Sikkim: 17th Karmapa accepts state's invitation to visit

The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, has accepted an invitation from the Sikkim government to visit the state in connection with the 45th Parinirvana anniversary of the 16th Karmapa, India Today NE reported on Sunday.

The invitation was conveyed by Sikkim's Ecclesiastical Affairs Minister, Ven. Sonam Lama, at an audience the Karmapa granted to him and Kyabje Tingkey Goenjang Rinpoche at Gelephu in Bhutan on Saturday, October 31.

What was discussed

According to the report, the minister formally extended the invitation on behalf of the state government and requested the Karmapa to visit Sikkim and give his blessings to mark the anniversary. The Karmapa accepted and offered prayers for the peace and prosperity of the people of Sikkim, the report said. He also asked after the well-being of Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay).

No dates for the visit have been announced, and neither the state government nor the Karmapa's office has said whether it would include Rumtek Monastery. Travel by the Karmapa to India has in the past depended on clearances from the Centre.

Why it matters in Sikkim

The visit would be a major event for Buddhists in Sikkim. Rumtek, around 24 km from Gangtok, is the main seat in exile of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and was built by the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, after he left Tibet in 1959. He died on November 5, 1981, so this year marks 45 years since his passing.

Ogyen Trinley Dorje escaped from Tibet to India in 2000 but has never been allowed to visit Rumtek, owing to security and diplomatic considerations and a long dispute over the Karmapa title. He has not returned to the Indian subcontinent since leaving India in May 2017, and he arrived in Bhutan on October 29 for a 10-day visit.

Pressure from SIBLAC

The invitation comes a day after the Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) urged the state government to open high-level talks to bring the Karmapa to Rumtek while he was in Bhutan, calling it an unfulfilled election promise, as NEInsider reported. SIBLAC had also asked what happened to about Rs 1.5 crore reportedly set aside earlier for a delegation to facilitate his return.

Bringing the Karmapa to Rumtek has been a long-standing demand of Buddhist organisations and successive governments in Sikkim. NEInsider will update this story when dates or details of the visit are announced.