The annual event reflects growing identification with traditional Tibetan identity, sources say.
Kalsang Yarphel had written and performed songs considered subversive by Chinese authorities.
Prayers are held in Lhasa and the Tibetan prefectures of western China, while authorities attempt to close down a horse race.
They vow to petition higher authorities to block the move by local officials, which they call a 'corrupt plot.'
He is handed a three-year term after being accused of writing politically sensitive articles and sending news of protests to outside contacts.
Local sources say It is not known yet if the man survived his protest.
The county chief had ordered Tibetan homes and an historic cemetery destroyed, angering local residents.
A senior abbot at the Buddhist study center says that 4,725 monastic dwellings were destroyed during the last year.
They are handed four and five-year terms for sharing politically sensitive information with outside contacts.
Monks from a nearby monastery rush to help move victims and their belongings to higher ground.
Doctors tell him no trace is left of a 'small sign' of prostate cancer they had previously identified.
They have been told to return to the grazing lands from which they were earlier removed, sources say.
But he defends his right to keep the photo, citing his 'absolute reverence' for the exiled spiritual leader.
The Tibetans were angered by plans to divert a river to a neighboring Muslim village.
Some Tibetans are closing their WeChat accounts to avoid scrutiny by authorities.
Jamyang Losal's protest brings to 150 the number of self-immolations by Tibetans living in China.
They are being held at an unknown location following their earlier release after questioning.
