By Alastair Lawson of the South Asia Regional Unit

Buddhist monks in the north Indian state of Sikkim have called for an independent commission to ensure that artefacts belonging to the Tibetan monk, the Karmapa Lama, are still intact.

The monks say there is a danger that the famous black hat, traditionally worn by the Karmapa Lama as a ceremonial crown, and other belongings, have either been removed from or destroyed in the monastery where they are kept.

The case reflects the divisions among the five million followers of the Kagyu Buddhist sect as to who their next leader should be, following the arrival in India of the boy-lama, Urgyen Thinley.

An organisation called the Denzong Nan-Ten Suyng-Khyob Tsongpa (DNST) appealed to Sikkim's Chief Minister to ensure that the black hat worn by the Karmapa Lama was intact.

They say he should order an inventory of all the belongings of the last Karmapa Lama, who died in 1981.

A statement released by the DSNT said there was a possibility that an individual, with what it called a vested interest, might try and remove or destroy the precious belongings of the Karmapa Lama.

The statement did not explain why it feared this might happen, only that the DNST was an impartial organisation formed to protect Sikkim's religious and cultural heritage.

Supporters of Urgyen Thinley say it is nonsensical to suggest they may destroy the hat, which will eventually be worn by him when he is formally installed as the next Karmapa Lama.

The hat itself is reputed to have been made from hair donated to the first Karmapa Lama by thousands of his followers.

Division

The dramatic arrival last month of Urgyen Thinley into India from Tibet has brought the differences among the Kagyu sect into the open.

They disagree as to whether he or another teenager in exile in India, Thaye Dorje, should be the next Karmapa Lama.

Whoever is appointed to the position will not only wear the famous black hat, but will also lead one of the most influential sects within Tibetan Buddhism.

The Kagyu sect has followers across the world and assets worth millions of dollars.

Nowhere is the power struggle within the community more acute than in Sikkim, where many of the sect's followers are in exile.

The Rumtek monastery is one of the richest in India, and its here where the famous black hat worn by the Karmapa Lama is located.

The monastery is currently controlled by monks who support Urgyen Thinley's claim to be Karmapa Lama.

Monks who support Thaye Dorje are not now allowed to enter the monastery complex.

In the early 1990s there were frequent violent clashes between the two factions, and relations today are tense.