The Great Game in the Buddhist Himalayas by Stobdan Phunchok

Author:Stobdan, Phunchok [Stobdan, Phunchok]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789353056759
Publisher: Penguin Random House India Private Limited
Published: 2019-10-23T16:00:00+00:00

Ups and downs

In 2011, the Karmapa was caught in an unsavoury controversy over the illegal recovery of a large stash of cash ($1.4 million), including Chinese currency, at his monastery as well as a benami land deal in Himachal Pradesh. 3 Such incidents fuelled suspicion about his being a Chinese plant.

According to some, Dharamshala may have created suspicion in the minds of Indian officials to ensure the Dalai Lama’s popularity doesn’t dip, but this is unsubstantiated since it is also known that among many iconic religious masters, the CTA has played up the Karmapa’s stature to ensure that he has a pivotal role in the post–Dalai Lama scenario.

The general impression created was that the Karmapa is the second-most important Tibetan figure and will be a kind of successor to the Dalai Lama. For most Indian analysts, the issue was as naive as that.

In May 2017, the Karmapa suddenly disappeared from the radar of Indian intelligence.

Amidst rumours, he was finally traced to Europe and later to the United States, where he was staying under the pretext of poor health. The Karmapa has since been reportedly located in New Jersey’s Wharton State Forest area. 4

Some media reports suggested the Karmapa may not return to India, where he had spent eighteen years, but in an interview to Radio Free Asia, 5 he said he was talking to the Indian government about coming back; reportedly, he was to do so by November 2018. Earlier, he had promised to return by June 2018. Sources said that the mood among intelligence circles has been tense after the Karmapa’s disappearance months before the Doklam stand-off began.

Clearly, Dorje’s escape has caused huge embarrassment to the CTA, especially the Dalai Lama, who had been vehemently defending his authenticity (as the true Karmapa) and had also dismissed accusations of him being a Chinese spy. Dorje’s disappearance right under his nose raises several key questions, especially about the activities of Tibetan refugees in India.

His slip is an embarrassment for the government as well, because the decision to revoke the travel restrictions imposed on him by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in 2000 was taken only in 2017, in spite of intelligence agencies cautioning against it.

Not surprisingly, both New Delhi and Dharamshala seemingly tried their best, though in vain, to persuade him to return. A number of special emissaries were also sent to convince him to return, to no avail.

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