Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, arrived in this picturesque town in Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday on a four-day visit which has drawn widespread interest in the wake of objections raised by China.

The 74-year-old Tibetan monk, who flew here from Guwahati by a helicopter, was received at the helipad by Arunachal Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu and other ministers. The 14th Dalai Lama, who will be staying in the 300-year- old Tawang Monastery, will hold religious discourses for the Buddhist community. The visit coincides with 50 years of his arrival in Tawang in 1959 after a failed uprising in Tibet against China.

Nestled among the snow-capped mountains and perched at a height of 10,000 feet, Tawang has been spruced up for the visit of the "living god" with colourful posters carrying his pictures and Tibetan and Indian flags flying everywhere. Buildings and houses have been given a fresh coat of paint and streets and localities cleaned to mark the occasion.

A security blanket has been thrown in the town, close to the borders with China and Myanmar, with the administration making all efforts to ensure a peaceful stay for the Tibetan leader whose visit has been resented to by China which has laid claim to the sensitive border state.

Objecting to the visit, China has said it "further exposes" the anti-China and "separatist nature" of the "Dalai clique". However, India has made it clear that the "honoured" guest was free to go anywhere in the country. The Dalai Lama has also hit out at China for objecting to the visit, saying it reflected a "negative" attitude, as his trip was not political.

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