Later he visited the Yid-Ta-G-Choezin ground where he planted saplings and also distributed some of them among the thousands of devotees assembled there.

Addressing the devotees, the 74-year-old Tibetan monk asked the younger generation to join monasteries to carry forward Buddha’s message of peace.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Dorjee Kandu urged the people to preserve the Buddhist culture in this part of the country.

The Dalai Lama, who arrived here Nov 8 on a four-day visit, had rebuffed China for objectng the visit.