Hospitalized Dalai Lama 'fine'

The Dalai Lama first complained of acute abdominal pain in December

GAYA, India -- Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, was in good condition at a hospital in India after falling ill with stomach pains, a hospital official has said.

He has undergone some tests after being flown to the Lilawati Hospital and Research Center in the Indian city of Bombay, but will undergo more.

The Dalai Lama had been complaining of stomach pains since December 15 and doctors later discovered a lump.

"He is fine, he is cheerful, he can speak, he can move himself. Just as a precautionary measure he was brought from Patna," Prakash Mhatre, of the hospital said on Sunday.

"He had abdominal pain, some uneasiness and pain in the stomach."

The supreme leader of Tibetan Buddhists was flown in a government helicopter from the religious hub of Gaya in the eastern Bihar state to the state capital of Patna on the weekend.

From Patna, the Dalai Lama traveled by private airplane to Bombay, where he was admitted to the Lilawati Hospital, his aides said.

The decision was made after a team of doctors examined the Tibetan spiritual leader in a Buddhist monastery in Bodhgaya, where he had been staying since last week, Masood Butt, his press coordinator told The Associated Press.

Bodhgaya is a complex of temples in the eastern Indian state of Bihar that marks the site where Buddhists believe the founder of their religion, Gautama Siddhartha, received enlightenment and went on to become known as the Buddha.

On Thursday, the Dalai Lama postponed his teachings before tens of thousands of followers at the most sacred worship ceremony of Tibetan Buddhists.

He said he would not be able to finish the rituals, which require him to sit still for at least five hours.

Lump

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A member of the medical team, A.M. Rai, said the Dalai Lama had a lump in his stomach, but gave no further details.

The Dalai Lama had first complained of acute abdominal pain December 15.

Although initially treated with Tibetan and Western medicines, the Dalai Lama's ailments continued, his personal physician Tsen Dorji Sadutshang said.

The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 with thousands of supporters following a failed uprising against China. Since then, he has headed a government-in-exile in the northern Indian town of Dharmsala.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his nonviolent struggle against Chinese rule.