Having been recognized as the 14th Dalai Lama at the age of two, Lhamo Thondup's reign as the spiritual and political leader began at a strained point in Chinese-Tibetan relations. Tibet's religious leaders were constantly trying to avoid a full blown military takeover by the Chinese, who had began invading Tibetan territory since the communist revolution in China. By 1956, things had escalated to a point where the Dalai Lama and his ministers were trying to find a balance between the Chinese interference and the growing resentment of the Tibetan resistance fighters. In 1959, when the Chinese crackdown on Tibet seemed inevitable, and the Tibetan uprising had reached his palace in Lhasa, on the request of his ministers and based on the advice of the state Oracle, Dalai Lama escaped from Tibet with his family and a few close aides. Disguised in the garb of a soldier, the Lama made his way through the crowds in front of his palace and travelled for 15 days till he reached India. The story of his escape is about how the young Lama travelled through harsh terrains, surviving the constant threat of the Chinese sentry.
