Sonam Topgay Dorji
Encyclopedia
Sir Raja Sonam Topgay Dorji (CIE
) (Dzongkha:སྟོབས་རྒྱས་རྡོ་རྗེ་; Wylie transliteration
: Stobs-rgyas Rdo-rje) (1896–1953), also called Tobgay, was a member of the Dorji family
and Bhutan
ese politician who served between 1917 and 1952 in the Royal Government under the First
and Second Kings of Bhutan. During this period, Topgay Dorji officially held the posts of Gongzim (Chief Minister), Deb Zimpon (Chief Secretary), and Trade Agent to the Government of Bhutan. As such, Topgay Dorji was responsible for fostering Anglo-Bhutanese relations, and later, Bhutan–India relations. Topgay's ties with the west and modernist political factions contributed significantly to the modern political landscape
and modernization of Bhutan.
Topgay Dorji inherited his positions from his father, Kazi Ugyen Dorji
, who was instrumental in advising Ugyen Wangchuck
before and after he became the First King of Bhutan. Topgay Dorji lived, worked, and died at Bhutan House
, the Dorji's estate in Kalimpong, India
, the traditional administrative center of southern Bhutan.
, adviser to Ugyen Wangchuck
both before and after the rise of the latter to the throne. The powerful Dorji family
became prominent through their ties to the Wangchuck family and to the British. Kazi Dorji had advised the future First King to mediate between the British
and Tibet
, and later to allow the large-scale induction of Nepalis into Bhutan
. establishing friendly ties with British India.
Topgay Raja married Rani Chuni Wangmo, the youngest daughter of the Sikkim
ese Maharaja
, at Bhutan House
on April 5, 1918. Together they had three sons and two daughters.
His eldest son was Jigme Palden Dorji
, born in 1919. He went on to become Governor of Haa
in 1924, and then to succeed his father as the first Prime Minister of Bhutan. Jigme Palden Dorji was assassinated amid a political struggle between modernist pro-Dorji and monarchist pro-Wangchuck factions. Topgay's second son was named Ugyen, born in 1933. Ugyen was recognized as a lama
at Bhutan House
as a young boy. He was thereafter called Ugyen Rimpoche, or Bodhay Rimpoche. The youngest son was Lhendup "Lenny" Dorji
, born October 6, 1935. Lhendup served briefly as Acting Prime Minister in 1964. That year, he went into voluntary exile in Nepal and later settled at Kalimpong.
Topgay's elder daughter Ashi Tashi Dorji served as Governor of Eastern Bhutan. In 1964, she accompanied Lhendup into voluntary exile, though she returned to Bhutan in 1972. On October 5, 1951, Topgay's younger daughter Kesang Choden Dorji married the Third King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck
, creating a new bond so prominent as to cause some discontent among other Bhutanese families. Topgay is thus an ancestor of the current Fifth King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.
In 1917, Topgay assumed his father's positions as Gongzim (Chief Minister) and Trade Agent to the Government of Bhutan, however he functioned to a large extent as prime minister, foreign minister, and ambassador to India
. Topgay, though young at around 21 years of age, thus became the First King Ugyen Wangchuck
's closest adviser. Administering from Bhutan House
, Sonam Topgay Dorji was also Governor of Haa
, directly abutting the estate, between 1917 and 1924.
Through his position as trade intermediary, Topgay and the Dorji family
amassed wealth reputedly greater than that of the royal family
. He and his family also supported Western education of Bhutanese youths, paving the way for later educational reforms under the Third King.
On April 23, 1948, Topgay Dorji headed the Bhutanese delegation to recently independent India
, meeting Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
. Topgay and Nehru established Bhutan–India relations, prompted by a growing security concern over Communist
China
. Bilateral negotiations lasted through August 8, 1949, culminating in the Indo-Bhutan Treaty, replacing the defunct Treaty of Punakha
. Under the new agreement agreement, India returned the land around Deothang
, subject of part of the 1865 Anglo-Bhutanese War.
