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56-546: Changangkha Lhakhang was founded in the 13th century by Nyima, one of the sons of Phajo Drugom Zhigpo who first introduced the teachings of the Drukpa Kagyu tradition of Himalayan Buddhism to Bhutan, and who is revered as an emanation of Avalokiteśvara , The main object of reverence in the temple is a huge bronze "self-arisen" statue of the Mahakarunika form of Avalokiteśvara ( rang byung thugs rje chen po ), which

112-461: A branch of the Gya (rgya) clan, and his wife Achi Palmo Kyid (a chi pel nor kid) . His was originally named Dondrub Gyaltsen. Phajo's Tibetan hagiography and Drukpa Kagyu religious histories from Bhutan relate various auspicious and miraculous signs accompanying his conception, gestation, and birth, and record that he was an obstinate and precocious child. At the age of seven he began his studies under

168-630: A land area distributed in multiple province-level administrative divisions in present-day China, most of it in Tibet Autonomous Region and Sichuan , with smaller portions located within Qinghai and Yunnan . Densely forested with grass plains, its convergence of six valleys and four rivers supported independent Kham polities of Tibetan warrior kingdoms together with Tibetan Buddhist monastic centers. The early trading route between Central Tibet and China traveled through Kham, and Kham

224-490: A local Nyingma priest who taught him reading and writing. At the age of 12, he went to study with a Nyingma master named Tharpalingpa who gave him the complete set of lay devotees vows and the name Tarpa Gyaltsen. From this teacher he received and received instructions on generating the great thought of enlightenment, teachings on the Maha, Anu and Ati levels of Tantra, Dzogchen and in particular empowerment and teachings on "all

280-420: A month. In a vision during the meditation, Guru Padmasambhava instructed him to travel throughout the country and meditate at twelve places: While staying at Darkar Latse, Phajo met Achog and took her as his consort. A son was born and given the name Dampa. When Phajo went to Wang Sinmo, he met Sonam Paldron, a girl with the signs of a Dakini, at Chagzam Bridge. Since meeting her had been prophesied to Phajo in

336-428: A place blessed by Guru Padmasambhava. One day he learned of the spiritual reputation of Tsangpa Gyare from some traders of Jang Taklung. Merely hearing the name of Tsangpa Gyare generated a deep sense of devotion in him and tears came to his eyes. Moved with great devotion, he made up his mind to go to Ralung to see Tsangpa Gyare. He sought his teacher's permission to go on a pilgrimage to Lhasa and Samye. After receiving

392-562: A power struggle in the mid-9th century, Tibet separated into independent kingdoms. Kham was not controlled by a single king and remained a patchwork of kingdoms, tribes, and chiefdoms whose bases of authority were constantly shifting. A dual system of secular and Buddhist polities continued. In 1270, the Sakya school's lama Tonstul, a student of Sakya Pandita , established a monastery in Kham while both Kagyu and Sakya monasteries were located in

448-521: A vision, he took her also as his consort. The bridge came to be known as Lungten Zampa, or the ‘Bridge of the Prophecy’. Phajo gave her all the instructions and empowerments of the Drukpa tradition. Then they went to meditate at the cave Dodena, where Tango Monastery stands today. In a vision during the meditation, Hayagriva instructed Phajo to continue his line through children to spread the traditions of

504-472: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a Buddhist convent is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Phajo Drugom Zhigpo Phajo Drugom Shigpo ( Tibetan : ཕ་ཇོ་འབྲུག་སྒོམ་ཞིག་པོ , Wylie : pha jo 'brug sgom zhig po ) [1184−1251 / 1208−1275] was a Tibetan Buddhist particularly important in the early spread of the Drukpa school to Bhutan where he

560-532: Is coming. But he won't meet me. You look after him. Send him to the southern valley that has been visited and blessed by Orgyen Padma Jungne. He will be of great service to the Buddha Dharma." Phajo Drugom Zhigpo was born, probably in 1184, at Yangtse Babchu (yang tse 'bab chu) , Tashigang in the Do-Kham region of East Tibet the youngest of three sons of the merchant Dabzang (da-bzang) , who belonged to

616-706: Is credited with commissioning Buddhist structures while traveling through Kham in 640–641, from her home in China to Central Tibet. During the Imperial era, both Nyingma school and Bon monasteries were located, especially in Nyarong Valley , among pastoral and agricultural-based polities ruled by local chieftains, polities which included merchant as well as Mongol and Chinese populations. Notable Tibetan Buddhist art from this era, dating from 804 or 816, includes carved stone statues of Buddha Vairocana . Following

