Buddhist leader bestowed with Honorary Fellowship by Oxford

New Delhi: Acclaimed Buddhist leader and head of the Drukpa Lineage, the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa, has been bestowed with an Honorary Fellowship by the Wolfson College of Oxford for preservation of culture in the Himalayas, his office said on Saturday.

"It has been a privilege to work with the college over the past five years as it has led the way in promoting all the diverse cultures of the Himalayas and its history," an official statement quoted the leader as saying.

The Honorary Fellowship award ceremony was held in the University of Oxford on Friday evening.

The Gyalwang Drukpa's office based in Gurugram said the Buddhist leader visited the Tibetan and Himalayan Studies Centre at Wolfson College for an interaction with the scholars.

The spiritual head of the 1,000-year-old Drukpa Order based in the Himalayas also heads the 17th century famed Hemis monastery in Ladakh the largest of its kind in the Himalayas. He first visited the Tibetan and Himalayan Studies Centre in Wolfson in 2012.

In 2015, Wolfson College created 'The Gyalwang Drukpa Scholarship' in his honour. Bhutan honours the Drukpa Lineage as its state religion.