Dalai Lama begins visit to India's disputed Arunachal Pradesh

New Delhi - Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama arrived Sunday to a resounding welcome at the monastery town of Tawang in India's eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China considers a disputed region. Thousands of maroon-robed monks and local people clad in traditional costumes crowded the Dalai Lama's route from the helipad to the Tawang monastery, the IANS news agency reported.

At the Tawang monastery, the Dalai Lama was greeted by more than 800 monks, including scores of child novitiates, who chanted hymns and rang giant gongs.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu was also present to greet the Dalai Lama.

China had repeatedly protested the Dalai Lama's plan to visit the region, which it considers to be southern Tibet.

China views the Dalai Lama as a separatist, conspiring for Tibetan independence. The Tibetan leader has said that he wants greater autonomy for Tibet within China.

China also claims 90,000 square kilometres of territory in Arunachal Pradesh while India says it is an integral part of the country.

India, in turn, accuses China of occupying 38,000 square kilometres in Jammu and Kashmir.

Several rounds of talk since 2005 have led to little progress on resolving issues over the undemarcated border shared by the two countries along the Himalayan range.

In the face of China's protests over the Dalai Lama's visit, the Indian government had responded by saying the spiritual leader was free to travel where he wished in India as long as it was for religious purposes.

An aide to the Dalai Lama said on the eve of his visit that the leader was going to Tawang to give religious discourses and would not be interacting with the media.

"It was a lifetime experience to have seen the Dalai Lama from so close," Sherbu, an excited child monk was quoted as saying. "He waved back at us, and I consider this to be a blessing for me and the people here."

The Arunachal Pradesh government invited the Dalai Lama to visit Tawang, which was the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama. It was also one of the first stops for the 14th and current Dalai Lama when he fled from Tibet in 1959 after the Chinese occupation of the region.

The Dalai Lama and his government-in-exile, which is not recognized by any nation, are based at the northern Indian hill town of Dharamsala.

Along with the Dalai Lama, an estimated 100,000 Tibetans live in India.