Dharamsala, HP, India, 1 June 2010 (tibet.net) - His Holiness the Dalai Lama presides over a special prayer service to observe the customary seventh week or 49th day of the thousands of Tibetans who died in the devastating April 14 earthquake in Kyegudo at the Tsuglagkhang in Dharamsala, India, Tuesday, June 1, 2010. Also in the photo is His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa. Under the direction of the Central Tibetan Administration, similar prayer congregations are being simultaneously held in all the Tibetan communities around the world. China on Monday put the final death toll from the Keygudo earthquake at 2698. Unconfirmed sources in the qauke-hit area, however, say many times more than the official figures had died in the disaster. Tuesday’s prayer services mark the end of weekly customary prayer services conducted by Tibetan Buddhists for seven consecutive weeks after the death of a person. (Photo credit: Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL) |