Karma Tenkyong
Encyclopedia
Karma Tenkyong in full Karma Tenkyong Wangpo (Kar ma bstan skyong dbang po), was a king of Tibet
who ruled from 1620 to 1642. He belonged to the Tsangpa
Dynasty which had been prominent in Tsang
(West Central Tibet) since 1565. His reign was marked by the increasingly bitter struggle against the Gelugpa sect and its leader the Dalai Lama
. The final outcome was the crushing of the Tsangpa regime and the establishment of the Dharma
-based Tibetan state that endured until 1950.
. He was considered an incarnation
of Chakna Dorje (Vajrapani
, the protector and guide of Buddha
). At this time the dynasty had entered a phase of military expansion from its bases in the Tsang region. It was strongly allied with the Buddhist hierarchs of the Karmapa
(Black Hat) and Shamarpa
(Red Hat) sects. In 1618, when Karma Tenkyong was twelve years old, his father successfully invaded Ü
(East Central Tibet) which was a stronghold of the reformist Gelugpa sect. In that way he became the supreme ruler of Central Tibet (Ü-Tsang). The conquest was facilitated since the Fourth Dalai Lama had died two years before, and no reincarnated successor had yet been found. Karma Phuntsok Namgyal died in 1620 or 1621 (or, according to other statements, 1623 or 1631) and was succeeded by Karma Tenkyong. Since he was rather young the government was handled by the nanglon Dronyer Bongong and the chilon Gangzukpa. The ministers were adverse to send representatives to the newly discovered Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, fearing the increasingly heartily contacts between the Gelugpa and the Mongol tribes at Kokonor
(Qinghai
). In 1621 a Mongol detachment led by Lhatsun and Hungtaiji invaded the Ü region in support of the Gelugpa. Karma Tenkyong met them in battle at Gyathanggang but was decisively defeated. He and his soldiers were then besieged at Chakpori in Lhasa
and faced with starvation and death by massacre. At this moment the Panchen Lama
of Tashilhunpo
and the leaders of the Ganden and Taklung
monasteries intervened. These three Gelugpa dignitaries persuaded the Mongols to lift the siege in return for wide concessions. The Gelugpa received back most of the estates lost to the Tsangpa. The military camps that the latter kept in the region were abolished. For the Gelugpa leaders it was probably desirable to avoid the complete annihilation of Karma Tenkyong’s forces, since they were the only effective army of Tibet
and could serve as a counterweight to the Mongols. Karma Tenkyong proceeded to repair the temples in Lhasa
where the ravages of the Mongols caused the religious service to lapse for two years. He also made repairs of Sakya
and Taklung
. Furthermore the new ruler issued a law code.
Jesuit missionaries visited Tibet. In 1628 the priests Estêvão Cacella
and João Cabral arrived to the royal residence Shigatse
and were received by the king. The Jesuits describe him as an intelligent and handsome man of 22, pious and generous to the poor. His palace was built on the top of a mountain, with a construction similar to a Portuguese fortress but without artillery. His court was kept with great luxury and the various rooms were gilded and painted. The personal apartment of the king contained a section where he collected curiosities. The palace had curtains of Chinese
damask
and other substances, the quality of which could compete with the silks of the Portuguese. While the hostile Gelugpa sources are reluctant to accord the Tsangpa ruler royal titles, European accounts point him out as the king of Ü-Tsang ('Ucangue') or Tibet. The account of the Jesuit Father Gerbillon
from the late 17th century says of him: 'It was not more than 60 years ago that Thibet, that is variously called Toubet, Thibet and Tangout, was governed by a king native to that land, called Tsanpa han [Tsangpa Khan], whom the Chinese call Tsan pou in their histories. This prince was once very powerful […]; although the grand lama who is called Dalai Lama stayed in Poutala, that our travellers called variously Botala, Lassa and Barantola, he was still not the temporal sovereign of the land; it was Tsan pa who then ruled, and who lost the crown in the way that I will recount.'
