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A Brief history of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel Published by kinlayg

March 28, 2008 – 8:26 am

Compiled by Lama Dhampa Minjur, national referral hospital, Thimphu. Translated by  Kinley Gyeltshen , Paro College of Education , RUB. 

As eighty four manifestation of  the one//   

has agreed to look after the pure Buddhism//

Ngawang Namgyel is one of the manifestations who came from the Drukpa lineage //

So here I bow down to his feet//

  With a praising word offered, here goes with a brief history of Ngawang Namgyel based on the wonderful lineage from the vast history like an ocean.

In front of Dedan nangwa thia, he appeared as Jigten Wangchuk, the fully enlightened.

On the dharma throne of Shambala, he appeared to be the Rigden Pemakarpo.

In the land of Tibet, he appeared as the king Tsongtsen gampo.

In the land of Zahor, he appeared as khenchen Zhiwa tsho.

In the land of Kashmir, he appeared as Penchen Naro tapa.

In the lineage of nyelmed niwa, he appeared to be the king of dharma Dagpo lhajey.

In the blissful land, he appeared as nawa duldrel sempa.

For Byayul gongma, He appeared to be the son as jamyang choki drakpa.

In the east of of kongyul, he appeared as Kuenkhen Pemakarpo.

Accordingly he then appeared as Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel for the benefit of the Buddhism and the sentient beings.

For the appearance as Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, the former incarnation of his lineage Kuenkhen Pemakarpo stated the word;The producer of all the bodhisattvas and Buddhas in the past//The producer of all the bodhisattvas and Buddhas in the future//No other than all the protectors of the present//It is the king of dharma, may he live long//

As stated by Kuenkhen Pemakarpo, without doubt Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel sprang from a very respectable lineage of Tsangpa jarey,the perfect incarnation of Penchen Naro Tapa. Jangsem Nima Singye is the son of Tsangpa jarey’s relative Lhabum. His son Singye Gyelpo, Singye Gyelpo’s son Jyamyang Kuenga Singye, his son  Lodrey Singye, his son Jyamyang Yeshey Rinchen, he had three sons, the eldest Namkha Pelzang had no son. The middle son Sherab Zangpo had two sons: Tsangpa jarey’s reincarnation Gyewa cheojey and Nangso lhai wangpo.

Gyewa cheojey had no son, Nangso lhai wangpo’s son is Ngawang Cheogay and he had two sons: Ngawang drakpa and Ngagi Wangchuk. Ngawang drakpa was a monk and Ngagi Wangchuk’s son was Mipham Choki Gyelpo, and his son was Mipham Tenpai Nima. Ngawang Namgyel was born to this very respectable lineage father Mipham Tenpai Nima and mother Depa kisho’s daughter Sonam pelgi Buthri in the month of tenth wood horse year in 1594, in Yutsang  Namdruk Jangchup Ling with lots of wonderful good signs besides the reciting of tantra. He was first named Mipham Tenzin Dorrji based on family name.   From the age of four & five, he started learning all the four skills, reading ,writing, speaking and listening and he excelled in all including meditation and recitation. The Namthars of Ngawang Namgyel record numerous legends about his coming to Bhutan. According to one account, Pal Yeshey Gempo, a protecting Deity of Bhutan, in a dream urged him to go to Bhutan and assume its spiritual and temporal leadership. He also found some grain (rice) in his mouth when he got up from the bed as a pre invitation sign to Bhutan. The rice was from nowhere but offered by the dharma protectors (Cheochong).   During an offering to the deity Dud sol ma, a burning fire was seen on the ritual cake by almost all those attaining the offering. At the age of eight as he offered his first hair offering to Mepham Chogyal, he received the perceptions of Gaynyen. As foreseen and stated by the kuenkhen Drukpa he was offered the precious name Nga gi wangpo nam par gyel wai dey. After that he started receiving external and internal text of sutras and Tantras. In particular he not just received and studied the text on five important elements; vision of Chaja Chenpo, meditation of sepho cheo dru, practice of  ronyom kor dru, final attainment of tendrel rub dun, and Ladrup for every body’s benefit, but also naturalized the five elements.    In the fire horse year at the age of thirteen, he was enthroned at the linage scared place of Ralung and named Drukpa Rinpochhe Ngawang Tenzin  Nampar Gyelwa Jigme Drak Pai  Dey. In this auspicious occasion many high learned lamas from all different sects attended to offer their respects.

