Tibetan monks in Himachal pray for Leh victims

DHARAMSALA - Tibetan monks at Dharamsala and other monasteries such as Dagpo Shedrupling Monastery at Kullu city of Himachal Pradesh offered special prayers on Tuesday for the victims of the flash floods in Leh region of Kashmir.

Hundreds of Buddhist monks, nuns and other Tibetans including the entire staff of the Central Tibetan Administration attended the prayers at Dharamsala.

Members of the Tibetan community living in-exile at Dharamsala and elsewhere have displayed their solidarity and concern for the people in the affected isolated and inaccessible Ladakh.

“120 and something people are dead but we fear that the actual figure could be much more than that, and also according to the official report, about 2000 people are still missing. So, we are here to pray for the people who have died, and also pray for all those people who are suffering at the moment, and at the same time, yesterday also, we had similar prayers, where we also remembered the people in Ladakh who are suffering,” said Dolma Gayri, Deputy Speaker of Tibetan Parliament in-exile, Dharamsala.

Various media reports say that around 165 people have been so far declared dead and nearly 500 people are still missing.

Meanwhile, monks in Kullu district also prayed for the flood victims at the Dagpo Shedrupling Monastery.

Hundreds of Tibetan monks, locals and foreign devotees including tourists participated in the prayers for the cloudburst and flood victims.

“We are praying for the dead in mishap of Leh. The Dagpo Riponche is also here and the other Lamas living here are praying for their peace,” said Chunni Lal Negi, President of the Dhakpo Shedrupling Monastery.

The cloudburst has caused extensive damage in the rain-shadow Ladakh region where houses were traditionally built with mud. Telephone towers and government buildings have also flattened.

About 340 people have been injured and rescue teams have somehow tried to reach far off areas as of now. In Choglamsar area, over 200 people are reportedly missing.

Residents have been facing hardship as many villages have been completely flattened by the turbulent rivers of mud. By Akhilesh Bharati (ANI)