Inclement weather on Tuesday forced the Dalai Lama to postpone his trip to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, an area that China claims as its own. The Tibetan spiritual leader, who was supposed to fly to Tawang from Guwahati, will now travel by road and halt in Bomdila for a few days before proceeding, ANI reported.

The Dalai Lama is scheduled to be in Tawang, which is 25 km away from the McMahon Line that separates India from China, from April 8 to 10.

In 1959, the young leader had escaped China and entered India via Tawang. His visit to the region has evoked a sharp reaction from China, which has accused India of deliberately provoking it. China also said the visit would “seriously damage” its ties with India. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, however, said the Dalai Lama’s visit was of religious, not political, significance.