The 11th Panchen Lama, a spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhist believers, paid homage to the Jokhang Temple in downtown Lhasa, capital of Tibet, Wednesday morning and presided over a prayer meeting there.

The Panchen was greeted with a ceremony and prayed for peace, stability, a good harvest and happiness of all the people.

It is customary that on arrival in Tibet the Panchen and leaders of other Tibetan Buddhism sects pay homage to the Jokhang Temple, where the statue of the Buddha Sakyamuni is located.

This is the 13-year-old lama's second trip to Lhasa. His first trip was in 1995.

The 11th Panchen ascended the throne in 1995 at the Zhaxi Lhunbo Lamasery after he was selected as the reincarnated Panchen Lama in accordance with religious custom. The last Panchen Lama died in 1989.

(People's Daily June 13, 2002)