, the royal seat of the by now impotent Phagmodrupa dynasty
. Karma Tenkyong furthermore allied with the senior ruler of the Mongols, Ligdan Khan
, a convert to the Shamarpa sect. Ligdan Khan actually captured the Kokonor area in 1633 but died of smallpox
in the following year, and the supreme Mongol khanate lapsed after his demise. In 1635 a new foreign invader approached Tibet. This was Arslan, son of the Shamarpa-minded chief of the Chogthu Mongols, who headed a looting expedition. The rivalling factions of Tibet attempted to draw him to their side. The Shamarpa, enjoined by Karma Tenkyong, secured a Tsangpa-Chogthu alliance. Arslan’s army proceeded to ravage the Gelugpa territories, reaching Drepung and Lhasa. Then, however, the Chogthu leader suddenly changed his allegiance, declared for the Dalai Lama and attacked the Tsangpa positions. His troops conquered Shigatse
and Gyangtse but were then dispersed by another Mongol chief. Karma Tenkyong and the Shamarpa hierarch sent message to Arslan’s father and denounced the conduct of his son. The Chogthu chief sent emissaries who murdered Arslan and a few of his followers.
, a Drukpa cleric who had founded a polity in Bhutan
in 1616. In 1634 he sent six columns that attacked Bhutan across various points of the border from Padro to Bumthang. The Tsangpa forces were able to capture the Sinmodokha palace. They demanded hostages from Ngawang Namgyal, who however gave a defiant reply. The Tibetan soldiers who had captured the palace were supposedly killed by a gunpowder explosion, and the invasion at length achieved nothing (see also Battle of Five Lamas
). In 1638 a chief of the Chahar tribe of the Mongols performed a raid from Tibet into Ladakh
but were repulsed by king Sengge Namgyal
. Due to this there arose some tension between the Tsangpa and Ladakh, although it did not come to open warfare. The Tsang elite sent envoys to pay their respects to Sengge Namgyal. While he marched back with his army, the Ladakhi king subjugated a number of monastic fiefs and herdsmen communities in western Tibet.
. The Chogthu were completely defeated in 1637, and in the next year Gushri Khan visited the Dalai Lama in Lhasa. Meanwhile, Karma Tenkyong tried to counter Gelugpa influence in the east by allying with Donyo Dorje, the king of Beri in Kham
. This ruler supported the Bön religion and was in particular hostile to the Gelugpa, which suffered persecution. A conspiratory letter from Donyo Dorje to Karma Tenkyong was intercepted by a Gelugpa representative. This served as a pretext for Gushri Khan to invade Kham in concert with Parik tribesmen from Amdo
. Donyo Dorje was captured and executed in 1640, and in the next year the entire Kham fell under the pro-Gelugpa forces.
. Still, the Gelugpa leadership initially held a formally neutral stance when the Mongol forces turned against Karma Tenkyong. The Panchen Lama, who resided in the Tashilhunpo monastery in Tsang, was invited to travel to Ü so that he would not be harmed by the forthcoming invasion. As it was, Karma Tenkyong was informed that Gushri Khan’s army was heading towards Tsang, and proceeded to arrest the lama who was kept in detention. The Tsangpa ruler sent troops to guard the borders and erected a stockade around the capital Shigatse
. However, Gushri Khan had obtained the reputation of being an invincible warlord and met with relatively weak resistance. Thirteen districts were rapidly overrun, and the Mongol forces laid siege to Shigatse. The skilful Tsangpa archers kept the attackers at bay for several months. In the meantime Sonam Chospel secured the various Tsangpa districts in Ü through persuasion or force. Eventually he openly showed his support for Gushri Khan’s enterprise and joined the siege with a large body of soldiers.
Emperor in Mukden, Hong Taiji
. The delegates brought letters from Dalai Lama, the Tsangpa and the Karmapa, asking for the emperor’s mediation. However, the Manchu ruler did not wish to take sides in the ongoing conflict. In the first month of the water-horse year 1642, Shigatse and the nearby Karmapa monastery Tashi Zilnon were taken and Karma Tenkyong was captured with his family and retainers. He was imprisoned in the fortress Neu near Lhasa. With this feat Gushri Khan united most of Tibet under the spiritual authority of his patron Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso. Later in the same year a Karmapa uprising took place in several districts. The incensed Gushri Khan gave orders to execute Karma Tenkyong together with his ministers Dronyer Bongong and Gangzukpa. The ex-ruler was administered the capital punishment ko-thumgyab-pa, which in Tibet is reserved for upper class offenders. He was put in an ox-hide bag and thrown in the river near Neu.
