Bhutan and Ladakh
Bhutan and Ladakh had a patron – priest relations.
The development of the relationship between the two Himalayan countries can be
traced back to the 16th century AD. The King Jamyang Namgyal (1595-1616) of
Ladakh maintained relations with Drukpa Monastery of Ralung, Sera Monastery and
Brepung Monastery of Tibet. The king offered presents and gifts to the above
mentioned Monasteries.[1]
The good relations established by King Jamyang
Namgyal were continued by the King Sengye Namgyal (1616-1641). Like his late
father, king Sengye Namgyal also offered presents and gifts to the Ralung
Monastery, Sera Monastery and Brepung Monastery of Tibet. (Francke, Peteech)
Later, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the … abbot of
Ralung Monastery had to come to Lho Mon (later Bhutan). He made the Lho Mon
into a Nation State and he was the supreme leader of the State. Zhabdrung
Ngawang Namgyal’s tradition of Drukpa Kagyud in Bhutan was called Southern
Drukpa.
The king Sengye Namgyal of Ladakh continued to
maintain contact with Chogyal Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal of Bhutan. King Sengye
Namgyal invited Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal Rinpoche to Ladakh to be his chief
priest. But Zhabdrung Rinpoche was busy consolidating the unification of the
Nation under his leadership. As a result, he could not go to Ladakh but sent
his representative Choje Muk Dzinpa. Choje Muk Dzinpa became the first
Bhutanese lama who served in the court of Ladakh. Choje Muk Dzinpa went to
Ladakh and stayed at Guge.[2]
Choje Muk Dzinpa was the founder of the Tagna Monastery of Ladakh.[3] But in which year the King Sengye Namgyal made
invitation to Zhabdrung Rinpoche and when Choje Muk Dzinpa was sent to Ladakh
were not mentioned in both Ladakhi and Bhutanese sources. However, by 1622, we
read that Choje Muk Dzinpa was in Ladakh serving the Ladakhi king.[4] In
1622, there was a conflict between Ladakh and Guge where Choje Muk Dzinpa had
to mediate and established a truce between the two parties. The two parties
agreed for the mediation arranged by the Choje Muk Dzinpa and peace was prevailed
for sometimes. Choje Muk Dzinpa called the Tag Tshang Repa who was the
representative of the northern Drukpa to his residence and informed him the
situation and urged Tag Tshang Repa to settle the conflict permanently. Choje
Muk Dzinpa knew that he was not going to live longer. So he advised Tag Tshang
Repa to resolve the disputes once for all. Choje Muk Dzinpa passed away in
1624.
After the death of Choje Muk Dzinpa, the conflict
between the Drukpa monks at Gapa and the ruler of Guge surfaced again. The
troops of Guge took Myanpo ri Dzon in 1627.The Guge ruler killed some Drukpas
and imprisoned about eight monks along with a leader. Zhabdrung Rinpoche was
against the Guge leader for his actions and sent Dor Dzin Samten Rabgye and
Lobo Chagzad. They captured the outer pasturelands of Guge. However, the
conflict was settled by the Tag Tshang Repa who was the representative of the
northern Drukpa at Ladakh.
King Sengye Namgyal gave many Estates to Zhabdrung
Ngawang Namgyal of Bhutan at Kailasa, in Guge, Zangskar and Lahul etc
(Peteech). To look after these estates those were received from Ladakhi rulers,
Zhabdrung Rinpoche appointed his representatives. As we have read already the
case of Choje Muk Dzinpa in Guge, Zhabdrung Rinpoche appointed his
representatives at Kailasa. The Samten Rabgye as the representative at Kailasa
was mentioned above. These lama representatives were known by the title “Dor
Dzin” and sometimes, they are also called Gangri Lams. The Mount Kailasa is the
pilgrimage site for Buddhist in general and Brigungpa and Drukpa in
particular. Drukpas had established many
hermitages for meditation.
Similarly, Bhutan sent its representative lama at
Lobo also. The present Mustang in Nepal was called Lobo. It was a Buddhist
independent kingdom then. Like Zhabdrung Rinpoche, both the 3rd and 4th Desis
also appointed Bhutanese lamas to continue the system. The 3rd Desi Chogyal
Minjur Tenpa appointed Sherab Gyamysho as the Gangri Lama while Gelong Sherab
Palbar for Zangskar and Nono Ngawang Drukgye at Tagna.
The 4th Desi Tenzin Rabgye also made appointments of
the Bhutanese lamas in these positions in 1687. He appointed Lobopa Druk Rabgye
as Zhung Dronyer. As his replacement, he appointed Ngagi Wangcuk as new Lobo
Lama. While Chang Gyalpo was appointed as Gangri Lama, Ngag Odzer was asked to
be the lama for Ladakh.
