The Dalai Lama turned 90 on Sunday surrounded by thousands of followers, who thronged the Himalayan town of Dharamshala, where the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism has been living in exile since fleeing Chinese rule in Tibet in 1959.

Thousands of devotees flocked to the Himalayan town of Dharamshala, India, on Sunday to celebrate the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism who has been living in exile since escaping Chinese authority in Tibet in 1959.

The Dalai Lama has announced that he intends to reincarnate, paving the way for a successor to take on a mantle stretching back 500 years after his death.