The 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje reached Kalimpong from Delhi on Sunday for sacred ceremonies but his week-long visit has sparked a Karmapa-versus-Karmapa debate among Buddhist followers in Darjeeling hills.

The Karmapa lineage is the oldest reincarnating lineage in Tibetan Buddhism.

Sources in the Karmapa Trinley camp said the highlights of the revered figure’s visit to Kalimpong would be the white tara/amitayus puja, a tenshug (long-life offering) ceremony followed by the graduation ceremony of monks at the Diwakar Buddhist Academy in Kalimpong.

“His Holiness will also bestow the long life empowerment (sacred wang) on April 27,” said the source.

Karmapa Trinley’s visit, however, has brought back the Karmapa versus Karmapa debate in Darjeeling as there is another claimant to the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa title.

Karmapa is the head of the Kagyu school, one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The other schools are Nyingma, Sakya and Gelug.

“His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetans, however, recognises Ogyen Trinley Dorje as the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa,” said a follower of Karmapa Ogyen. Even the Chinese government recognises Karmapa Ogyen.

The first Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa, was born in 1110. He was the first of the great Tibetan masters to establish an incarnating lineage.

Since his death in 1193, successive Karmapas have been incarnated.

The search for the reincarnate Karmapa is an elaborate process that includes deciphering signs left by the previous incarnate, visions received by some other high-ranking lamas and also observing the designated child over the years.

Karmapa Trinley and Karmapa Ogyen were both born in Tibet.

While Karmapa Trinley escaped from Tibet in 1994, Karmapa Ogyen escaped to India in 2000.

The 16th Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, who passed away in the US in 1981, had set up the Rumtek monastery in Sikkim.