India News | Dalai Lama's Elder Brother Gyalo Thondup Dies at 97 in Bengal's Kalimpong
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Gyalo Thondup, the elder brother of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, died of age-related ailments at his residence in West Bengal's Kalimpong, a senior official said on Sunday. He was 97.
Kolkata, Feb 9 (PTI) Gyalo Thondup, the elder brother of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, died of age-related ailments at his residence in West Bengal's Kalimpong, a senior official said on Sunday. He was 97.
Thondup, who was bed-ridden for the past two weeks, breathed his last on Saturday afternoon with his son and grand-daughter by his side, the official told PTI.
His last rites will be performed on February 11 after the arrival of other family members, the official said.
The Dalai Lama, currently in Karnataka, attended a prayer session in memory of Thondup at a monastery in Bylakuppe town.
"We pray for his rebirth. Also, we thank him for his contribution to Tibet's cause," the Dalai Lama said in a video on YouTube.
Thondup was one of the six siblings of the Tibetan spiritual leader. He settled in Kalimpong in 1952, but would frequently travel around the world, including Dharmasala in Tibet.
He had lobbied with foreign governments for the Tibetan cause, including the US.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)