Kashag
Encyclopedia
The Kashag was the governing council of Tibet
during Qing Dynasty
and Republic of China
. It was set by Qianlong Emperor
in 1751. In that year the Tibetan government was reorganized after the riots in Lhasa
of the previous year. The civil administration
was represented by Council (Kashag) after the 7th Dalai Lama abolished the post of Desi (or Regent; see: dual system of government
), in whom too much power had been placed.
The Council administrated matters of private and national interests. It was constituted of three temporal official
s and one monk official. Each of them held the title of Kalön .
The function of the Council was to express opinions about matters or problems concerning the civil administration of the country and to present these opinions to the office of the first minister. The first minister then presented these opinions to the Dalai Lama
and, during the Qing Dynasty
the Amban
, for a final decision. The privilege of presenting recommendations for appointing executive officials, governor
s and district commissioner
s gave the Council a lot of power.
: political, military, economic, judicial, foreign, financial and educational departments. Except for the Ministry of Finance , all ministries had two representatives – one temporal and one monastic. The Ministry of Finance had three lay officials. Each of them held the title of Tsipön . All ministries had a right to make decisions to the extent of their competence. Matters, or problems outside the competence of ministries were (with a particular ministry’s given opinion) presented to the Council. Everything outside the competence of the Council was presented to the Dalai Lama
himself.
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...
during Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
and Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
. It was set by Qianlong Emperor
Qianlong Emperor
The Qianlong Emperor was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. The fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor, he reigned officially from 11 October 1735 to 8 February 1796...
in 1751. In that year the Tibetan government was reorganized after the riots in Lhasa
Lhasa riot of 1750
The Lhasa riot of 1750 took place in Lhasa, and lasted several days. The uprising began on November 11 of 1750 after the regent of Tibet, Gyurme Namgyal, was assassinated by the two Manchu ambans....
of the previous year. The civil administration
Central Tibetan Administration
The Central Tibetan Administration , is an organisation based in India with the stated goals of "rehabilitating Tibetan refugees and restoring freedom and happiness in Tibet". It was established by the 14th Dalai Lama in 1959 shortly after his exile from Tibet...
was represented by Council (Kashag) after the 7th Dalai Lama abolished the post of Desi (or Regent; see: dual system of government
Dual system of government
The Dual System of Government or Cho-sid-nyi is the traditional diarchal political system of Tibetan peoples whereby the Desi coexists with the spiritual authority of the realm, usually unified under a third single ruler. The actual distribution of power between institutions varied over time and...
), in whom too much power had been placed.
The Council administrated matters of private and national interests. It was constituted of three temporal official
Official
An official is someone who holds an office in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority .A government official or functionary is an official who is involved in public...
s and one monk official. Each of them held the title of Kalön .
The function of the Council was to express opinions about matters or problems concerning the civil administration of the country and to present these opinions to the office of the first minister. The first minister then presented these opinions to 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"...
and, during the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
the Amban
Amban
Amban is a Manchu word meaning "high official," which corresponds to a number of different official titles in the Qing imperial government...
, for a final decision. The privilege of presenting recommendations for appointing executive officials, governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
s and district commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
s gave the Council a lot of power.
Ministries
Headed by the Council was the government administration, divided into ministriesMinistry (government department)
A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
: political, military, economic, judicial, foreign, financial and educational departments. Except for the Ministry of Finance , all ministries had two representatives – one temporal and one monastic. The Ministry of Finance had three lay officials. Each of them held the title of Tsipön . All ministries had a right to make decisions to the extent of their competence. Matters, or problems outside the competence of ministries were (with a particular ministry’s given opinion) presented to the Council. Everything outside the competence of the Council was presented to 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"...
himself.