Dharamsala, Mar 25: Over five hundred monks offered prayers and held protests here to express their solidarity with fellow Tibetans facing Chinese oppression inside Tibet.

Monks from the Gyuto Monastery assembled at the main Buddhist temple before taking out a street march. They chanted hymns and lighted lamps to pay tribute to Tibetans who died during the recent violence in Tibet.

"There are 500 monks in our monastery. We have come here to take part in a peaceful demonstration with lights. We have to do prayers for the people who have died in Tibet under Chinese force," said Nangdup, a Tibetan Buddhist monk.

Tibetan monks also participated in a candlelight vigil in Varanasi to express their solidarity with the cause of Tibetan autonomy.

The Dalai Lama has been urging Tibetans to resort to non-violent means to achieve their goal of complete autonomy from Chinese rule. (ANI)