The Search For The Panchen Lama

In May 1995, a seven-year-old Tibetan boy was taken from his home with his family by Chinese security services. Neither the boy nor his family has been seen since. His devotees believe him to be the eleventh incarnation of the Panchen Lama, the second most important incarnation in the Tibetan Buddhist hierarchy. In The Search for the Panchen Lama, one of our most respected journalists, Isabel Hilton, tells the enthralling inside story of how this boy became the innocent prize in a battle between the Chinese regime and Tibet's exiled religious leader, the Dalai Lama. Travelling to many inaccessible, and occasionally dangerous, locations, she uncovers the high politics and intrigue that accompanied the race to find the child and enthrone him as Tibet's future religious leader. She also explores the history of Tibet's high lamas and illuminates the unique role religion has played in shaping Tibetan culture. Combining history, travel and politics, The Search for the Panchen Lama offers an extraordinarily gripping window on to a fascinating land.