The 13th Dalai Lama – Thupten Gyatso (1876–1933).
The 13th Dalai Lama, Thupten Gyatso – The Great Game and Trail of Two Exiles
The 13th Dalai Lama Thupten Gyatso ascended 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: National Museums Liverpool
Tibetan villagers building defensive walls, likely at Nenying near Gyantse. The monastery and village were looted on 26 June 1904. Photo: National Museums Liverpool.
Map of the 1904 British Mission to Tibet, published in Lhasa by Perceval Landon. 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.
A monastery building in Urga where the Dalai Lama stayed during exile.
The Dalai Lama in a sedan chair during the Empress Dowager’s funeral rites in 1908.
A monastery building in Urga where the Dalai Lama stayed during exile.
The Dalai Lama in a sedan chair during the Empress Dowager’s funeral rites in 1908.
Mural at Norbulingka Palace depicting the 1908 meeting between the Dalai Lama, Emperor Kuang-hsu, and Empress Dowager T’zu-hsi.
With Sir Charles Bell and Maharaj Kumar Sidkeong Tulku of Sikkim at Hastings House, Calcutta, 1910.
On 4 March 1910, meeting with Viceroy Lord Minto in Calcutta to report on his exile.
Blessing Tibetans at the British Residency in Yatung, Chumbi Valley, in 1912, en route to Lhasa after two years in exile.
With Sir Charles Bell and dignitaries during his stay at Hastings House.
