14th Dalai Lama: Chronology of Events
DateEvent (Tibetan Calendar Date),poem>17 December 1933Thirteenth Dalai Lama Passes Away in Lhasa at the age of 57 (Water-Bird Year, 10th month, 30th day)6 July 1935Born in Taktser, Amdo, Tibet (Wood-Pig Year, 5th month, 5th day) July 1939Departs Amdo for three-month journey to Lhasa 1939Public Declaration of the Official Recognition of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama near town of Bumchen8 October 1939 Enters Lhasa after three-month journey from Amdo (Earth-Hare Year, 8th month, 25th day) 22 February 1940Enthronement Ceremony (Iron-Dragon Year, 1st month, 14th day) 1940Begins monastic education at the age of five 1942Receives Vows of Novice Monk from Taktra Rinpoche (1st month, 10th day) 17 November 1950Assumes full temporal (political) power after China's invasion of Tibet in 1949 (Iron-Tiger Year, 10th month, 11th day) 16 December 1950Departs Lhasa for Dromo because of Chinese threat January 1951 to July 1951Resides in Dromo (Yatung) 23 May 195117-Point Agreement signed by Tibetan delegation in Peking under duress 16 July 1951Chinesedelegation led by General Chiang Chin-wu, newly appointed Commissionerand Administrator of Civil and Military Affairs of Tibet, meets withHis Holiness in Dromo (Yatung) 24 July 1951Departs Dromo (Yatung) for Lhasa (Iron-Hare Year, 5th month, 17th day) 17 August 1951Arrives Lhasa from Dromo (Iron-Hare Year, 6th month, 13th day) 1954Receives Gelong Ordination from Ling Rinpoche (Wood-Horse Year, 1st month, 15th day) 1954Confers 1st Kalachakra Initiation in Norbulingka Palace, Lhasa.July 1954 to June 1955 VisitsChina for peace talks and meets with Mao Zedong and other Chineseleaders, including Chou En-Lai, Chu Teh and Deng Xiaoping November 1956 to March 1957 Visits India to participate in 2500th Buddha Jayanti celebrations February 1959 Receives Geshe Lharampa Degree during Monlam Ceremonies in Lhasa (Earth-Pig Year, 1st month, 13th day) 10 March 1959Tens of thousands of Tibetans gathered in front of NorbulingkaPalace, Lhasa to prevent His Holiness from going to a performance atthe Chinese Army Camp in Lhasa. Tibetan People's Uprising begins inLhasa.15 March 1959Artillery Shells fired from Chinese troops land outside Norbulingka Palace17 March 1959Escapes at night from Norbulingka Palace in Lhasa March 1959Tibetan Government formally reestablished at Lhudup Dzong. 17-Point Agreeement formally repudiated by Tibetan Government.30 March 1959 Enters India from Tibet after a 14-day harrowing escape 18 April 1959Hold international press conference and formally repudiates the 17-Point Agreement20 April 1959 Arrives Mussoorie and resides at Birla House 30 April 1960 Arrives in Dharamsala to take up residence at Swarg Ashram 1963 Presents a draft democratic constitution for Tibet. First exile Tibetan Parliament (Assembly of Tibetan People's Deputies) established in Dharamsala. 1967 First visits abroad (since coming into exile) to Japan and Thailand 1968 Moves residence from Swarg Ashram to present day Thekchen Choeling (Byrne Estate) September to November 1973Firstvisit to the West (Italy, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Belgium,Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, UK, West Germany & Austria) 1979First contact with the Government of the People's Republic of China established since coming into exile in 195921 September 1987Delivers historic Five Point Peace Plan for Tibet in Washington, D.C. to members of the U.S. Congress June 1988Delivers historic Strasbourg Proposal for Tibet in Strasbourg, France to members of the European Parliament 10 December 1989Awarded Nobel Prize for Peace in Oslo, Norway 1992Initiates a number of additional major democratic steps, includingthe direct elections of Kalons (Ministers) by the Assembly of TibetanPeople's Deputies and the establishment of a judiciary branch.Previously Kalons appointed directly by His Holiness.2001First direct democratic elections held by the Tibetan people forthe post of Kalon Tripa (senior Minister) in the history of Tibet </poem>