As per the desire of the followers he preached dharma which announced his fame and name throughout Tibet. 

In the eyes of people, his coming to Bhutan was because of his conflict between Deb Tsangpa of Tibet, however, in reality it was Pal Yeshay Genpo who urged him to come to Bhutan. He came to Bhutan at the age of twenty three in 1616 A.D.with the help of Op tso lam and his party. He came by Laya to Optso and there the rich man Lhawang Tshering rendered enough support to help the local people to receive dharma from him. Then by Mentsi Phu he arrived at Pangri Zampa. There he assigned his future prospects to Geynyen  Jagpa Melen. And to travel to Paro he passed by Wangdi Tse having viewed Thimpu and when he reached at Cheokhor Tse, there his horse surprisingly left a foot print on the stone. And by Pumo Tse and Tsa Lungna he arrived in Paro. At Druk Cheoding where he temporally camped just to take rest for sometime, there he was attacked by the army sent by Dep Tsang. With his spiritual power and the manifestation of the deities of Pelden Drukpa the army of Dep Tsang disappeared seeing so many miracles in there eyes. Then accompanied by the army from Wang, he again went to Pangri Zampa and Wangchen Gonpa and lived there sometime.   Later because of their past karma the re- incarnation   of Phajo, the Tenzin Rabgay’s father, Tshewang Tenzin encountered Zhabdrung on his way to Dorden (Presently Dodena ) as he traveled through Kabe thu lung Gang.  Tshewang Tenzin offered Tango Monastery to Zhabdrung without any attachment to the belongings including his devotees and left for Tango.    There in the cave of Tango Zhabdrung performed tantric ritual of Gempo and destroyed the dynasty of Deb Tsangpa, and to commemorate his victory he composed the Nga Chudugma or My sixteen Accomplisments, which are as under:(1) I turn the wheel of  the two laws – spiritual and temporal, (2) I am the supreme refuge of all, (3) I am the spiritual ruler of the glorious Drukpa, (4) I am the subduer of all who seek to falsify the teaching of Drukpa, (5) I set the seal of perfection of on all writing like the goddess of learning, (6) I am the sacred source of moral percepts, (7) I am the origin of the unlimited thoughts, (8) I confound those with false views, (9) I am the fountainhead of the power of debate, (10) Where is the man who would not tremble before me? (11) I annihilate the hordes of evil beings, (12) Where is the strong man that can bear up against my power? (13) I am mighty in speech that expounds religion, (14) I am wise in all sciences,  (15) I am the devine manifestation spoken of by the superior ones, and (16) I am the destroyer of false incarnations.  

 Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel has assumed the title of Dujom Dorjee after the great victory over Tibetans and consolidated his conquests and promulgated sixteen tenets printed. The cave was also named Duduel Phug  coinciding his accomplishments. It was as per the fore seeing words stated by Ugyen Rimpochhe;

“A king of Dharma in the Himalayan region is to come, his name is Dujom Dorjee.” 

He then retreated in the same cliff but with lots of black magic performed by different oppositions, the cliff was nearly broken down to pieces. Zhabdrung Rinpochhe was in his fully concentrated meditation and nothing happened to him. There was a big stone of yak’s size that tumbled down to Zhabdrung, however, it wedged right above the head of Zhabdrung close to an inch space. It was all his spiritual power that obstructed such incidents. At the age of twenty three he heard about his venerable father Tenpai Nima’s demise at   Ralung in Tibet. Without other people’s notice, he brought his late venerable father’s body to Tango, and cremated in the cave of the horse head cliff, in Tango, Bhutan. To preserve the ashes of his late venerable father he then decided to build a monastery and at the age of twenty seven in 1620 the Chari monastery was built and took one and half year to complete. There he invited skilled carpenters from Nepal and established a carpentry institute as well. He then built Duduel Chorten and started the first monk body with thirty monks at Chari coinciding  with the consecration of the Chorten.  At that time Khedup Lhawang Loday was also invited and strengthen the monk body ever after.