Throughout his career, Raja Sonam Topgay Dorji garnered several foreign honors. In 1917, he was granted the titles of Rai Bahadur and Raja
by King George V
. In 1918, he was made Deputy Minister (Kashag
officer of the fourth rank) by the Thirteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet
. Topgay was further created a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire
(CIE) on June 8, 1944.
in September 1953, without having been ill in any way. The event seemed to symbolize a dark cloud of misfortune for the Dorji family, which they blamed on a curse.
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
) (Dzongkha:སྟོབས་རྒྱས་རྡོ་རྗེ་; Wylie transliteration
Wylie transliteration
The Wylie transliteration scheme is a method for transliterating Tibetan script using only the letters available on a typical English language typewriter. It bears the name of Turrell V. Wylie, who described the scheme in an article, A Standard System of Tibetan Transcription, published in 1959...
: Stobs-rgyas Rdo-rje) (1896–1953), also called Tobgay, was a member of the Dorji family
Dorji family
The Dorji family of Bhutan has been a prominent and powerful political family in the kingdom since the 19th century. The family has produced Chief Ministers, Prime Ministers, governors, and even monarchs...
and 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...
ese politician who served between 1917 and 1952 in the Royal Government under the First
Ugyen Wangchuck
Gongsa Ugyen Wangchuck was the first King of Bhutan from 1907 to 1926.He was born in 1862 to Jigme Namgyal, penlop of Trongsa and Ashi Pema Choki. He succeeded his father as Penlop of Trongsa...
and Second Kings of Bhutan. During this period, Topgay Dorji officially held the posts of Gongzim (Chief Minister), Deb Zimpon (Chief Secretary), and Trade Agent to the Government of Bhutan. As such, Topgay Dorji was responsible for fostering Anglo-Bhutanese relations, and later, Bhutan–India relations. Topgay's ties with the west and modernist political factions contributed significantly to the modern political landscape
Politics of Bhutan
The Government of Bhutan is a constitutional monarchy; between 1907 and the 1950s however, Bhutan was an absolute monarchy. The peaceful march to democracy has been a steady one. The King of Bhutan is head of state. Executive power is exercised by the Lhengye Zhungtshog, or council of ministers,...
and modernization of Bhutan.
Topgay Dorji inherited his positions from his father, Kazi Ugyen Dorji
Ugyen Dorji
Raja Ugyen Dorji was a member of the elite Dorji family and an influential Bhutanese politician. He served as the closest adviser to Ugyen Wangchuck, the hereditary Penlop of Trongsa and later First Druk Gyalpo...
, who was instrumental in advising Ugyen Wangchuck
Ugyen Wangchuck
Gongsa Ugyen Wangchuck was the first King of Bhutan from 1907 to 1926.He was born in 1862 to Jigme Namgyal, penlop of Trongsa and Ashi Pema Choki. He succeeded his father as Penlop of Trongsa...
before and after he became the First King of Bhutan. Topgay Dorji lived, worked, and died at Bhutan House
Bhutan House
Bhutan House is an estate located in Kalimpong, West Bengal, India, owned by the Dorji family of Bhutan. The site is the traditional administrative Dzong for southern Bhutan, and also functioned as the administrative center for the whole of western Bhutan during the early years of consolidation...
, the Dorji's estate in Kalimpong, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the traditional administrative center of southern Bhutan.
Family
Topgay was the son of Kazi Ugyen DorjiUgyen Dorji
Raja Ugyen Dorji was a member of the elite Dorji family and an influential Bhutanese politician. He served as the closest adviser to Ugyen Wangchuck, the hereditary Penlop of Trongsa and later First Druk Gyalpo...
