A Mongolian boy with US dual-nationality has been revealed as the incarnation of the third most important spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism and was pictured for the first time alongside the Dalai Lama.

Pictures show the US-born boy, aged around eight, in a face mask and wearping a bulky red robe at a ceremony alongside the 87-year-old Dalai Lama in Dharamshala is in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.

The formal title of the child, who is said to have a twin, is the tenth Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoché – the third most important spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism and the faith’s leader in Mongolia.

Rumours about the boy’s identity have swirled around the spiritual community for years, but his existence has only now been confirmed with his public appearance in India, where the Dalai Lama lives in exile. The unveiling could spark fury in China, which has previously said it will only recognise Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leaders their special government-approved appointees have chosen.

Presented at the ceremony in Dharamsala on 8 March were also 600 Mongolians who came to celebrate their new spiritual leader.During the ceremony, the Dalai Lama told the crowd: ‘We have the reincarnation of Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoché of Mongolia with us today. His predecessors had a close association with the Krishnacharya lineage of Chakrasamvara. One of them established a monastery in Mongolia dedicated to its practice. So, his being here today is quite auspicious.’