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672-401: Is in a seated posture with eleven heads and multiple arms. This was the personal deity of Phajo. Some claim this statue is "self arisen" or miraculously occurring, while others say it was made by an exceptionally skilled and inspired Newa artisan at the time of the construction of the temple. Changangkha lhakhang is laid out along the natural ridge as it descends towards Thimphu. At the end of

728-400: Is one of the three traditional Tibetan regions, the others being Domey also known as Amdo in the northeast, and Ü-Tsang in central Tibet. The official name of this Tibetan region/province is Dotoe ( Tibetan : མདོ་སྟོད་ ). The original residents of Kham are called Khampas ( Tibetan : ཁམས་པ་ , Wylie : khams pa ), and were governed locally by chieftains and monasteries. Kham covers

784-491: Is revered as an emanation of Avalokiteśvara . His descendants played a significant role in the history of Bhutan. The Sacred Sites associated with Phajo Drugom Zhigpo and his descendants is listed as a tentative site in Bhutan's Tentative List for UNESCO inclusion. Just before he died, the founder of the Drukpa school, Tsangpa Gyare Yeshe Dorje told his nephew and heir, Onre Darma Senge (1177–1237), "A Khampa son from Kham

840-480: Is said to be the inspiration for Shangri-La in James Hilton's novel. Settled as Tibet's eastern frontier in the 7th century, King Songtsen Gampo built temples along its eastern border. In 1939, an eastern area of Kham was officially established as Xikang Province of China. Kham has a rugged terrain characterized by mountain ridges and gorges running from northwest to southeast, and collectively known as

896-843: The Chinese Civil War . The Kuomintang formulated a plan where three Khampa divisions would be assisted by the Panchen Lama to oppose the Communists. Kuomintang intelligence reported that some Tibetan tusi chiefs and the Khampa Su Yonghe controlled 80,000 troops in Sichuan, Qinghai, and Tibet. They hoped to use them against the Communist army. The Chinese Kuomintang (Nationalists) also enlisted Khampas to join their military. The Chinese Kuomintang also sought

952-650: The Hengduan Mountains . Numerous rivers, including the Mekong , Yangtze , Yalong River , and the Salween River flow through Kham. Under the modern administrative division of China, Kham includes a total of 50 contemporary counties , which have been incorporated into the Chinese provinces of Sichuan (16 counties), Yunnan (three counties), and Qinghai (6 counties) as well as the eastern portion of

1008-583: The Hor States , Litang , Degé , the Chakla and Batang , becoming the paramount power in the region. China sent troops in against Namgyal which were defeated in 1849, and additional troops were not dispatched. Chinese military posts were present along the trading route, but "did not have any authority over the native chiefs". By 1862, Namgyal blocked trade routes from China to Central Tibet, and sent troops into China. Local chieftains had appealed to both

1064-669: The Tibetan Empire sent troops east from Lhasa to the reaches of the Tibetan Plateau , where they interacted with local cultures and languages to establish eastern Tibet, or Do Kham ('Do', the convergence of rivers and valleys; 'Kham', frontier). Kham was traditionally referred to as Chushi Gangdruk , i.e. 'The Four Rivers and Six Ranges' and 'The Four Great Valleys'. Responsible for introducing Buddhism to Tibet, King Songtsen Gampo (reign 629–649) built twelve 'border-taming' temples in Kham, and his 4th wife Wencheng Gongzhu

1120-547: The British Military Expedition to Lhasa and subsequent retreat [and consequent power vacuum within Tibet] were primarily responsible". In 1932, an agreement signed between Chinese warlord Liu Wenhui and Tibetan forces formalized the partition of Kham into two regions: Eastern Kham, which was administered by Chinese forces, and Western Kham, which was administered by Tibet. Eastern Kham subsequently became

1176-610: The Cycles of Mahākāruṇika" ( The Great Compassionate One a name of Avalokiteśvara ). He also received all the cycles and empowerments of the Eight Commandments ( bka brgyad ). From a lama he also received instructions on the texts Mahamudra Dispelling the Darkness of Ignorance and a Chöd text called The Profound Teaching of Object Cutting During a Single Sitting. Then he did prolonged meditation at Lingkar Drak,

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1232-479: The Drukpa lineage. After nine months Sonam Paldron gave birth to a daughter. Leaving his consort and daughter at Dodena, Phajo went to meditate at all the places prophesied. One day, while he was at the Dechen Drak, the string of his rosary broke and the beads scattered in all directions. This was an omen that his teachings would spread all over the country in the future. Prior to the arrival of Phajo Druggom,