In 1694 also, the 4th Desi made the following
appointments. He appointed kudrung Ngawang chophel as the new Gangri Lam
whereas Dungpa Udzad was appointed as the lama for the court of Ge Dzong ruler
and Ngawnag Samten was sent for the court of Lobo ruler.
King Sengye Namgyal also sent many Ladakhi people to
Bhutan to receive trainings from southern Drukpa. The one such person who came
to Bhutan was none other than the brother of King Sengye Namgyal himself called
Tenzin. Tenzin helped Zhabdrung Rinpoche to defend Bhutan against the Tibetan
invasion in 1639. Tenzin was said to become Wangdue Phodrang Dzongpon later on.
According to the Chronicle of Ladakh, King Sengye
Namgyal had a brother called Norbu Namgyal who became king of Ladakh in
(1623-1624) for a year only. Norbu Namgyal was murdered by his ministers and
they enthroned Sengye Namgyal again as the king of Ladakh. In addition, King
Sengye Namgyal had two half-brothers. There were Tenzin Namgyal and Ngawang
Namgyal. Now one can deduce that, it must be the Tenzin Namgyal who came to
Bhutan. He received Drukpa teachings from Zhabdrung Rinpoche and in 1639 when
Tsang Desi invaded Bhutan, Tenzin joined with Zhabdrung Rinpoche in fighting
against the Tsang Desi’s forces at Punakha.
King Sengye Namgyal had three sons. De Dan Namgyal
succeeded his father Sengye Namgyal. While, Indrabhodi Namgyal, in his early
life, became the novice to Choje MuK Dzinpa, but later on he became ruler of
Guge and Dechog Namgyal was sent to Chiti and Zangskar as a ruler under the
overall leadership of the De Dan Namgyal of Ladakh.
De Dan Namgyal was succeeded by his son De Leg
Namgyal (1645-1680). In Bhutan, Zhabdrung Rinpoche had entered into permanent
retreat in 1651. Prior to this period, Zhabdrung had appointed Tenzin Drukgyal
(1651-1656) as the Desi to look after the general administration of a country
and Pekar Jungne as the Jekhenpo to look after the religious matter of a
country.
When first Desi Tenzin Drukgyal passed away in 1656,
Zhabdrung’s half-brother Tenzin Drukdra (1656- 1667) became the second Desi of
Bhutan. The second Desi Tenzin Drukdra passed away in 1667 after the reign of
twelve years.
Then Chogyal Minjur Tenpa (1667-1680) became the
third Desi of Bhutan. During the tenure of Chogyal Minjur Tenpa, the Tibetan
Government (Gelugpa) made a series of attack on Bhutan in 1676, 77 and 78[5]
whereas Lobpon Pema Tshewang placed in 1668 and 1676. But K. Dondup wrote that
the war occurred in 1657, 1675 and 1676.
The King of Ladakh, De Leg Namgyal wrote to the Tibetan Government that
he would support the Bhutan Government. But Tibetan Government attacked Ladakh.
The conflict was mediated by the 6th Drukchen Mipham Wangpo of Lhodrag. A
system of Lochag was established between Ladakh and Tibet.
King De Leg Namgyal had five sons. They were Nyima
Namgyal, Ngawang Namgyal, Wangchuk Namgyal, Dendup Namgyal and Gadan Namgyal.
In Bhutan, Tenzin Rabgye (1680-1694) was the Desi of Bhutan. As usual, the
relations between Ladakh and Bhutan continued during the reign of two leaders.
In 1683, the chamberlain Gaga sent Ngawang Penjor to Bhutan.[6] He
stayed in the court of 4th Desi Tenzin Rabgye who later on appointed him Paro Ponlop
in 1684.[7]
Nyima Namgyal succeeded his father De Leg Namgyal.
Nyima Namgyal began his rule from 1691. He was very pious king of Ladakh.
After the passing away of Choje Muk Dzinpa, no name of Bhutanese lama to Ladakh appeared. Because of long absence of Bhutanese lama in the court of Ladakh made King Nyima Namgyal to make repeated requests for a Bhutanese Lama in Ladakh. The Bhutanese Government sent Jamgyon Ngawang Gyaltshan to Ladakh in 1706. While Ngawang Gyaltshan was in Ladakh, he became the teacher of a prince Tenzin Norbu who is said to be the descendant of King Sengye Namgyal who was born in 1689. Ngawang Gyaltshan administered him initiations and brought him to Bhutan. Later he even became the Je Khenpo of Bhutan. Of course in the list of Je Khenpo provided in the course book for class IX, we see the 8th Je Khenpo by the name of Tenzin Norbu (1738-1744). But we are not sure, who could be his father. Was he the son of the king Nyima Namgyal? As per the Petech, the King Nyima Namgyal had two sons from his two Queens. They were De Chong Namgyal and Trashi Namgyal. Later, the 13th Desi Sherab Wangchuk (1744-1763) sent a mission to Ladakh. The Mission was led by the then Wangdue Phodrang Dzongpon Zhidar.
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