In a significant development, rival claimnant of the 17th Karmapa, Thaye Thinley Dorjee, was accorded with 'spiritual authority' by his mentor to head the Karma Kagyu sect of Buddhism at a monastery in India's eastern state of West Bengal's Darjeeling district bordering the northeastern Indian state of Sikkim.

Shamar Rimpoche, mentor of the rival claimnant for Karmapa's post, "handed back" the spiritual authority formally to the 19-year boy monk Dorjee at a glittering ceremony at Kalimpong's Sri Divakar Vihar Buddhist institute of higher learning, about 80 km from here, on Sunday last, a spokesman of the faction Hishey said Tuesday.

Shamar Rimpoche had floated Dorjee's candidature in early 90s for the 17th Karmapa's post after he fell out with his other two living 'regents' of the Rumtek monastery on this issue of finding a 'genuine successor' of the 16th incumbent following his death in 1981. Sunday's ceremony was being viewed as a 'preparation' for taking over the Karmapa's throne at the Rumtek monastery.

Hishey said Shamar Rimpoche, who was 'holding' the 'spiritual authority' so far as the boy monk was in the 'process of learning knowledge', handed it back to Dorjee as the mentor was 'satisfied' with the level of acquiring knowledge and spiritual power.

Thaye Thinley Dorjee was battling with Urgyen Thinley Dorjee for the post of the 17th Karmapa, head of the sect with headquarters in Sikkim's Rumtek monastery. While the first one was based in Kalimpong, the latter who fled from Tibet, now stationed at Dharamshala in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.