Another service was held at the monastery's temporary site - grassland nestled in the hills. Rows of tents and prefab houses were set up on the field. A banner flying at the entrance indicated this was the 700-year-old Thrangu Monastery.

During his visit to Gyegu, the 11th Panchen Lama received a warm welcome from local residents, most of whom are Tibetan Buddhists.

At the town's main plaza, crowds of residents waited from dawn for the arrival of the Panchen Lama.

"I really want to receive a head-touching blessing from him," said 12-year-old Tsegaomtzi, who came to Gesar plaza with his father from a nearby village.

Tsegaomtzi took off his cap when the Panchen Lama's convoy approached.

Around him, devout believers waved at the vehicle with tears in their eyes. They threw hadas, traditional white scarves, and ran after the convoy.

"Finally, I saw him!" said Kungalondzom, a storeowner. "I feel happy and honored. I had only seen him on the television."

Another survivor, Tashitesring, who lost his wife and 3-year-old son in the quake, said the appearance of the Panchen Lama at this time was comforting.

"I won't forget this moment all my life," he said.

The 11th Panchen Lama, whose secular name is Gyaincain Norbu, was born in February 1990 in Tibet.

He was approved by the central government as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama in November 1995 after a lot-drawing ritual among three candidates in the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa.