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VII. The Early Kings of the Second West Tibetan Dynasty

(A MS.) Lha-chen-Grags-pa-bbum (c. 1400–40 A.D.) had ruled over Rab-brtan-lha-rtse, Gte-ya (L MS. : Te-ba), etc. He built the royal city of Gtiú-sgan.

NOTES BY DR. K. MARX

Rab-brtan-lha-rtse is the proper name of the palace of Basgo (Survey map: Bazgo), now in ruins. Gte-ya is situated near Sñur-la (Sñuú-la; Survey map: Snurla), but off the main valley to the north (Survey map: Teah). Gtiú-sgan is situated close to Gte-ya (Survey map: Temesgam). It is, according to our ideas, a village. It is one of the prettiest villages in Ladakh.

NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR

A seal attributable to this king is still in the possession of the ex-kings of Ladakh. The impression of the seal which I was able to see was too indistinct to allow of any deciphering. It contains Sanskrit formulas in Laṅtsha characters, but not a royal name. The king is mentioned in a votive inscription from Bde-skyid, Nub-ra.

His son was Lha-chen-Bha-ra (c. 1440–70 A.D.).

NOTES

Nothing known beyond the name.

His son was Lha-chen-Bha-gan (c. 1470–1500 A.D.). This king being very fond of fighting, he and the people of Sel (L MS. : Ses), having formed an alliance, deposed and subjected the sons of the King of Sle (Leh, Gle), Grags-bbum-lde, [viz.] Blo-gros-mchog-ldan, Druṅ-pa-'A-li, and Slab-bstan-dar-rgyas (L MS. : Slab-bstan).

NOTES

Sel, vulg. Se (Survey map: Shay), village 10 miles S.S.E. of Leh, on the right bank of the Indus. It has a palace of the Ladakh rāja (cf. B MS.). To this note by Dr. K. Marx let me add that the spelling Ses-pa would suggest the translation 'the wise men', as Schlagintweit actually took it. But, as Dr. K. Marx received his information from lama Bkra-sis-btsan-bphel, who was an authority on the history of Ladakh, I believe that his version, founded on the spelling of A MS., ought to be accepted. Sel is apparently the Saya-deśa of Jonarāja's Rājataraṅgiṇī, v. 1107; cf. Ta'rīkh-i-Rashīdī, p. 460 n. It is probably the ancient capital of the country, and it is the town where the heir apparent must be born. This village contains a Sunni mosque, asserted to be more ancient than any of the mosques at Leh. It was probably erected by the Kashmir kings of the time.

During this reign, according to Śrīvara's Rājataraṅgiṇī (iii, 32, 396, 440–4), the invasion of the Kashmir king Hasan-Khān probably took place. It ended in the defeat of the Kashmiris. (See my article, 'References to the Bhoṭṭas in the Rājataraṅgiṇī,' Ind. Ant., 1908, pp. 181–92.) It appears strange that the second of Grags-pa-bbum-lde's sons had the half Muhammadan name Druṅ-pa-'A-li. Perhaps King Hbum-lde was compelled by Zainu'l-'ābidīn to marry a Muhammadan lady.

Bha-gan (Skt. Bhagavān) is the founder of the second West Tibetan or Rnam-rgyal dynasty. He called his two sons Rnam-rgyal (L MS.: Gnam-rgyal), or 'perfect victors', and the word Rnam-rgyal, combined with other names, is found in the names of all his descendants. Being the founder of the Rnam-rgyal dynasty, he possibly accepted the name Lha-chen-Kun-dgah-rnam-rgyal, which is found in the Daru inscription. The latter contains also the name of his minister Phyag-rdor, and the name of the same minister occurs also in inscriptions (Nos. 152, 179, 180, 205) of his son Bkra-sis-rnam-rgyal. This minister seems to have done service under two kings.

A certain Baghan is mentioned, as a Chui (one of the provinces of Tibet, in the Ta'rīkh-i-Rashīdī (Trans., p. 463). Bha-gan was possibly still alive in 1532 A.D.

His sons were Lha-chen-Lha-dbaṅ-rnam-rgyal and Bkra-sis-rnam-rgyal (c. 1500–32 A.D.), these two. Lha-dbaṅ-rnam-rgyal had great bodily strength and dexterity.