At the age of thirty he decided to retreat for three years at Duduel Phug in Chari. From the retreat he learned ten signs and the eight qualifying knowledge that were mentioned in the Sepho. Getting back from the retreat he was welcomed with serdeng to the Dharma throne where the people of Bhutan were blessed.  At the age of thirty four, he decided to rule over the whole kingdom and then started writing Kashos (verdicts) to the people and the deity of the kingdom. And at the age of thirty five he then visited the whole region of Shar Wang Pa sum for the good fortune of his relation with the devotees. There he brought all the three realms of god, people and deities at his feet and blessed them with the spiritual benefits.      In the earth snake year 1621 at the age of thirty six, he laid the foundation of the Simtokha Dzong, one of the oldest fortresses in the country. Seeing the great achievements of the Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, the five different lamas who were already settled in Bhutan got much annoyed and tried to attack him, but was never defeated. At the age of thirty eight, Zhabdrung celebrated the consecration of the Dzong coinciding with the birth celebration of his son Jampel Dorji. At the age of forty, in 1633 in the water bird year, he again resided to Chari to receive the text on the discipline (Duelwa) from the most dignified disciplined teacher Lhawang Lodray. Later his teacher passed away and they performed all the necessary rituals.   With the influence of the five lamas, the son of Desi Tsangpa of Tibet got so annoyed when he was told about the completion of the Semtokha Dzong. He then sent a strong Tibetan force to destroy it. The Tibetan forces took possession of the fortress, during it’s investment the Dzong caught fire. It’s mighty roof collapsed killing all the invaders, and Zhabdrung was never defeated with his spiritual power and the support from the deties (Cheochong). It happened exactly as proclaimed by Guru Rinpochhe that on the task of a mountain like an elephant a man called Namgyel will appear.  In the fire Ox year in 1937, when he was Forty four, he built Punakha Dzong. Making all the God, people and deities to work and therefore, he could complete the construction in a short period of two and half years.  Rangjeon Kharsa Pani being the main relic he build up so many temples and Chapel to commemorate his victory over Tibet and also to honor the protecting deities. The great achievements of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel still exist in the benefit of the Bhutanese people.       In the year 1638 at the age of thirty five, when he went to Khujula, with the sign of bringing whole nation under Zhabdrung’s reign, Pal Yeshey Gempo convinced spiritually to build up a Dzong in between the rivers Phochu /Mochu(Sankosh) and Dang Chhu on the shape of an sleeping Elephant Hill. Accordingly, he built the Dzong and named it Wandue Phodrang, which literally means to bring all under ones power. Later just to please the Lama Kha Nga for their several requests to fight against Zhabdrung, Tsang dep sent very few armies. However, Tsang’s Prince Kuenrub and Zhabdrung Pasam Wangpo, Tsang’s lam the ten Karmapa Cheoying Dorji got to compromise the misunderstandings between the conflicts caused so far.  In 1641 at the age of forty Eight, Zhabdrung took over the Do-Ngoen Dzong from Lama Lhapa and converted it to Tashichho Dzong. Then the two Dzongs of Punakha and Tashichho Dzong were made the main residence of the monk body.    When Zhabdrung was fifty one, Ngang So Aou and the Sogpo with the mind of conquering Bhutan, they made an attempt to fight Zhabdrung, but Zhabdrung defeated them. The defeat went down as a disgraceful one in the Tibetan history. The saying of undefeatable power of Zhabdrung reached to all the parts of China, Hor and Tibet. To commemorate the victory, he built up an Alter (GeonKhang) in Punakha and named it Yuel Gyel GeonKhang , Literally meaning the Geonkhang of the Victory.  In 1645 at the age of fifty two, he invited Ngagchang Rigzin Nyingpo who was the seventh linage of Sangay Lingpa.  Lama Samten the owner of Paro Hungrel offered the Hungrel Dzong to Zhabdrung. Zhabdrung. He renovated the Dzong and constructed the present Rinpung Dzong. Then he went to Taktsang and received the whole script of Gongdue from Rigzin Nyingpo.   At the age of fifty three, he resided at Taktsang and meditated on Phurps’ Menchen Ra sa ya. Taktsang scared place was stated in one of the sayings;

