The Ancestors of the Zachen Choje Family of Paro

 

The Ancestors of the Zachen Choje Family of Paro

The lineage of the Zachen Choje family of Paro is traced back to an ancestor in Tibet, Ngawang Tenpa Gyaltshen Pal Zangpo. The family's roots in Tibet are noted, but the chart then skips forward "after several generations," indicating a gap in the recorded genealogy between this Tibetan ancestor and the next documented figure.

The family's history in Bhutan effectively begins when Lama Dechog came from Tibet to Lho Mon (an old name for Bhutan) and settled at Paro Zachenkha. This event marks the founding of the family in Paro and is the point from which the "Zachen" name and the family's identity in the region originate.

Lama Dechog had two sons, and here the lineage produces its first split. One son, Chogyal Norbu, chose a religious path and became a monk, while the other son, Tenpa, carried the family line forward. Tenpa himself also had two sons: Padkar, who likewise became a monk, and Tantan, who continued the hereditary line.

Tantan, in turn, had two sons who took the family in different directions. Zachen Nyonpa represents a branch of the family that appears to end at this point in the record, while the other son, Dorji Gyalpo, became the pivotal figure from whom the family's three major sub-branches descend.

Dorji Gyalpo had three sons, and it is through them that the Zachen Choje family's later, more prominent lines emerge:

• The first son, Damcho Padkar, rose to become the 4th Je Khenpo — one of the highest religious positions in Bhutan, head of the monastic body — making this the most distinguished branch in terms of religious office.
• The second son, Pawo, continued the family line through his son Choje Ngawang Padkar, who was followed by Paro Padkar Choki Gyamtsho.
• The third son, Tenzin Dargye, continued his own line through his son Choje Norbu Phuntsho, who was followed by Chodrag Lam Dorji Namgyal.

Note: Claude generated text based on Flowchart.

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