New Delhi - Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, is said to recover very well from gallstone surgery and is likely to leave a hospital in New Delhi this week, a senior aide said Tuesday.

"His Holiness Dalai Lama is recovering steadily and is doing fine," his spokesman Tenzin Takhla said.

"He is likely to be discharged towards the end of the week since doctors want to keep him under observation for a few more days as a precautionary measure," he said.

The Dalai Lama, 73, underwent surgery Friday to remove stones from his gall bladder at the Sir Gangaram Hospital in central Delhi.

At the end of August, the Dalai Lama spent four days in hospital in the western Indian city of Mumbai after he complained of abdominal pains.

After numerous tests, physicians had given him an all-clear signal.

The Tibetan spiritual leader lives in Dharamsala, a northern Indian hill town where he is based along with the Tibetan government-in-exile.