No, I’m not seriously suggesting the monk with the sword that the Dalai Lama saw in a photograph was in fact the Dalai Lama himself — but the notion of a high lama receiving a sacred sword as a gift of honor, from a Sikh no less, does have a certain interest.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/buddhism/28479-the-lama-and-the-sword.html

The sword is not always for fighting. Sometimes it is carried as a reminder to protect dharma.