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
who ruled from 1620 to 1642. He belonged to the Tsangpa
Tsangpa
Tsangpa was a dynasty that dominated large parts of Tibet from 1565 to 1642. It was the last Tibetan royal dynasty to rule in own name. The regime was founded by Karma Tseten, a retainer of the prince of the Rinpungpa Dynasty and governor of Shigatse in Tsang since 1548.-Superseding the...
Dynasty which had been prominent in Tsang
Ü-Tsang
Ü-Tsang , or Tsang-Ü, is one of the three traditional provinces of Tibet, the other two being Amdo and Kham. Geographically Ü-Tsang covered the central and western portions of the Tibetan cultural area, including the Tsang-po watershed, the western districts surrounding and extending past Mount...
(West Central Tibet) since 1565. His reign was marked by the increasingly bitter struggle against the Gelugpa sect and its leader the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
. The final outcome was the crushing of the Tsangpa regime and the establishment of the Dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
-based Tibetan state that endured until 1950.
Succession and Mongol incursion
Karma Tenkyong was born in 1606 as the son of the Tsangpa ruler Karma Phuntsok NamgyalKarma Phuntsok Namgyal
Karma Phuntsok Namgyal was a king of Tibet who ruled from 1618 to 1620. He belonged to the Tsangpa Dynasty that held power in Tsang since 1565 and was the foremost secular power in Tibet until 1642.-Family:...
. He was considered an incarnation
Incarnation
Incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature who is the material manifestation of an entity, god or force whose original nature is immaterial....
of Chakna Dorje (Vajrapani
Vajrapani
' is one of the earliest bodhisattvas of Mahayana Buddhism. He is the protector and guide of the Buddha, and rose to symbolize the Buddha's power. Vajrapani was used extensively in Buddhist iconography as one of the three protective deities surrounding the Buddha...
, the protector and guide of Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
). At this time the dynasty had entered a phase of military expansion from its bases in the Tsang region. It was strongly allied with the Buddhist hierarchs of the Karmapa
Karmapa
The Karmapa is the head of the Karma Kagyu, the largest sub-school of the Kagyupa , itself one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism....
(Black Hat) and Shamarpa
Shamarpa
Shamarpa of the Red Crown"), also known as Shamar Rinpoche or more formally Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche is a lineage holder of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and the mind manifestation of Amitabha Buddha, He is traditionally associated with Yangpachen monastery near Lhasa.The first...
(Red Hat) sects. In 1618, when Karma Tenkyong was twelve years old, his father successfully invaded Ü
Ü (region)
Ü is a geographic division and a historical region in Tibet. Together with Tsang , it forms Central Tibet Ü-Tsang , which is one of the three Tibetan regions or cholka . The other two cholka are Kham and Amdo...
(East Central Tibet) which was a stronghold of the reformist Gelugpa sect. In that way he became the supreme ruler of Central Tibet (Ü-Tsang). The conquest was facilitated since the Fourth Dalai Lama had died two years before, and no reincarnated successor had yet been found. Karma Phuntsok Namgyal died in 1620 or 1621 (or, according to other statements, 1623 or 1631) and was succeeded by Karma Tenkyong. Since he was rather young the government was handled by the nanglon Dronyer Bongong and the chilon Gangzukpa. The ministers were adverse to send representatives to the newly discovered Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, fearing the increasingly heartily contacts between the Gelugpa and the Mongol tribes at Kokonor
Kokonor
Kokonor may refer to:* Qinghai province, in China* Qinghai Lake, in China...
(Qinghai
Qinghai
Qinghai ; Oirat Mongolian: ; ; Salar:) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake...
