Buddhist spiritual leader the Gyalwang Drukpa, who is heading the 17th century Hemis monastery of Drukpa lineage here, the largest inthe Himalayas, on Tuesday greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 69th birthday."It is with great enthusiasm #NaropaFestival Organising Committee wishes Prime Minister Narendra Modi a very Happy Birthday!" Gyalwang Drukpa tweeted.

"We express our heartfelt gratitude to the Governmentof India for uniting Ladakh with the country and invite all to join us in ourcelebrations at Hemis!"A five-day Naropa festival, a carnival of Buddhistspirituality, culture and tradition, and a grand congregation of Drukpamasters, began on Monday at the Hemis monastery, some 45 km from Leh.

This time, a special celebration is being held to mark thegranting of the Union Territory status to Ladakh.

The Naropa festival, a celebration of the 1003rd birthanniversary of the great Indian saint Naropa, is seeing tens of thousands ofdevotees, mainly from Ladakh, Bhutan and Nepal.

A traditional archery competition, fashion show andperformances by local and Bollywood artistes are taking place during thefestival that will conclude on September 20.