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On a cold wintry morning at the fag end of the last millennium, the 14-year-old claimant as the seventeenth reincarnation of the Karmapa, Ugyen Trinley Dorje, left the 'land where the mind sees further than the mountains can reach' to cross the borders of the roof of the world, and land in McLeodganj, the capital of Tibetans-in-exile in Himachal Pradesh. His arrival in India in a bid to claim the 'black hat' and be officially recognised as the Karmapa' reincarnated has embroiled India in the bitter feud of Tibetan clergy since Shamar Rinpoche, second in the Kagyu hierarchy, has already recognised Tibet-born Trinley Thaye Dorje residing in Kalimpong as the Karmapa's reincarnation. The next stop obviously is Rumtek, which is the headquarters of the Karmapa in Sikkim (India) after the exile of the XVth Karmapa from Tibet.

The arrival of the lama boy has landed India in a dilemma, and the government has put a cautious foot forward and indicated that the Karmapa will not be returned to China against his will.

Anil Maheshwari is a special correspondent with The Hindustan Times and specializes in covering Tibetan Buddhist affairs. He has to his credit a couple of publications, including Crescent over Kashmir: Politics of Mullaism.