecture on India–Tibet Relations, featuring Venerable Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok, Former Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. The lecture examined India–Tibet relations through four interconnected themes: shared culture, border security, historical trade, and environmental interdependence.
Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok emphasized that India and Tibet share deep civilizational ties. He noted that Buddhism travelled from India to Tibet in the seventh century, while the Tibetan script was developed from Indian linguistic traditions. Tibetan monastic architecture and scholarship also reflect strong Indian influence, according to the speaker. He noted that Tibet preserved the Nalanda tradition of Buddhist learning after it had largely declined in India, making Tibetan institutions important custodians of India’s Buddhist intellectual heritage.
He further referred to Tibet’s participation in the Asian Relations Conference in New Delhi in 1947, highlighting the historical recognition of Tibet’s distinct cultural and political identity. India’s support for Tibetan education and cultural preservation after 1959, particularly through the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies in Sarnath, was presented as a significant continuation of this relationship.
The speaker highlighted the strategic importance of the approximately 4,000-kilometre India–Tibet frontier, which connects Tibet with Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. He observed that the frontier remained relatively peaceful and lightly militarized before 1959, but underwent a major transformation after the 1962 Sino-Indian War. Discussing the Simla Convention of 1914, he noted the participation of British India and Tibet, not China, in the negotiation, asserting Tibet’s independent status.
The lecture also examined the decline and partial revival of traditional India–Tibet trade routes, including Lipulekh, Nathu La, and Shipki La. While contemporary trade is limited by designated commodities, restricted periods, and regulatory controls, earlier exchanges were shaped more directly by local needs and established commercial practices.
The speaker highlighted the Lavi Mela of Rampur Bushahr, traditionally held from 11 to 14 November, as an enduring symbol of the historic commercial relationship between Bushahr and Tibet. Although traders from Tibet can no longer participate because of border restrictions, Tibetan communities from Bir and Chauntra continue to attend the fair, helping preserve its cultural and commercial legacy.
A central theme of the lecture was the ecological importance of the Tibetan Plateau, often described as the “Water Tower of Asia.” The speaker explained that the region is the source of major river systems, including the Indus, Brahmaputra, Sutlej, and Karnali, which sustain communities across South and Southeast Asia. Using their traditional Tibetan names, he described the rivers as Senggé Khabab or “Lion’s Mouth” for the Indus, Tamchok Khabab or “Horse’s Mouth” for the Brahmaputra, Langchen Khabab or “Elephant’s Mouth” for the Sutlej, and Mapcha Khabab or “Peacock’s Mouth” for the Karnali. He stressed that developments affecting Tibet’s water resources have consequences for downstream countries, including India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and mainland Southeast Asia.
Referring to the 2005 Parechu Lake outburst, which caused extensive damage in Himachal Pradesh, particularly in Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti, he underscored the vulnerability of downstream communities to environmental events originating on the Tibetan Plateau. He called for greater regional cooperation on transboundary rivers and emphasized the need to protect Tibet’s glaciers, forests, biodiversity, and water systems.
The speaker also highlighted the environmental advocacy of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, noting that the protection of Tibet’s ecology is essential not only for Tibetans but also for millions of people dependent on its rivers.
Encouraging students to engage with primary sources, Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok recommended the writings of Sarat Chandra Das and the travel accounts of Pandit Nain Singh Rawat. He also referred to Man Mohan Sharma’s The Tragedy of Tibet and discussed the views of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, and Swami Vivekananda on Tibet, Himalayan security, and India’s strategic interests.
The lecture concluded with Acharya addressing students’ questions on China’s Ethnic Unity and Progress Law and the Self-Immolation of Tibetan activist Lobga Rangzen. The lecture moved beyond a narrow geopolitical framework to present India–Tibet relations as a multidimensional relationship shaped by civilization, security, trade, ecology, and shared historical memory.