Taktsang will progress in the beginning and then will divest in the middle, but later it will be owned by a holly one.

As stated, it was owned by Zhabdrung and appointed an abbot for the centre, Jimba Gyeltshen. There he received the list of many Hidden treasurers. His achievements were also mentioned by Guru Rinpochhe in one of his text;He will be closely communicating with me; who ever meets him will liberate from the samsara. At the age of fifty four, he traveled to almost all the southern region and built Dakar Tashi Yangtse Dzong in the year 1641. And he also traveled to the East and extended Trongsar Cheokhor Rabten. 

In the year 1647, the peace did not last long and the war again broke out between Tibet and Bhutan.This time  Gedenpa army got into Bhutan by Gasa and tried several times to attack Zhabdrung, but finally everything came to Zhabdrung’s hand and there built Gasa Tashi Thongmon. He also built LingZhe Yugyel Dzong, Paro Drukgyel Dzong, Nub Dali Dzong, Chukha Dali Dzong and so on to commemorate the victory over different wars.

At the age of fifty six, the second Gedenpa army with additional force again tried to attack Zhabdrung. All including the second Gedenpa attack, there were five different attempts made by Tibet. However, with Zhabdrung’s miraculous powers and the powerful deities’ cased the enemy’s troops to flee back and the victory was Zhabdrung’s. Some of the troop head’s head, hand and their legs were also offered to the Deties to commemorate their help in winning the war. Some powerful armies who were caught during the war were also released with some benefits after keeping them in prison for some time. Zhabdrung concluded that nobody will conquer Bhutan ever after.  At the age of fifty seven, Zhabdrung built a Jewa Chorten and performed Lhenkay Dungchur for the benefit of victims who died during the war. Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel brought the whole region; East from Trashigang to  Dungsamkha, West from the boundary of Tibet to Gasa, North from Punakha to Dalikha and Dhomo,and the South from Dagana to Pasamkha and Gatikha under his ruler and let the subjects enjoy his profound ruling system.   Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel was one of the greatest rulers of Bhutan. A determined and valiant saint-soldier, a statesman with foresight, a great builder of Dzongs and Dzong system. He unified the country, and gave it suitable to the genius of the Bhutanese people. As like Buddha and the wheel turning king (Khorlo Jurwai Gyelpo) he also turned the ten wheels being;

1. codified the coustomary and traditional laws of the country.
2. Promulgated the Dharma.
3. Rightly regarded as the architect of a unified kingdom.
4. Determined and valiant soldier.
5. Perpetuated the Buddhist order.
6. Discordant of social, religious, and political elements.
7. Providing happiness to the subjects.
8. Giving  the best relationship.
9. Converted the monpas to the Buddhist.
10. Propagated Buddhism in all the parts

Here after, the people of Bhutan were transformed to Drukpa from Monpa and the country Drukyuel from Monyuel. It is Zhabdrung’s great success and achievements that the people of Bhutan still enjoy its peace and prosperity.  

At the age of fifty eight in 1651, tenth day of the third month of Bhutanese calendar, very clear instruction was passed on to Umdze Tenzin Drugyel and Drung Damchoe on how to go about everything in the near future and resided for his final meditation from this country.   References;

1                    Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel’s history by Je Geden Rinchen.

2                    Bhutan history by Je Geden Rinchen.

3                    Gyelrab Selwai Melong by Pema Tshewang.      

[Kinley Gyeltshen is a lecturer at Paro College of Education, Paro, Bhutan. He has published few books on Dzongkha and conducted seminars]