, adviser to Ugyen Wangchuck
Ugyen Wangchuck
Gongsa Ugyen Wangchuck was the first King of Bhutan from 1907 to 1926.He was born in 1862 to Jigme Namgyal, penlop of Trongsa and Ashi Pema Choki. He succeeded his father as Penlop of Trongsa...
both before and after the rise of the latter to the throne. The powerful Dorji family
Dorji family
The Dorji family of Bhutan has been a prominent and powerful political family in the kingdom since the 19th century. The family has produced Chief Ministers, Prime Ministers, governors, and even monarchs...
became prominent through their ties to the Wangchuck family and to the British. Kazi Dorji had advised the future First King to mediate between the British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
and 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 later to allow the large-scale induction of Nepalis into Bhutan
Lhotshampa
Lhotshampa, or Lhotsampa, means "southerners" in Dzongkha, the national language of Bhutan. The term refers to the heterogeneous ethnic Nepalese population of Bhutan.-History:...
. establishing friendly ties with British India.
Topgay Raja married Rani Chuni Wangmo, the youngest daughter of the Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
ese Maharaja
Maharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
, at Bhutan House
Bhutan House
Bhutan House is an estate located in Kalimpong, West Bengal, India, owned by the Dorji family of Bhutan. The site is the traditional administrative Dzong for southern Bhutan, and also functioned as the administrative center for the whole of western Bhutan during the early years of consolidation...
on April 5, 1918. Together they had three sons and two daughters.
His eldest son was Jigme Palden Dorji
Jigme Palden Dorji
Jigme Palden Dorji was a Bhutanese politician and member of the Dorji family. By marriage, he was also a member of the House of Wangchuck....
, born in 1919. He went on to become Governor of Haa
Haa District
This page is about the area Haa. For information about the airships, please see high-altitude airship.Haa District is one of the 20 dzongkhag or districts comprising Bhutan. Per the 2005 census, the population of Haa dzongkhag was 11,648, making it the second least populated dzongkhag in Bhutan...
in 1924, and then to succeed his father as the first Prime Minister of Bhutan. Jigme Palden Dorji was assassinated amid a political struggle between modernist pro-Dorji and monarchist pro-Wangchuck factions. Topgay's second son was named Ugyen, born in 1933. Ugyen was recognized as a lama
Lama
Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...
at Bhutan House
Bhutan House
Bhutan House is an estate located in Kalimpong, West Bengal, India, owned by the Dorji family of Bhutan. The site is the traditional administrative Dzong for southern Bhutan, and also functioned as the administrative center for the whole of western Bhutan during the early years of consolidation...
as a young boy. He was thereafter called Ugyen Rimpoche, or Bodhay Rimpoche. The youngest son was Lhendup "Lenny" Dorji
Lhendup Dorji
Dasho Lhendup Dorji was a member of the powerful and respected Dorji family of Bhutan. He served as acting Lonchen following the assassination of his brother, Lonchen Jigme Palden Dorji, on April 5, 1964...
, born October 6, 1935. Lhendup served briefly as Acting Prime Minister in 1964. That year, he went into voluntary exile in Nepal and later settled at Kalimpong.
Topgay's elder daughter Ashi Tashi Dorji served as Governor of Eastern Bhutan. In 1964, she accompanied Lhendup into voluntary exile, though she returned to Bhutan in 1972. On October 5, 1951, Topgay's younger daughter Kesang Choden Dorji married the Third King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck
Jigme Dorji Wangchuck
Jigme Dorji Wangchuck was the Third Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan.He began to open Bhutan to the outside world, began modernization, and took the first steps toward democratization...
, creating a new bond so prominent as to cause some discontent among other Bhutanese families. Topgay is thus an ancestor of the current Fifth King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.
Life
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Topgay, though young at around 21 years of age, thus became the First King Ugyen Wangchuck
Ugyen Wangchuck
Gongsa Ugyen Wangchuck was the first King of Bhutan from 1907 to 1926.He was born in 1862 to Jigme Namgyal, penlop of Trongsa and Ashi Pema Choki. He succeeded his father as Penlop of Trongsa...
