The Chinese foreign ministry has accused the Dalai Lama of "terrorism in disguise" for supporting Tibetans who have set themselves on fire in protest against Beijing's rule.

The remarks came as the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader fasted and led prayers to honour the nine clerics or former clerics who have self-immolated in south-western China over seven months. On Monday, a nun became the first woman to set fire to herself, dying as a result.

The practice was unknown among clerics until two years ago, when one monk burnt himself to death in Sichuan province's Aba county, the predominantly Tibetan area in which most of the deaths have taken place.

The foreign ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, condemned the self-immolations and said the Dalai Lama was glorifying the cases, inciting further suicides.

The Dalai Lama led a 90-minute prayer service at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamsala, India, where he now lives. His day-long fast is the first he has held since protests rippled through Tibetan areas of China in the wake of the Lhasa riots in March 2008.

Lobsang Sangay, the newly-elected prime minister of the Tibetan government in exile, accused China of an official policy of cracking down on religious institutions.

Speaking in Tibetan, he added: "We would like to appeal to the Chinese government to immediately stop its repressive policies in Tibet, and to resolve the issue of Tibet through peaceful means." Lobsang Choedak, an official, said: "The prayers are for the dead, and to alleviate the suffering of those who are still suffering in Tibet."

The exiled head of the Kirti monastery, the home of most of those who have burnt themselves in protest, also attended the prayers.

In Delhi, religious leaders took part in a multi-faith prayer session. Later, hundreds of protesters marched through central streets, shouting slogans demanding freedom for Tibet and an end to Chinese rule.

Monks and nuns carried placards and banners reading: "Tibetans want freedom to use the Tibetan language" and "Stop destroying Tibetan culture".

The AFP news agency reported that two of its journalists had gained rare access to Aba, where the streets were lined with police and armed soldiers. Police checked all vehicles entering and leaving the town, and reporters were unable to enter the Kirti monastery, where large groups of police were stationed.

The journalists were briefly detained by police, who confiscated a camera and deleted photographs of police and the military presence before telling them they had to leave the county.

Kirti was one of the largest and most important Tibetan monasteries before a crackdown following the first death this year. Exiles say the number of monks there has fallen from 2,000 to several hundred.

Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific director, said on Tuesday that the spate of self-immolations "indicates a new level of desperation" on the part of Tibetans.

He added: "The Chinese authorities should heed the demands of Tibetans to freely practise their religion and enjoy their culture. Instead they have resorted to a heavy-handed response that can only deepen and further fuel resentments."