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Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama returns to India, assures followers about his health

Associated Press
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Exile Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama greets devotees as he exits the Kangra Airport in Dharmsala, India, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015. The Dalai Lama has assured his followers that he is in excellent health upon his return to the Tibetan government-in-exile's headquarters in northern India. The Tibetan leader's assurances came days after doctors at the Mayo Clinic instructed him to rest. He later canceled his October appearances in the United States. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia) (The Associated Press)

Exile Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is helped into a car as he exits the Kangra Airport in Dharmsala, India, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015. The Dalai Lama has assured his followers that he is in excellent health upon his return to the Tibetan government-in-exile's headquarters in northern India. The Tibetan leader's assurances came days after doctors at the Mayo Clinic instructed him to rest. He later canceled his October appearances in the United States. (AP Photo /Tsering Topgyal) (The Associated Press)

Exile Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama greets devotees as he exits the Kangra Airport in Dharmsala, India, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015. The Dalai Lama has assured his followers that he is in excellent health upon his return to the Tibetan government-in-exile's headquarters in northern India. The Tibetan leader's assurances came days after doctors at the Mayo Clinic instructed him to rest. He later canceled his October appearances in the United States. (AP Photo /Tsering Topgyal) (The Associated Press)

The Dalai Lama has assured his followers that he is in excellent health upon his return to the Tibetan government-in-exile's headquarters in northern India.

Hundreds of Tibetans, holding incense sticks and scarves, lined the streets of Dharamsala town to celebrate the return of the Tibetan spiritual leader.

The Dalai Lama said he had had a thorough medical checkup at a medical clinic in Minnesota and was in "excellent condition."

The Tibetan leader's assurances came days after doctors at the Mayo Clinic instructed him to rest. He later canceled his October appearances in the United States.

The health of the 80-year-old Tibetan Buddhist leader is a matter of concern for his followers across the world, and especially for the hundreds of thousands of Tibetans who live in India.