Dalai Lama’s Land Rover goes under the hammer

Washington, November 1 : An army green Land Rover formerly belonging to the Dalai Lama will be put up for sale at a 10-day online auction on eBay.com, beginning on Friday.

The vintage vehicle, owned by the Buddhist leader from 1966 to 1975, was recently named among the 10 most exclusive Land Rovers in the world by Land Rover Life magazine.

The highest bidder at the auction will also meet the Dalai Lama as part of a private teaching session in India in March next year, and get a chance to sit next to actress Sharon Stone at an upcoming Dalai Lama Foundation gala in San Francisco, California.

An auction house called Auction Cause is said to be behind the sale of the vehicle.

"This is an amazing item that rarely becomes available at auction. This was the Dalai Lama's daily transportation vehicle before he passed it on to his brother, who, in turn, donated it to the Dalai Lama Foundation here in California,” Contactmusic quoted Eric Gazin of the auction house as saying.

"We understand the Dalai Lama used this Land Rover to visit Buddhist encampments in the Himalayas. Despite its age, it's in great shape and the transmission has just been re-done, among other things," he added.

The reserve price on the vehicle, Sharon Stone meet-and-greet, and Dalai Lama teaching session package has been kept at 75,000 dollars.

The company is expecting to see the bidding of double this amount.

All proceeds of the auction will go to the Dalai Lama Foundation in California. (ANI)