's closest adviser. Administering from Bhutan House
Bhutan House
Bhutan House is an estate located in Kalimpong, West Bengal, India, owned by the Dorji family of Bhutan. The site is the traditional administrative Dzong for southern Bhutan, and also functioned as the administrative center for the whole of western Bhutan during the early years of consolidation...
, Sonam Topgay Dorji was also Governor of Haa
Haa District
This page is about the area Haa. For information about the airships, please see high-altitude airship.Haa District is one of the 20 dzongkhag or districts comprising Bhutan. Per the 2005 census, the population of Haa dzongkhag was 11,648, making it the second least populated dzongkhag in Bhutan...
, directly abutting the estate, between 1917 and 1924.
Through his position as trade intermediary, Topgay and the Dorji family
Dorji family
The Dorji family of Bhutan has been a prominent and powerful political family in the kingdom since the 19th century. The family has produced Chief Ministers, Prime Ministers, governors, and even monarchs...
amassed wealth reputedly greater than that of the royal family
House of Wangchuck
The House of Wangchuck has ruled Bhutan since it was reunified in 1907. Prior to reunification, the Wangchuck family had governed the district of Trongsa as descendants of Dungkar Choji. They eventually overpowered other regional lords and earned the favour of the British Empire...
. He and his family also supported Western education of Bhutanese youths, paving the way for later educational reforms under the Third King.
On April 23, 1948, Topgay Dorji headed the Bhutanese delegation to recently independent India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, meeting Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
. Topgay and Nehru established Bhutan–India relations, prompted by a growing security concern over Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
China
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...
. Bilateral negotiations lasted through August 8, 1949, culminating in the Indo-Bhutan Treaty, replacing the defunct Treaty of Punakha
Treaty of Punakha
The Treaty of Punakha was an agreement signed on January 8, 1910, at Punakha Dzong between the recently consolidated Kingdom of Bhutan and British India. The Treaty of Punakha is not a stand-alone document, but represents a modification of the Treaty of Sinchula of 1865, the prior working agreement...
. Under the new agreement agreement, India returned the land around Deothang
Deothang
Deothang is a town in south-eastern Bhutan. It is located in Samdrup Jongkhar District at an altitude of 870 metres . Population 2,644 ....
, subject of part of the 1865 Anglo-Bhutanese War.
Throughout his career, Raja Sonam Topgay Dorji garnered several foreign honors. In 1917, he was granted the titles of Rai Bahadur and Raja
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
by King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
. In 1918, he was made Deputy Minister (Kashag
Kashag
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...
officer of the fourth rank) by the Thirteenth Dalai Lama 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...
. Topgay was further created a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
(CIE) on June 8, 1944.
Death
Topgay Dorji died suddenly at Bhutan HouseBhutan House
Bhutan House is an estate located in Kalimpong, West Bengal, India, owned by the Dorji family of Bhutan. The site is the traditional administrative Dzong for southern Bhutan, and also functioned as the administrative center for the whole of western Bhutan during the early years of consolidation...
in September 1953, without having been ill in any way. The event seemed to symbolize a dark cloud of misfortune for the Dorji family, which they blamed on a curse.
See also
- Dorji familyDorji familyThe Dorji family of Bhutan has been a prominent and powerful political family in the kingdom since the 19th century. The family has produced Chief Ministers, Prime Ministers, governors, and even monarchs...
- History of BhutanHistory of BhutanBhutan's early history is steeped in mythology and remains obscure. It may have been inhabited as early as 2000 BC, but not much was known until the introduction of Tibetan Buddhism in the 9th century, when turmoil in Tibet forced many monks to flee to Bhutan. In the 12th century, the Drukpa...
- Politics of BhutanPolitics of BhutanThe Government of Bhutan is a constitutional monarchy; between 1907 and the 1950s however, Bhutan was an absolute monarchy. The peaceful march to democracy has been a steady one. The King of Bhutan is head of state. Executive power is exercised by the Lhengye Zhungtshog, or council of ministers,...