Seventy-five years ago, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) marched into Tibet under Mao Zedong’s orders. In the seven decades since, China has transformed the plateau into a heavily militarised zone, and the Tibetan people into subjects of a state that calls their conquest “liberation.” Yet, what Beijing failed to extinguish is the spirit of governance and faith that lives on — 2,000 kilometres away, in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas.
Dharamshala, the quiet town in Himachal Pradesh that became the seat of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), is today more than a refugee capital. It is the living continuation of the Tibetan state that once ruled from Lhasa. The CTA does not control territory, but it governs a people — over 100,000 Tibetans spread across India, Nepal, Bhutan, and the wider world — united by shared memory and democratic aspiration.
In the story of Tibet, Dharamshala is not exile. It is endurance.
From Norbulingka to Dharamshala
When the Dalai Lama fled Tibet in March 1959 after the Lhasa Uprising, he crossed into India through Tawang, exhausted and heartbroken but determined to rebuild. Within weeks, India granted him political asylum. From the small hill town of Mussoorie, he issued a statement rescinding the Seventeen Point Agreement and denouncing Chinese repression in Tibet.
By April 1960, the Tibetan administration was relocated to Dharamshala, where the Dalai Lama re-established the Kashag — Tibet’s council of ministers — and began the long project of reorganising governance in exile.
In 1963, the Constitution of Tibet was promulgated, embedding democratic values and fundamental rights. This constitution, later revised into the Charter of the Tibetans-in-Exile, remains the guiding document of the CTA. It set up a fully elected parliament — the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile — and the Kalon Tripa (now called Sikyong), the head of government.
In 2011, the Dalai Lama voluntarily devolved his political authority, completing the transition from a theocracy to a full democracy. It was an extraordinary act — a religious leader willingly stepping aside to strengthen democratic legitimacy.
What emerged in Dharamshala was a government-in-exile that mirrored the institutions of a sovereign state: a parliament, cabinet, judiciary, ministries of education, culture, health, and information — all operating from foreign soil, sustained by voluntary contributions and global solidarity.
The Middle Way: Diplomacy over Defiance
Unlike armed liberation movements of the 20th century, Tibet’s struggle has been defined by moral resilience. Guided by the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way Approach, the CTA advocates genuine autonomy within the framework of the Chinese Constitution, not full independence.
This approach seeks to preserve Tibet’s language, culture, and religion while recognising China’s sovereignty — a pragmatic stance that aims to open the door to dialogue rather than confrontation. The proposal has been consistently rejected by Beijing, which brands the Dalai Lama a “separatist.” Yet, the Middle Way remains central to the CTA’s diplomacy, underpinning its engagement with foreign governments, parliaments, and international organisations.
In the last two decades, the CTA has gained renewed attention as global perceptions of China have shifted. The United States, the European Parliament, and several Western nations have passed resolutions recognising the CTA as the legitimate representative of the Tibetan people. In 2024, the U.S. Congress enacted the “Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act”, urging Beijing to resume dialogue with the Tibetan leadership without preconditions.
While such measures fall short of recognition, they symbolise something more powerful — the validation of Tibet’s voice in a world where China’s narrative has long dominated.
India’s Role: Refuge and Responsibility
India’s relationship with Tibet is both humanitarian and strategic. Since 1959, it has hosted the largest Tibetan refugee population in the world. The Government of India allocated land across ten states to establish 45 settlements, where refugees built homes, schools, monasteries, and cooperative societies.
Today, India is home to 59 Tibetan monasteries, dozens of schools, and cultural institutions such as the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives and the Norbulingka Institute. The Indian education system reserves seats for Tibetan students in universities, while the CTA runs its own school network under the Central Tibetan Schools Administration.
This arrangement reflects a remarkable balance: India formally recognises Tibet as part of China, yet continues to provide sanctuary to the Dalai Lama and the CTA. It is a quiet assertion of moral autonomy in foreign policy — a statement that humanitarian principles need not be sacrificed to geopolitics.
For India, Tibet remains both a moral responsibility and a strategic factor. The Dalai Lama’s presence has served as a constant reminder of China’s historical aggression, while the CTA’s democratic governance offers a living contrast to Beijing’s authoritarianism.
Voices Beyond Borders
Outside India, Tibet’s struggle has taken on a global dimension. In London, Washington, Brussels, and Canberra, Tibetan organisations and supporters have kept the issue alive through lobbying, protests, and public diplomacy.
The Free Tibet movement in the UK, the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) in the US, and diaspora-led initiatives such as the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) and Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) have played critical roles in maintaining awareness. They have targeted corporations complicit in China’s exploitation of Tibetan resources, organised protests at international events, and lobbied parliaments to press Beijing on human rights violations.
In August 2025, protests erupted in London against China’s proposed “mega-embassy,” which activists feared could be used to surveil dissidents. In the US, Tibetan youth groups staged demonstrations outside the United Nations headquarters during the General Assembly, demanding global accountability.
The Tibetan cause has thus evolved into a transnational movement — a coalition of conscience that bridges continents, faiths, and generations.
Cultural Survival and the War on Memory
While Dharamshala carries the political banner of Tibet, its deeper mission is cultural preservation. The exile administration funds Tibetan-language schools, supports monasteries, and organises global festivals to ensure the continuity of Tibet’s intangible heritage.
This work has taken on renewed urgency as China intensifies its Sinicisation campaign within Tibet. Nearly one million Tibetan children have been placed in Mandarin-medium boarding schools, separated from their families and immersed in Han Chinese culture. Religious leaders are monitored, and monastic education is heavily censored.
In exile, the CTA’s Department of Education runs over 80 schools across India and Nepal, where children learn Tibetan language, history, and Buddhism — subjects banned or marginalised in Tibet itself. These schools serve not merely as classrooms but as fortresses of memory.
Every book printed in Tibetan, every school prayer recited in exile, is an act of resistance against cultural erasure.
The Succession Question and the Future
China’s control over religion in Tibet extends to one of its most sensitive issues: the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Beijing insists that the next Dalai Lama must be chosen through its state-sanctioned “Golden Urn” process, while the Dalai Lama has stated that his successor will be reborn in the “free world,” outside Chinese control.
This looming confrontation has implications far beyond faith. It is a struggle for legitimacy — whoever controls the next Dalai Lama controls the spiritual heart of Tibet. The CTA has already made it clear that any Chinese-appointed Dalai Lama will not be recognised by the Tibetan people.
In July 2025, the Dalai Lama reaffirmed that the Gaden Phodrang Trust would oversee the recognition process and that “no government or political power” had the right to interfere. The statement drew sharp condemnation from Beijing, underscoring how religion continues to challenge China’s political narrative.
For Dharamshala, the question of succession is not only about continuity of faith but the survival of identity itself.
A Government Without Borders, A Nation Without Fear
The Central Tibetan Administration stands today as one of history’s most enduring exiled governments — not because of military power or diplomatic recognition, but because of legitimacy derived from its people. It operates without territory but commands moral geography; it has no army but holds the allegiance of generations.
Its continued existence undermines China’s claim that the “Tibetan question” has been settled. Every election held in Dharamshala, every speech delivered by the Dalai Lama, and every Tibetan child taught in their native language testifies to a truth Beijing cannot erase: that Tibet, though occupied, is not defeated.
As Tibet marks 75 years since its fall, Dharamshala stands as the world’s quiet reminder that exile is not extinction. It is resistance — dignified, democratic, and deeply human.