But still they revere him.

Dharamsala, the Indian home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government-in-exile, has been the epicentre of angry protests by exiled Tibetans after Chinese troops and police locked down Lhasa, Tibet's capital, to break up violent protests.

"The middle way has been in existence for 20 years and nothing has come out of it," Tsewang Rigzin, president of the Tibetan Youth Congress, told reporters in Dharamsala.

By night, hundreds of Tibetans here in Dharamsala have been holding candle-lit rallies in streets and monasteries.

The protesters call for a far sharper goal than the Dalai Lama has -- even as they reverently display his portrait draped in scarves. He calls for a truly autonomous Tibet within China, his so-called "middle way". They want complete independence.

The protest leaders say the Dalai Lama's stance had achieved nothing and disagreed with his statement on Sunday that China "deserved" the Olympics.