). In 1621 a Mongol detachment led by Lhatsun and Hungtaiji invaded the Ü region in support of the Gelugpa. Karma Tenkyong met them in battle at Gyathanggang but was decisively defeated. He and his soldiers were then besieged at Chakpori in Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
and faced with starvation and death by massacre. At this moment the Panchen Lama
Panchen Lama
The Panchen Lama , or Bainqên Erdê'ni , is the highest ranking Lama after the Dalai Lama in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism...
of Tashilhunpo
Tashilhunpo
Tashilhunpo Monastery , founded in 1447 by Gendun Drup, the First Dalai Lama, is a historic and culturally important monastery next to Shigatse, the second-largest city in Tibet....
and the leaders of the Ganden and Taklung
Taklung
Taklung is a village development committee in Gorkha District in the Gandaki Zone of northern-central Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 4,835 and had 859 houses in the town....
monasteries intervened. These three Gelugpa dignitaries persuaded the Mongols to lift the siege in return for wide concessions. The Gelugpa received back most of the estates lost to the Tsangpa. The military camps that the latter kept in the region were abolished. For the Gelugpa leaders it was probably desirable to avoid the complete annihilation of Karma Tenkyong’s forces, since they were the only effective army of Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
and could serve as a counterweight to the Mongols. Karma Tenkyong proceeded to repair the temples in Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
where the ravages of the Mongols caused the religious service to lapse for two years. He also made repairs of Sakya
Sakya
The Sakya school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug...
and Taklung
Taklung
Taklung is a village development committee in Gorkha District in the Gandaki Zone of northern-central Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 4,835 and had 859 houses in the town....
. Furthermore the new ruler issued a law code.
Impressions of foreign visitors
In the time of Karma Tenkyong a number of PortuguesePortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
Jesuit missionaries visited Tibet. In 1628 the priests Estêvão Cacella
Estêvão Cacella
Estêvão Cacella was a Portuguese Jesuit missionary.-Life:Cacella was born in Aviz in 1585, joined the Jesuits at the age of nineteen, and sailed for India in 1614 where he worked for some years in Kerala...
and João Cabral arrived to the royal residence Shigatse
Shigatse
Shigatse is a county-level city and the second largest city in Tibet Autonomous Region , People's Republic of China, with a population of 92000, about southwest of Lhasa and northwest of Gyantse...
and were received by the king. The Jesuits describe him as an intelligent and handsome man of 22, pious and generous to the poor. His palace was built on the top of a mountain, with a construction similar to a Portuguese fortress but without artillery. His court was kept with great luxury and the various rooms were gilded and painted. The personal apartment of the king contained a section where he collected curiosities. The palace had curtains of Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
damask
Damask
Damask is a reversible figured fabric of silk, wool, linen, cotton, or synthetic fibers, with a pattern formed by weaving. Damasks are woven with one warp yarn and one weft yarn, usually with the pattern in warp-faced satin weave and the ground in weft-faced or sateen weave...
and other substances, the quality of which could compete with the silks of the Portuguese. While the hostile Gelugpa sources are reluctant to accord the Tsangpa ruler royal titles, European accounts point him out as the king of Ü-Tsang ('Ucangue') or Tibet. The account of the Jesuit Father Gerbillon
Jean-François Gerbillon
Jean-François Gerbillon was a French missionary, who worked in China.He entered the Society of Jesus, 5 Oct, 1670, and after completing the usual course of study taught grammar and humanities for seven years...
from the late 17th century says of him: 'It was not more than 60 years ago that Thibet, that is variously called Toubet, Thibet and Tangout, was governed by a king native to that land, called Tsanpa han [Tsangpa Khan], whom the Chinese call Tsan pou in their histories. This prince was once very powerful […]; although the grand lama who is called Dalai Lama stayed in Poutala, that our travellers called variously Botala, Lassa and Barantola, he was still not the temporal sovereign of the land; it was Tsan pa who then ruled, and who lost the crown in the way that I will recount.'
Struggles with the Chogthu Mongols
The new Dalai Lama, born in 1617, was eventually received in the Repung monastery in 1622. Pilgrims, notables and soldiers arrived in increasing numbers from Mongolia to Central Tibet and worried Karma Tenkyong. The Tsangpa ruler gathered around him members of the old nobility and old religious communities who looked on the expansion of the Gelugpa with suspicion. In 1631 he was able to push back the Gelugpa positions so that Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso was forced to seek refuge in NêdongNedong
Nedong may refer to:*Nêdong County, county in Tibet*Nêdong , village in Tibet...
