Dalai Lama says he is a 'son of India' after nearly 60 years exiled from Tibet

The religious leader crossed the border in 1959 after travelling on foot for 15 days

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama (Getty)

The Dalai Lama has described himself as a “son of India” and praised the country for its secularism.

The religious leader has been in India since 1959 and crossed the border after a 15-day journey on foot.

He reserved praised for the country he has lived in since his exile and said India had helped him develop “broader thought”.

“I am living in India for the past 58 years and hence, I am a 'son of India'," he said in a speech at an international seminar on Buddhism in Bihar, the Times of India reported.

"In the field of secularism there is no other country like India.

"When I was in Tibet my thoughts were narrow. But when I moved out of my homeland and came to India, I developed a broader thought about Tibet as well as about the entire world," he added.

He also emphasised that education would help develop tolerance among people.

"Today's system of education is making us a consumer. The traditional mode of education was good," he said.