Tsangpa
Encyclopedia
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
(West-Central Tibet) since 1548.
lost any semblance of power after 1564, and its rival Rinpungpa was also unable to achieve unity. Among the religious schools the Karmapa
sect competed against the Gelugpa, which was headed by the leader later known as Dalai Lama
. According to tradition Karma Tseten obtained a troop of horsemen by altering a document issued by his master the Rinpungpa lord. He then raised the standard of rebellion, in 1557, and managed to supersede the Rinpungpa in 1565. Known as the Depa Tsangpa or Tsang Desi, he became the king of Upper Tsang and allied with the fifth "Red Hat Karmapa" or Shamarpa
hierarch of the Karma Kagyu
sect, Köncho Yenlak.
(East-Central Tibet). The Tsangpa ruler Karma Phuntsok Namgyal
(or, in another account, his uncle Karma Tensung
) reacted by invading Ü from his base in Tsang in 1605 and attacking the monasteries Drepung and Sera
. 5,000 monks are said to have been massacred on this occasion. Tsangpa expelled the Mongol troops which assisted the Fourth Dalai Lama Yonten Gyatso, himself a Mongol prince by birth. Yonten Gyatso had to flee and the Tsangpa ruler was close to become king of Tibet. In 1612 and 1613 he subjugated a number of local regimes in West Tibet: the Ngari Gyalpo, Lhopa and Changpa. He was less successful against Bhutan
, where his enemy Ngawang Namgyal
, the abbot of Ralung, had taken refuge.
was threatened by Ladakh
in the west, although it never came to open warfare.
region, Gushri Khan, set out from his home area and attacked the king of Beri
in Kham
(East Tibet), who was a practitioner of the Bön religion and persecuted Buddhist lamas. After having defeated Beri he proceeded to attack and capture Karma Tenkyong, in 1642. After a revolt by Tsangpa supporters in the same year, Gushri Khan ordered to put Karma Tenkyong in an ox-hide bag and drown him in a river. Gushri Khan presented Tibet, meaning Ü, Tsang and part of East Tibet, to the Dalai Lama. In this way began the Dharma-based Tibetan state that would last to 1950.
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...
from 1565 to 1642. It was the last Tibetan royal dynasty to rule in own name. The regime was founded by Karma Tseten
Karma Tseten
Karma Tseten was a king of Upper Tsang in West Central Tibet. He was the founder of the Tsangpa Dynasty that had an important role in the history of Tibet up to 1642.-Rebelling against the Rinpungpa:...
, a retainer of the prince of the Rinpungpa
Rinpungpa
Rinpungpa was a Tibetan regime that dominated much of Western Tibet and some of Central Tibet between 1440 and 1565...
Dynasty and governor of 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...
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 1548.
Superseding the Rinpungpa
During the 16th century Tibet was fragmented among rivalling factions, along religious as well as dynastic lines. The old Phagmodrupa dynastyPhagmodrupa 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...
lost any semblance of power after 1564, and its rival Rinpungpa was also unable to achieve unity. Among the religious schools 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....
sect competed against the Gelugpa, which was headed by the leader later known as 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"...
. According to tradition Karma Tseten obtained a troop of horsemen by altering a document issued by his master the Rinpungpa lord. He then raised the standard of rebellion, in 1557, and managed to supersede the Rinpungpa in 1565. Known as the Depa Tsangpa or Tsang Desi, he became the king of Upper Tsang and allied with the fifth "Red Hat Karmapa" or 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...
hierarch of the Karma Kagyu
Karma Kagyu
Karma Kagyu , or Kamtsang Kagyu, is probably the largest and certainly the most widely practiced lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, Mongolia, India, Nepal, and Bhutan, and current...
sect, Köncho Yenlak.
Struggle against the Gelugpa
The history of Karma Tseten's closest successors is not well known, but in the early 17th century the dynasty is frequently mentioned as a competitor for power over Tibet. The family was generally opposed to the Gelugpa and Dalai Lamas, whose power meanwhile increased in ÜÜ (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). The Tsangpa ruler Karma Phuntsok Namgyal
Karma 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:...
(or, in another account, his uncle Karma Tensung
Karma Tensung
Karma Tensung , in full Karma Tensung Wangpo , was a king of Tsang in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century. He belonged to the Tsangpa Dynasty that ruled parts of Tibet from 1565 to 1642....
) reacted by invading Ü from his base in Tsang in 1605 and attacking the monasteries Drepung and Sera
Sera
Sera may refer to:- Music :* Sera, a Symphonic rock/electronica singer/composer/producer* Sera, the well known bass player in Greece- Places :* Sera, Hiroshima, a town in Japan* Sera District, Hiroshima, a district located in Hiroshima, Japan...