, the royal seat of the by now impotent Phagmodrupa dynasty
Phagmodrupa dynasty
The Phagmodrupa dynasty or Pagmodru of Tibet was established by Tai Situ Changchub Gyaltsen at the end of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. Tai Situ came from the monastic fief Phagmodru , which was originally founded as a hermitage in 1158 by the famous Kagyu scholar Phagmo Drupa Dorje Gyalpo...
. Karma Tenkyong furthermore allied with the senior ruler of the Mongols, Ligdan Khan
Ligdan Khan
Ligdan Khutugtu Khan was the last in the Borjigin clan of Mongol Khans who ruled the Mongols from Chakhar. His unpopular reign generated violent opposition due to his harsh restrictions over the Mongols...
, a convert to the Shamarpa sect. Ligdan Khan actually captured the Kokonor area in 1633 but died of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
in the following year, and the supreme Mongol khanate lapsed after his demise. In 1635 a new foreign invader approached Tibet. This was Arslan, son of the Shamarpa-minded chief of the Chogthu Mongols, who headed a looting expedition. The rivalling factions of Tibet attempted to draw him to their side. The Shamarpa, enjoined by Karma Tenkyong, secured a Tsangpa-Chogthu alliance. Arslan’s army proceeded to ravage the Gelugpa territories, reaching Drepung and Lhasa. Then, however, the Chogthu leader suddenly changed his allegiance, declared for the Dalai Lama and attacked the Tsangpa positions. His troops conquered Shigatse
Shigatse
Shigatse is a county-level city and the second largest city in Tibet Autonomous Region , People's Republic of China, with a population of 92000, about southwest of Lhasa and northwest of Gyantse...
and Gyangtse but were then dispersed by another Mongol chief. Karma Tenkyong and the Shamarpa hierarch sent message to Arslan’s father and denounced the conduct of his son. The Chogthu chief sent emissaries who murdered Arslan and a few of his followers.
Relations with Bhutan and Ladakh
Meanwhile there were a few disputes with areas to the west and south. Karma Tenkyong inherited from his father a latent conflict with Ngawang NamgyalNgawang Namgyal
Ngawang Namgyal was a Tibetan Buddhist lama and the unifier of Bhutan as a nation state...
, a Drukpa cleric who had founded a polity in Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
in 1616. In 1634 he sent six columns that attacked Bhutan across various points of the border from Padro to Bumthang. The Tsangpa forces were able to capture the Sinmodokha palace. They demanded hostages from Ngawang Namgyal, who however gave a defiant reply. The Tibetan soldiers who had captured the palace were supposedly killed by a gunpowder explosion, and the invasion at length achieved nothing (see also Battle of Five Lamas
Battle of Five Lamas
The Battle of Five Lamas was a battle in 1634 in which Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal prevailed over the Tibetan and Bhutanese forces allied against him...
). In 1638 a chief of the Chahar tribe of the Mongols performed a raid from Tibet into Ladakh
Ladakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
but were repulsed by king Sengge Namgyal
Sengge Namgyal
Sengge Namygal was a 17th century Namgyal dynasty King of Ladakh, India from 1616 to his death in 1642. A Buddhist, he was noted for his immense work in building monasteries, palaces and shrines in Ladakh and is known as the "Lion King"....
. Due to this there arose some tension between the Tsangpa and Ladakh, although it did not come to open warfare. The Tsang elite sent envoys to pay their respects to Sengge Namgyal. While he marched back with his army, the Ladakhi king subjugated a number of monastic fiefs and herdsmen communities in western Tibet.
The rise of Gushri Khan
The disappearance of Arslan gave room for the chief of the Khoshut Mongols, Gushri Khan, to act. He had previously visited Tibet as a pilgrim and was attached to the Dalai Lama faction. After Arslan’s death he attacked the Chogthu in Kokonor in concert with the Dzungar chief Baatur KhungtaijiErdeni Batur
Erdeni Batur was a Choros-Oirat prince and is generally considered the founder of a new Oirat state in Central Asia known as the Dzungar Khanate....
