One of Tibetan Buddhism's most important monasteries, the Tashilhunpo situated on the roof of the world next to the Himalayas, appears peaceful and orderly after years of upheaval over the reincarnation of a highly revered spiritual leader.

Lamas and monks dressed in maroon robes express devotion for the 11th Panchen Lama, 13-year-old Gyaltsen Norbu, as their spiritual leader despite the soul boy having been selected by China's communist and atheist government.

At all the major chapels of this sprawling 15th century monastery, pictures of the young Lama are placed side by side with those of the 10th Panchen Lama who died here in 1989 after a lifetime largely spent in Beijing in jail or under house arrest.

The Panchen Lama is of particular significance to the Chinese authorities in political terms as he is traditionally responsible for choosing the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism's most revered spiritual leader.

By playing a major role in his education, many believe Beijing is seeking to control the reincarnation of the next Dalai Lama once the 63-year old incumbent -- living in exile in Dharmasala, India -- dies.

The Chinese government would then have a firmer control over Tibetan Buddhists, who have been the traditional rulers of the region and who have also been the most vocal in opposing Beijing's rule.

Further strengthening China's grip is an ongoing multi-billion dollar effort to bring Tibet into the modern world, an undertaking that has clearly won over many Tibetans seeking material gains, but largely at the expense of their unique spirituality.

"The 11th Panchen Lama was chosen before Sakyamuni (Buddha) as mandated by the 10th Panchen Lama and in accordance with the regulations of the central government," Cering Dorje, a prominent Lama at Tashilhunpo, told a group of Beijing-based foreign journalists allowed a rare visit to Tibet.

Although the present Panchen Lama was chosen in 1995 over another soul boy selected by the exiled Dalai Lama, he has only been allowed two short visits to the monastery which is his traditional seat, one in 2001 and one last year.

"When he came he seemed very intelligent," said Dobu Qiong, another leading monk allowed to talk with journalists.

"He mostly talked about unity, studying religion and supporting him," he said.

Other monks said they knew the 11th Panchen Lama was studying in Beijing, but did not know who his teachers were or why he was not allowed to study at Tashilhunpo, as has been the tradition.

"We are told he will come back to study at Tashilhunpo, but we don't know when," one monk said.

"Maybe this is a decision that (President) Hu Jintao will make," he said with a grin.

Several monks, when asked about the boy chosen by the Dalai Lama, suddenly pretended they did not understand Chinese.

Following the selection of Beijing's choice for the 11th Panchen Lama, the Tashilhunpo was closed to outsiders for months and several leading monks were arrested including Chadrel Rinpoche, the abbot in charge of the search for the reincarnated soul boy.

Chadrel Rinpoche had sided with the Dalai Lama on his choice, prompting Beijing to arrest him and sentence him to six years in jail. The boy picked by the Dalai Lama disappeared and has not been seen since, although the Chinese government recently said he was in good health.

Since then frequent arrests or the ouster of monks from Tashilhunpo have been reported, as well as new regulations on who and how many monks can be admitted to the monastery and a regime of political study sessions.

"We have political study sessions four days a week from Tuesday," said one young monk.

When asked, all monks said that they had to study the "theory of the Three Represents", the awkwardly named new political ideology of the Chinese Communist Party.

During the reporting trip, journalists were allowed to listen and watch up to 100 monks in yellow robes chanting sutras in the monastery's main prayer room and could wander around different chapels, including the newly built tomb of the 10th Panchen Lama.

The impressive gold plated funerary hall was built in the 1990s and occupies a central location in the monastery.

The 10th Panchen Lama, whose own selection was shrouded in controversy, at first embraced Mao Zedong and the communist revolution in the early 1950s, but the relationship soured after the Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 following a failed uprising.

During the disastrous Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), the 10th Panchen Lama was jailed and the Tashilhunpo ransacked by the notorious Red Guards, who destroyed the tombs of the 5th to 9th Panchen Lamas and scattered their remains in the streets of Shigatse.

"They destroyed everything, all the tombs were completely destroyed," said Cering Dorje, who is in his 70s.

Upon his release from prison, the 10th Panchen Lama was given a ceremonial title in Beijing, but was not allowed to return to Tibet for long periods of time.

His main spiritual goal at that time was to rebuild the desecrated tombs of his predecessors, a task that was finally fulfilled with his triumphant return to Tashilhunpo in January 1989 when he oversaw the ceremony marking the completion of the new funerary hall.

Three days later he was dead, reportedly of a heart attack, although many suspected poisoning.

"There was no poisoning, that is only a wild rumor," Cering Dorje said.

"He was tired, there had been such happiness and many festivities."