1288-644: The Governor of Xining , where he earned the nickname of "the Butcher of Kham". In 1905 or 1908 Zhao began executing monks and destroying many monasteries in Kham and Amdo , implementing an early "sinicization" of the region: He abolished the powers of the Tibetan local leaders and appointed Chinese magistrates in their places. He introduced new laws that limited the number of lamas and deprived monasteries of their temporal power and inaugurated schemes for having

1344-781: The Hor States. In 1717, the Mongol Dzungar Khanate invaded Tibet and other Asian regions. The Qing Chinese army likewise invaded and defeated the Dzungars. This led to the redrawing of the Sino-Tibetan boundary of 1677, which had followed the edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The frontier line changed in either 1725 or 1726 to follow the Dri River (Jinsha River, Upper Yangtze ), while the Kham region on

1400-514: The Kagyu lineage, are attached to all sides of the main temple. The interior of the main temple is divided into two sections.. The east side enshrining the principal sacred images, scriptures and other relics is not usually open to the general public - although the man image can be viewed from the other section, which is also where the lamas of the temple are seated while conducting rituals and prayers. Proper dress and decorum are required when visiting

1456-734: The Khampas help in defending Sichuan from Japan during World War 2, since the temporary capital was located there. A Khampa member of the Mongolian Tibetan Academy was Han Jiaxiang. 300 "Khampa bandits" were enlisted into the Kuomintang Consolatory Commission military in Sichuan, where they were part of the effort of the central government of China to penetrated and destabilize the local Han warlords such as Liu Wenhui. The Chinese government sought to exercise full control over frontier areas against

1512-795: The Khampas, whose relationship with the Dalai Lama's government in Lhasa were deteriorating badly. The Khampa revolutionary leader Pandatsang Rapga founded the Tibet Improvement Party to overthrow the Tibetan government and establish a Tibetan Republic as part of China. In addition to using the Khampa's against the Tibetan Government in Lhasa, the Chinese Kuomintang also used them against the Communists during

1568-654: The Lhasa and the Qing Manchu governments for help against Namgyal. The Tibetan authorities sent an army in 1863, and defeated Namgyal then killed him at his Nyarong fort by 1865. Central Tibet reasserted its authority over the northern parts of Kham and established the Office of the Tibetan High Commissioner to govern. Tibet also reclaimed Nyarong, Degé and the Hor States north of Nyarong. China recalled their forces. It appears to have been accepted by

1624-598: The Manchu Tongzhi Emperor . Then in 1896, the Qing Governor of Sichuan attempted to gain control of Nyarong valley during a military attack. After his defeat, the Qing agreed to the withdrawal of Chinese forces and the "territory was returned to the direct rule of Lhasa". From 1904 to 1911, China decided to reassert its control over the previously re-ceded section of Kham, and to push further into

1680-534: The Phajos effort made it to succession by over coming the Lhapas to spread the drukpa kagyued. When this news was conveyed to Noge Gelwa Lhanangpa, he said to his followers that, the drukpa spread was predestined for the small kingdom, while the rulers of the kingdom will remain from his lineage. Phajo began to spread the teachings of the Drukpa lineage systematically. He firmly established the Drukpa lineage teachings as

1736-547: The Qing, the Beijing-appointed amban Zhong Ying invaded Lhasa with the Chinese army in February 1910 in order to gain control of Tibet and establish direct Chinese rule. The 13th Dalai Lama escaped to British India , and returned before China surrendered via a letter from the amban to the Dalai Lama in the summer of 1912. On 13 February 1913, the Dalai Lama declared Tibet an independent nation, and announced

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1792-520: The Tibet Autonomous Region (25 counties). The people of Kham, the Khampas, are reputed warriors renowned for their marksmanship and horsemanship. References state many Khampas in the Hor States include mention of their Mongolian heritage. There are significant differences in traditions and beliefs—even physical appearance—between the peoples of Kham and Lhasa. Most of Kham's residents speak Khams Tibetan while at least one-third of

1848-487: The actual area of control of China's Xikang province. The border between eastern and western Kham is the Upper Yangtze – Dri Chu in Tibetan and Jinsha Jiang respectively, in Chinese. Tenpay Gyaltsan, a Khampa who was 5 years old, was selected as the fifth Jamyang Hutuktu in 1921. The Kham Pandatsang family led the 1934 Khamba rebellion against the Tibetan government in Lhasa. The Kuomintang reached out to