. The Chogthu were completely defeated in 1637, and in the next year Gushri Khan visited the Dalai Lama in Lhasa. Meanwhile, Karma Tenkyong tried to counter Gelugpa influence in the east by allying with Donyo Dorje, the king of Beri in Kham
Kham
Kham , is a historical region covering a land area largely divided between present-day Tibetan Autonomous Region and Sichuan province, with smaller portions located within Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan provinces of China. During the Republic of China's rule over mainland China , most of the region was...
. This ruler supported the Bön religion and was in particular hostile to the Gelugpa, which suffered persecution. A conspiratory letter from Donyo Dorje to Karma Tenkyong was intercepted by a Gelugpa representative. This served as a pretext for Gushri Khan to invade Kham in concert with Parik tribesmen from Amdo
Amdo
Amdo is one of the three traditional regions of Tibet, the other two being Ü-Tsang and Kham; it is also the birth place of the 14th Dalai Lama. Amdo encompasses a large area from the Machu River to the Drichu river . While culturally and ethnically a Tibetan area, Amdo has been administered by a...
. Donyo Dorje was captured and executed in 1640, and in the next year the entire Kham fell under the pro-Gelugpa forces.
Invasion of Tsang
The time had now come for Gushri Khan and Dalai Lama’s Tibetan supporters to deal with Karma Tenkyong once and for all. Ngawang Losang Gyatso supposedly wished to avoid bloodshed but was overruled by his chief attendant Sonam ChospelSonam Rapten
Sonam Rapten, also Sonam Choephel was regent in Tibet from 1642 tot 1658. Soon after his nomination as a regent, he was appointed Ganden Podrang as well....
. Still, the Gelugpa leadership initially held a formally neutral stance when the Mongol forces turned against Karma Tenkyong. The Panchen Lama, who resided in the Tashilhunpo monastery in Tsang, was invited to travel to Ü so that he would not be harmed by the forthcoming invasion. As it was, Karma Tenkyong was informed that Gushri Khan’s army was heading towards Tsang, and proceeded to arrest the lama who was kept in detention. The Tsangpa ruler sent troops to guard the borders and erected a stockade around the capital Shigatse
Shigatse
Shigatse is a county-level city and the second largest city in Tibet Autonomous Region , People's Republic of China, with a population of 92000, about southwest of Lhasa and northwest of Gyantse...
. However, Gushri Khan had obtained the reputation of being an invincible warlord and met with relatively weak resistance. Thirteen districts were rapidly overrun, and the Mongol forces laid siege to Shigatse. The skilful Tsangpa archers kept the attackers at bay for several months. In the meantime Sonam Chospel secured the various Tsangpa districts in Ü through persuasion or force. Eventually he openly showed his support for Gushri Khan’s enterprise and joined the siege with a large body of soldiers.
Defeat and death
While the conflict was going on a large Tibetan delegation was dispatched to the ManchuManchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
Emperor in Mukden, Hong Taiji
Hong Taiji
Hong Taiji , also transliterated as Huang Taiji based on the Chinese language transcription of his name, was the first Emperor of the Qing Dynasty.Hong Taiji was the first Emperor of the Qing dynasty after acceding to the title in 1636...
. The delegates brought letters from Dalai Lama, the Tsangpa and the Karmapa, asking for the emperor’s mediation. However, the Manchu ruler did not wish to take sides in the ongoing conflict. In the first month of the water-horse year 1642, Shigatse and the nearby Karmapa monastery Tashi Zilnon were taken and Karma Tenkyong was captured with his family and retainers. He was imprisoned in the fortress Neu near Lhasa. With this feat Gushri Khan united most of Tibet under the spiritual authority of his patron Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso. Later in the same year a Karmapa uprising took place in several districts. The incensed Gushri Khan gave orders to execute Karma Tenkyong together with his ministers Dronyer Bongong and Gangzukpa. The ex-ruler was administered the capital punishment ko-thumgyab-pa, which in Tibet is reserved for upper class offenders. He was put in an ox-hide bag and thrown in the river near Neu.
Further reading
- Dung-dkar blo-bzang 'phrim-las, The Merging of Religious and Secular Rule in Tibet. Beijing 1991.
- David Snellgrove & Hugh Richardson, A Cultural History of Tibet. Boston & London 1986.
- http://www.tibetinfor.com/tibetzt/tsjb/doc/606.htm (in Chinese).