Step 1: Defining the Spiritual Leadership of Tibet:
The Dalai Lama is the foremost spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and, historically, the temporal head of the Tibetan government.
Step 2: The 1959 Rebellion and Flight to India:
Following the annexation of Tibet by China in 1950, tensions escalated due to Chinese efforts to suppress Tibetan cultural and religious institutions. This culminated in the failed Tibetan uprising of March 1959. Fearing for his life, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, fled Lhasa disguised as a soldier.
Step 3: Grant of Political Asylum:
The Dalai Lama crossed the Indian border at Khenzimane in Arunachal Pradesh. The Indian government, led by PM Jawaharlal Nehru, granted him political asylum in April 1959. This humanitarian gesture deeply angered Beijing, which labeled it as hostile interference, acting as a direct catalyst for the subsequent Sino-Indian War of 1962.