INDIA. The Dalai Lama. 1987. The Dalai Lama during the ceremonies of Monlam, the big prayer festival during the first Tibetan month of the year (a type of New Year), which takes place in the early spring. The gold plumed helmets which are worn by the Gelup Pa monks, date back to the 14th century, and to them the Dalai Lama is the living re-incarnation of their creator. Thousands of Buddhists attend this colorful ceremony, playing centuries old instruments and wearing costumes handed down to them by their fore-fathers.