Dharamshala: - The 14th Kashag of the Central Tibetan Administration expressed their condolences over the recent severe fire in Lithang County of Eastern Tibet, which has severely damaged one of the three historic Buddhist temples of the county.
"The Kashag would like to send its deepest condolences to the monks of the monastery and the Tibetans in Lithang," Kashag said in a condolence statement issued on November 22, 2013.
"We are concerned with the destruction caused by fire to some historic statues and artefacts of the monastery," the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) based in Dharamsala, India said in the statement.
"We pray for the quick restoration of the monastery and for the continuation of its four hundred year old tradition of spreading the dharma," the Kashag said.
The flames engulfed the roof of the building on 16 November 2013 and severely damaged early printed books and statues. However, some of the cultural artifacts inside were saved, sources told The Tibet Post Ineternational (TPI News) the day after the incident.
According to the sources, the fire was extinguished before it could spread to the monastery's other prayer halls and living quarters.
The monastery consists of three main temples, one of which was reconstructed in 2011. Ganden Thubten Choekhorling or Lithang Gonchen was a home to many famous and influential figures in Tibetan Buddhism, such as the 7th Dalai Lama Kalsang Gyatso and the 10th Dalai Lama Tsultrim Gyatso.