1904-557: The age of 33, Tharpa Gyaltsen arrived at Ralung. As instructed by Tsangpa Gyare, Onre Darma Sengye took him as his disciple and transmitted the teachings of the Drukpa Kagyu tradition. After receiving the teachings for about a year, Tharpa Gyaltsen meditated at Jekar and Longdol and "strenuously practiced meditation for three years and fully actualized the realization. In particular, he perfected his mastery of Mahamudra." He then went back to his master Onre Darma Sengye and related his experiences and, impressed by his realization, Onre gave him

1960-403: The country. However entrance to this temple is restricted only to Bhutanese men, Behind the main temple, descending into the valley towards Thimphu town, there are paths with steps leading through a series of terraces dotted with small stupas or chöten. From these terraces there are panoramic views of Thimphu in three directions. A Tshechu with masked dances is held in the small courtyard on

2016-634: The eastern bank became Qing domain. There, hereditary chieftains were bestowed honorific titles of tusi , and obligated to fight alongside the Qing army in other Kham battles between chieftains. Earlier in 1724, an area of Qinghai (Kokonor) was established within Do Kham. The eastern Kham Qing domain was later incorporated into neighboring Chinese provinces. In 1837, a minor chieftain Gompo Namgyal , of Nyarong in eastern Kham, began expanding his control regionally and launched offensives against

2072-565: The end of the historic "priest-patron" relationship between Tibet and China. The amban and Chinese army were expelled, while other Chinese populations were given three years to depart. By late 1913, Kham and Amdo remained largely occupied by China. Tibet proposed re-establishing the border between Tibet and China at the Dri River during the Simla Conference with Britain and China, while Britain countered with another proposal which

2128-617: The followers of Nyoe Gyalwa Lhanangpa, a disciple of Kyobpa Jigten Sumgon (1143–1217), the founder of the Drikung Kagyud , known as Lhapa had great influence and controlled a large part of western Bhutan. However, the Phajo over came the dominance over Lhapa in the later periods. Sonam Paldron gave birth to seven sons. One day, Phajo took all seven sons to a bridge and, invoking the deities to decide which of his sons were demons and which would preserve his lineage, he threw all of them into

2184-468: The land cultivated by Chinese immigrants. Zhao's methods in eastern Tibet uncannily prefigured the Communist policies nearly half a century later. They were aimed at the extermination of the Tibetan clergy, the assimilation of territory and repopulation of the Tibetan plateaus with poor peasants from Sichuan. Like the later Chinese conquerors, Zhao's men looted and destroyed Tibetan monasteries, melted down religious images and tore up sacred texts to use to line

2240-454: The main school in western Bhutan and exerted considerable political and spiritual influence in the rest of the country. He passed on the teachings to his sons and sent them to different areas. They ruled according to the principles of the Dharma. In 1251, at the age of 68, Phajo died at Tago. Kham Kham ( Tibetan : ཁམས་ , Wylie : khams ; Chinese : 康 ; pinyin : Kāng )

2296-419: The name Phajo Druggom Zhigpo and bestowed on him the complete empowerments and teachings of Rechungpa 's Ear Whispered Transmission of Samvara ( bde mchog snyan rgyud ). At the appropriate time, Onre Darma Senye told Phajo about Tsangpa Gyare's prophecy and gave him instructions about his activities in Bhutan. In 1224, at the age of 40, Phajo left for Bhutan to carry out the prophecy of Tsangpa Gyare. At

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2352-403: The northern plains, including Gonjo and Lingtsang, which accompanied the earlier Nyingma and Bon monasteries of Kham. In 1639, Güshri Khan , a supporter of the Dalai Lama, invaded with Mongolian troops and defeated the powerful King of Beri in Kham. In 1655, Ngawang Phuntsok, a student of the Dalai Lama, founded Gonsar Monastery, the first of the 13 Gelug monasteries in the Hor States , with

2408-579: The region soon after the invasion of Tibet by the British army under Francis Younghusband in 1904. The British invasion alarmed the Qing rulers in China, and they sent Fengquan (鳳全) to Kham to initiate land reforms and reduce the numbers of monks. An anti-foreigner and anti-Qing uprising in Batang led to Fengquan's death, while Chinese fields were burned. The Qing then undertook punitive campaigns in Kham under Manchu army commander Zhao Erfeng , also

2464-565: The remaining instructions from his teacher, he set off on his journey. It took him almost a year to reach the U-Tsang region of Tibet. While in Samye, he heard the news of Tsangpa Gyare's passing away from two ascetics and he fainted. When he regained his senses, he heard about Onre Darma Sengye, the Regent of Tsangpa Gyare at Ralung, whose spiritual attainment was equal to that of Tsangpa Gyare. At

