NEW DELHI, India — The Dalai Lama underwent surgery on his left knee Monday, his personal doctor confirmed.
Dr. Tsetan D. Sadutshang, the Tibetan spiritual leader’s longtime personal physician, appeared in a video statement from New Delhi, where the 90-year-old Dalai Lama is recovering from the procedure.
“Today, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama successfully underwent surgery on his left knee, and his right knee was operated on in New York in 2024,” said Dr. Sadutshang. “I am here to convey this message to all Tibetans and devotees in Tibet and around the world.”
It was publicly announced on Thursday that the Dalai Lama would leave his home in Dharamsala, India, on Friday to travel to New Delhi to “undergo medical treatment on his left knee.”
The Tibetan spiritual leader was seen waving from the front passenger seat of a black sport utility vehicle as he was driven off by well-wishers gathered at the airport before his flight.
In the video statement, Dr Sadutshang said the Dalai Lama “is no longer recovering after the operation and is back in his room”, and thanked the medical staff at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital.
Prayers for the recovery of the Dalai Lama were held in the Indian cities of Ladakh, Dharamsala, New Delhi, Gangtok and Mundgod.
“We pray for the success of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s knee operation,” Kunzang Yangdol, of the women’s wing of the Ladakh Buddhist Association, told RFA.
She said women from different villages chanted Buddhist mantras “from 5 a.m. in the hope that His Holiness would heal well.”
In 2024, the Dalai Lama underwent a total right knee replacement at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Tibetans gather outside the hospital and his Manhattan hotel, wearing Tibetan khata scarves and flowers, praying for his speedy recovery.
The Dalai Lama will celebrate his 91st birthday on July 6. According to his office, the spiritual leader is expected to travel to Ladakh towards the end of June for an extended visit.
Additional reporting by Thinley Choedon. Translated by Tenzin Dickyi, edited by Kalden Lodoe, Charlie Dharapak and Eugene Whong.