The Dalai Lama is recovering in hospital after surgeons successfully removed a gallstone from the Tibetan spiritual leader, a spokesman said.

Chhime R Chhoekyapa described the surgery as "a simple, routine procedure".

The Nobel prize-winning Buddhist leader, seen by many as the embodiment of Tibet's struggle for more freedom from China, was hospitalised in New Delhi on Thursday, just days after he had been given a clean bill of health.

He had arrived in New Delhi earlier in the week for a check-up, his second in as many months, and aides said afterward that the 73-year-old had been cleared to resume his foreign travels.

His aides said he had no plans to change his programme, and that the visit to Japan would go ahead as scheduled.

In August, the Dalai Lama was admitted to a Mumbai hospital and underwent tests for abdominal discomfort.

His aides said at the time he was in good condition but doctors advised him to cancel a planned trip to Europe and rest, saying he was suffering from exhaustion.

The Dalai Lama normally spends several months a year travelling the world to teach Buddhism and highlight the Tibetan struggle.

News of the surgery sparked fresh worries in Dharamsala, where the Tibetan government-in-exile is seated, about the manner of the Dalai Lama's succession after he passes away.

By tradition, the Dalai Lama is reincarnated after his death, as a small boy who is identified by senior monks.

But there are concerns that the Chinese government would intervene to select a more compliant successor, thereby tightening its grip on the Himalayan region.

In a bid to prevent this from happening, the incumbent has offered to change the centuries-old tradition and forgo rebirth, or be reborn while he was still alive.

He has proposed holding a global referendum among his followers - before his death - on whether he should be reincarnated.