The Dalai Lama has returned to his headquarters in the north Indian hill town of Dharmsala after a brief stay in a hospital in the capital for treatment of a chest infection.

Hundreds of exiled Tibetans lined the streets of Dharmsala carrying ceremonial scarves and incense sticks to welcome the Dalai Lama on Friday. Tibetan and Buddhist flags hung all over the town to welcome the 83-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader.

The 83-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader told reporters that he had fully recovered, but that the illness had been "a little bit serious." He did not give any details.