2520-519: The residents are speakers of Qiangic languages , a family of twelve distinct but interrelated languages that are not closely related to Khams Tibetan. As a frontier region, Kham integrated and "Tibetanized" early Mongolian and Chinese populations. After Güshri Khan's invasion of Kham in 1639, Mongolian people and Amdo's tribal people resettled to the region. The Khampas are known for their great height. Khampa males are on average 180 cm (5 ft 11 in). The Pugyal Dynasty (or Yarlung) of

2576-566: The ridge are two buildings, the main temple to the east (on the Thimphu side), and facing it to the west across a small courtyard, the black Gönkhang (protective deities temple). Other buildings, which house the resident monks and caretakers, are located on the other two sides, together forming a quadrangle. Encircling this temple complex on three sides is a wall enclosing a path used for circumambulation. Small niches containing prayer wheels and relief carvings on slate which depict Buddhas and lamas of

2632-402: The river. Three sons drowned and four remained unharmed. This story spread across the country and Lhakpas, the later holders of Lhanangpa's line of teaching (i.e. Dregung Kaguye) was said to have become envious and hostile as the parties sought dominance of the area. It was said that Lhapas sent a letter to Phajo saying, "You cannot spread your teaching without a mutual consent since I have started

2688-520: The soles of their boots and, as the Communists were also to do later, Zhao Erfeng worked out a comprehensive scheme for the redevelopment of Tibet that covered military training reclamation work, secular education, trade and administration. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Zhao was stripped of his post and executed by the revolutionary commander Yin Changheng . A year before the collapse of

2744-628: The support of the kingdom of Degé . By 1677, many Gelug monasteries had been built when the 5th Dalai Lama finalized Kham's Sino-Tibetan border location between China and a Tibet then reunified in the Khoshut Khanate , resulting in Kham being ascribed to Tibet's authority. The major independent polities included the Chakla , Degé , the Lingtsang , Nangchen and the Lhatok . Other important polities included Chamdo , Batang , Mili , and

2800-446: The teaching in this country for the first time. You should either look after the monastery of Jathel Dzong or serve as in a mutual way. Else we will have dispute". Phajo dismissed the threat and wrote back saying that he had been sent by Onre Darma Sengye in accordance with the prophecy of Tsangpa Gyare, to spread the teachings of the Drukpa lineage. Then the dispute erupted between the lhapas and Phajo, exchanging forces and power, where

2856-491: The temple. Facing the main temple across the courtyard, which also holds a simple outside shrine to a tsömen or "mermaid" spirit, is the Gönkhang or protector temple. This temple is considered to be the residence of Genyen Domtsangpa the fierce protector of children born in Thimphu. It also holds images of other protective deities and the paintings adorning the walls of this temple are the oldest known murals surviving in

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2912-424: The time of Phajo's arrival at Lingzhi, in Bhutan, a cow belonging to a local rich man named Matong Gyi, had given birth to a calf with the head of a donkey and a snake as the tail. He approached Phajo for help. Phajo subjugated the evil spirit and it became a normal calf. All the nomads of Lingzhi joined together and offered Jagoe Dzong and all the surrounding land to Phajo. Then Phajo meditated at Paro Taktsang for

2968-536: The twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth days of the ninth Bhutanese lunar month. Annually the large ancient manuscript of the Kangyur (or Buddhist cannon) of over 100 volumes written in gold ink, which is held in the main temple, is recited here in its entirety by gomchens who come here from their meditation centre at Gogona, in the Phobjikha valley . This article about a building or structure in Bhutan

3024-474: The warlords. The Consoltary Commission forces were used to battle the Communist Red Army but were defeated when their religious leader was captured by Communist forces. The Republic of China government also used Khampa traders to operate secret transports between different places. Kesang Tsering was sent by the Chinese to Batang to take control of Xikang , where he formed a local government. He

3080-682: Was initialed but not ratified. In 1917, the Tibetan army defeated China in battles at Chamdo , west of the Dri River, which were halted after Britain refused to sell Tibet additional armements. The official position of the British Government was it would not intervene between China and Tibet and would only recognize the de facto government of China within Tibet at this time. In his history of Tibet, Bell wrote that "the Tibetans were abandoned to Chinese aggression, an aggression for which

3136-591: Was spread there for the purpose of propagating the Three People's Principle to the Khampa. In 1950, following the defeat of the Kuomintang rulers of China by communist forces in the Chinese Civil War , the People's Liberation Army invaded western Kham. Western Kham was then set up as a separate Qamdo Territory , then merged into Tibet Autonomous Region in 1965. Meanwhile, Xikang , comprising eastern Kham,

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