Panchen Lama

It is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, a key figure of Tibetan Buddhism whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.

China placed the child under house arrest in 1995 and named another boy as the 11th Panchen Lama.

Beijing brands the current Dalai Lama, exiled in neighbouring India, as a dangerous separatist and instead recognises the current Panchen Lama, put in place by the party, as the highest religious figure in Tibet.

China has meanwhile sought to elevate other spiritual figures, particularly Tibetan Buddhism’s second ranking figure, the Panchen Lama.

It is the Panchen Lama who would normally lead the search for the reincarnation of the next Dalai Lama.