Tibetan refugees in Dharmasala were eagerly awaiting the two nuns, sources in the Tibetan government in exile told IANS.

‘Rigzin Choekyi and Lhundrub Zangmo made their risky journey across the frigid Himalayas into Nepal as the Chinese restrictions made it hard for them to survive at home,’ said an NGO called the Indian campaign for Tibet (ICT).

The two nuns were said to have been imprisoned along with other nuns in Tibet’s notorious Drapchi prison. Rigzin served 12 years in prison and Lhundrub served nine years.

They secretly recorded songs while in jail in 1993 about the Dalai Lama and Tibet’s future on a tape that was smuggled out and finally reached the Western world. Following this, they came to be popularly known as the singing nuns.

The Tibetan government in exile had earlier confirmed their escape from Tibet into Nepal.

The two singing nuns are expected to have an audience with the Dalai Lama. The spiritual leader, who is currently on a foreign visit, is expected to return to Dharamsala on June 12.