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30th anniversary of Panchen Erdeni Chos-kyi rGyal-po's enthronement

CGTN

 , Updated 12:39, 10-Dec-2025

On November 29, 1995, at Lhasa's Jokhang Temple, a ceremony was held to recognize the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Erdeni. Following Tibetan Buddhist ritual, a slip was drawn from a golden urn in front of a statue of Shakyamuni. It identified a 5-year-old boy, Gyaltsen Norbu, from Lhari county in Xizang, as the 10th Panchen Erdeni's true reincarnation.

On December 8 of the same year, with the approval of the Chinese government, Gyaltsen Norbu was enthroned in Tashilhunpo Monastery as the 11th Panchen Erdeni Chos-kyi rGyal-po. This was the first time since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 that reincarnation had been recognized through the Golden Urn Ceremony.

The Golden Urn Ceremony to recognize the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Erdeni took place in front of a statue of Shakyamuni at Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, November 29, 1995. /CMG
The Golden Urn Ceremony to recognize the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Erdeni took place in front of a statue of Shakyamuni at Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, November 29, 1995. /CMG

The Golden Urn Ceremony to recognize the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Erdeni took place in front of a statue of Shakyamuni at Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, November 29, 1995. /CMG

The golden urn used in the ceremony to recognize the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Erdeni in Lhasa, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, November 29, 1995. /CMG
The golden urn used in the ceremony to recognize the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Erdeni in Lhasa, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, November 29, 1995. /CMG

The golden urn used in the ceremony to recognize the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Erdeni in Lhasa, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, November 29, 1995. /CMG

The Golden Urn Ceremony to recognize the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Erdeni takes place in front of a statue of Shakyamuni at Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, November 29, 1995. /CMG
The Golden Urn Ceremony to recognize the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Erdeni takes place in front of a statue of Shakyamuni at Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, November 29, 1995. /CMG

The Golden Urn Ceremony to recognize the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Erdeni takes place in front of a statue of Shakyamuni at Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, November 29, 1995. /CMG

Gyaltsen Norbu is identified as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Erdeni through the Golden Urn Ceremony at Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, November 29, 1995. /CMG
Gyaltsen Norbu is identified as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Erdeni through the Golden Urn Ceremony at Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, November 29, 1995. /CMG

Gyaltsen Norbu is identified as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Erdeni through the Golden Urn Ceremony at Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, November 29, 1995. /CMG

The 11th Panchen Erdeni is welcomed into Tashilhunpo Monastery in Xigaze, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, December, 1995. /CMG
The 11th Panchen Erdeni is welcomed into Tashilhunpo Monastery in Xigaze, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, December, 1995. /CMG

The 11th Panchen Erdeni is welcomed into Tashilhunpo Monastery in Xigaze, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, December, 1995. /CMG

Enthronement of the 11th Panchen Erdeni at Tashilhunpo Monastery in Xigaze, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, December 8, 1995. /CMG
Enthronement of the 11th Panchen Erdeni at Tashilhunpo Monastery in Xigaze, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, December 8, 1995. /CMG

Enthronement of the 11th Panchen Erdeni at Tashilhunpo Monastery in Xigaze, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, December 8, 1995. /CMG

The 11th Panchen Erdeni Chos-kyi rGyal-po receives homage from senior monks, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, 1995. /CMG
The 11th Panchen Erdeni Chos-kyi rGyal-po receives homage from senior monks, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, 1995. /CMG

The 11th Panchen Erdeni Chos-kyi rGyal-po receives homage from senior monks, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, 1995. /CMG

The 11th Panchen Erdeni, Chos-kyi rGyal-po, 1995. /CMG
The 11th Panchen Erdeni, Chos-kyi rGyal-po, 1995. /CMG

The 11th Panchen Erdeni, Chos-kyi rGyal-po, 1995. /CMG

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