Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama arrived at Bodh Gaya amid tight security on Thursday. He flew in on a chartered flight and is expected to stay till January 20 next year, delivering sermons, and performing Buddhist prayers and rituals.

Gaya district magistrate Thiyagarajan S.M. and senior superintendent of police Harpreet Kaur welcomed the 1989 Nobel peace prize winner at the Gaya International Airport, while Buddhist monks were chanting sacred mantras and playing musical instruments.

Thousands of devotees lined up along the 10km stretch from the airport to Bodh Gaya to catch a glimpse of the Dalai Lama. He will stay at the Tibetan monastery there.

According to the currently available schedule of the spiritual leader, he will attend a seminar organised at the Royal Thai monastery on December 27. He will give sermons and blessings from December 29 to 31 at the Kalchakra Teaching Ground in Bodh Gaya.

The sermons on December 29 and 30 will be on ancient Buddhist saint and philosopher Nagarjuna’s commentary on Bodhichitta.

The Dalai Lama will confer the ‘Blessing of 21 Tara’ on the devotees on the last day of the year.

Over 60,000 devotees from around 50 countries are expected to attend his preaching on the three days.

The sermons will also be aired on television and radio channels and websites in different languages.

On the New Year Day, the Dalai Lama will be at the Mahabodhi Temple to offer prayers.

Buddhist monks and devotees will offer prayers for his long life as per the Tibetan tradition on the occasion.

“We have made all arrangements to ensure that the devotees attending the sermons of the Dalai Lama will not face any difficulty during their Bodh Gaya stay. Accommodation, drinking water, electricity and various other things have been taken care of. They will not even face any difficulty in walking down to the Kalchakra grounds,” Gaya district magistrate Thiyagarajan told reporters.

A large number of security personnel have been deployed in Bodh Gaya for the safety of the Dalai Lama because he is considered a prime target of terrorist organisations and hostile countries.

CCTV cameras have been installed and watch towers have been erected to keep a tab on all the movement of people.