. 5,000 monks are said to have been massacred on this occasion. Tsangpa expelled the Mongol troops which assisted the Fourth Dalai Lama Yonten Gyatso, himself a Mongol prince by birth. Yonten Gyatso had to flee and the Tsangpa ruler was close to become king of Tibet. In 1612 and 1613 he subjugated a number of local regimes in West Tibet: the Ngari Gyalpo, Lhopa and Changpa. He was less successful against 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...
, where his enemy Ngawang Namgyal
Ngawang Namgyal
Ngawang Namgyal was a Tibetan Buddhist lama and the unifier of Bhutan as a nation state...
, the abbot of Ralung, had taken refuge.
Expansion and Mongol response
In 1618 Tsangpa pushed further into Ü and defeated the local leaders of Kyishod and Tsal. The following year 1619 the West Tibetan kingdom of Gungthang was conquered. The hegemony of Tsangpa was, however, only of a brief nature. After Yonten Gyatso's death, his successor as Dalai Lama Lozang Gyatso (1617–1682) received help from Mongol tribes. The Mongols pushed into Ü in 1621 and 1635, defeating the Tsangpa troops. At the same time the Tsangpa ruler Karma TenkyongKarma Tenkyong
Karma Tenkyong , in full Karma Tenkyong Wangpo , was a king of Tibet who ruled from 1620 to 1642. He belonged to the Tsangpa Dynasty which had been prominent in Tsang since 1565. His reign was marked by the increasingly bitter struggle against the Gelugpa sect and its leader the Dalai Lama...
was threatened by 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...
in the west, although it never came to open warfare.
Triumph of the Dalai Lama
In 1641 the leader of the Khoshut Mongols of the KokonorKokonor
Kokonor may refer to:* Qinghai province, in China* Qinghai Lake, in China...
region, Gushri Khan, set out from his home area and attacked the king of Beri
Beri
Beri is a town and a municipal committee in Jhajjar district in the state of Haryana in northern India. Beri is located 65 km northwest of Delhi and is a trading center. The first Chief Minister of Haryana, Bhagwat Dayal Sharma, was from 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...
(East Tibet), who was a practitioner of the Bön religion and persecuted Buddhist lamas. After having defeated Beri he proceeded to attack and capture Karma Tenkyong, in 1642. After a revolt by Tsangpa supporters in the same year, Gushri Khan ordered to put Karma Tenkyong in an ox-hide bag and drown him in a river. Gushri Khan presented Tibet, meaning Ü, Tsang and part of East Tibet, to the Dalai Lama. In this way began the Dharma-based Tibetan state that would last to 1950.
List of rulers
- Karma TsetenKarma TsetenKarma Tseten was a king of Upper Tsang in West Central Tibet. He was the founder of the Tsangpa Dynasty that had an important role in the history of Tibet up to 1642.-Rebelling against the Rinpungpa:...
1565-before 1582 - Karma Thutob NamgyalKarma Thutob NamgyalKarma Thutob Namgyal was a prince of the Tsangpa Dynasty that ruled parts of Central Tibet from 1565 to 1642....
no known dates (son) - Khunpang Lhawang DorjeKhunpang Lhawang DorjeKhunpang Lhawang Dorje was a prince of the Tsangpa Dynasty that held power in parts of Central Tibet, especially Tsang , between 1565 and 1642....
mentioned 1582 (brother) - Karma TensungKarma TensungKarma Tensung , in full Karma Tensung Wangpo , was a king of Tsang in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century. He belonged to the Tsangpa Dynasty that ruled parts of Tibet from 1565 to 1642....
died 1611 (?) (brother) - Karma Phuntsok NamgyalKarma Phuntsok NamgyalKarma 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:...
before 1603-1620 (son of Karma Thutob Namgyal) - Karma TenkyongKarma TenkyongKarma Tenkyong , in full Karma Tenkyong Wangpo , was a king of Tibet who ruled from 1620 to 1642. He belonged to the Tsangpa Dynasty which had been prominent in Tsang since 1565. His reign was marked by the increasingly bitter struggle against the Gelugpa sect and its leader the Dalai Lama...
1620-1642 (son)
Literature
- K.-H. Everding (2000), Das Königreich Mangyul Gungthang, Vol. I-II. Bonn.
- H. Hoffmann (1986), Tibet. A Handbook, Bloomington.
- T. W. D. Shakabpa (1967), Tibet. A Political History, New Haven.
- G. Tucci (1949), Tibetan Painted Scrolls, Rome.
- http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/e-books/unpublished_manuscripts/survey_tibetan_history/chapter_4.html
- http://www.tibetinfor.com/tibetzt/tsjb/doc/606.htm (in Chinese)