During the early to mid-twentieth century, when
Bhutan was under the reign of the First King and the Second King, just before
the country opened up to the world outside and adopted the path to modern
development, both government and monastic officials held great power. And to
hold the position of Lama Neten (abbot) of Trashigang must have been a big achievement for
someone from Bartsham, a rather remote corner of Bhutan.
I heard a lot about the story of Meme Lama Neten
Sonam Dorji from Bartsham as a child. So, recently, when I got hold of an old
and totally faded photograph through my uncle Wangchuk Dorji and Bartsham Umze
Drepa Tshampa Sonam Dorji, I immediately got to work trying to get it restored
to get a glimpse of the Lama Neten. Umze Drepa Sonam Dorji got the picture from
his uncle Kencho, one of the men in the picture.
I took professional help from my friend Dr Naren
Dubey, CEO of ScanCafe Inc., a company that specialises in photo book design
and photo restoration. With his help, what I got is the picture given below. The
man in the middle is the Lama Neten himself, while the the one on his left is Mr.
Tshering, father of Mrs. Yeshi Wangmo and Mr Tenzin Phuntsho. On his right is
Mr Kencho, brother of Umze Drepa Sonam Dorji’s mother Wangmo. Both of them are
relatives of the Lama Neten – Kencho being direct denscendant of Lama Neten’s
paternal aunt Damchoe, and Tshering being descendant of his paternal uncle
Ugyenla.
Umze
Drepa Sonam Dorji recalls being told that this picture was taken in Gudama (present day
Samdrup Jongkhar and neighbouring Indian town) probably around 1966 or 1967.
By then, the road between Trashigang and Samdrup Jongkhar had been
completed though it must been rough and rudimentary. As per Umze Drepa Sonam Dorji, he heard that
the Lama Neten made this journey by a truck which used to serve as a public transport then.
My
mother, who is now 80, recalls going to Samdrup Jongkhar once by bus, but
walked on the return leg of the journey as they did not have enough money to
pay for the fare. This might have been in the late 1960s too. The journey used
to take around seven days one way on foot.
Above
is a picture of Lama Neten Sonam Dorji alone, extracted from the original
picture at the request of Umze Drepa Sonam Dorji since he wanted to frame it
and keep it on his altar. He started his religious studies as a kid under him after
his resignation from the post of Lama Neten and has very fond memories. He
recalls that the Lama Neten and the first Bartsham Lama Pema Wangchen, though
the latter was much younger than him, shared a great camaraderie. On one
occasion, he was accompanying the Lama Neten and passing by Lama Pema Wangchen’s
residence when they were invited to come in and offered food and drinks. As the
attendant, Umze Drepa, then a kid, sat on the next high seat next to the Lama
Neten while Lama Pema Wangchen himself, as the host, sat on much lower seat.
Later, the Lama Neten teased Umze Drepa saying that he sat on a seat higher
than Lama Pema Wangchen’s.
From
these stories, it also seems clear that Lama Pema Wangchen always held other
Lamas in high respect unlike some who try to project themselves to be better
and higher than others.
Lama
Neten must have loved teaching. My mother and her friends, then as kids, also
learnt how to read religious texts from the Lama Neten. However, after she got
married and became a full time farmer, she had never read any books. That was
until 2006 when she came to Thimphu to live with my sister after the passing
away of my father. Then, at the age of 62, she started to relearn what little
she had learnt before. But amazingly, what she had learnt as a child proved still
useful. She was able to pick up reading the texts quite fast, and now, she
reads the prayer books quite easily.
People say that the Lama Neten was
a respected and powerful figure in the Trashigang Dzong. While the bells of all
riding horses of officials had to be silenced after reaching a certain point on
approaching the Dzong, the Lama Neten usually rode his horse with its bell ringing
right until the Dzong. Another story goes that the sound of his pestle crushing
the doma (betelnut) for his consumption used to break the silence of the
sanctum of the Dzong while all others tried their best to maintain silence.
There
used to be an elegant and imposing three storeyed traditional Bhutanese house
in Majawoong which was built by the Lama Neten. It is said that it was built at
the height of his power with labour contribution by the monks of Trashigang. As per Umze Drepa Sonam Dorji (the one who had saved the Lama Neten's photograph), Lama Neten was a Dorji Puen (Spiritual sibling) of Sey Dopola, the Dzongpon of Trashigang, and Sey Dopola had approved labour contribution from the public to help build the house. He
resided in this house after he had resigned from the post of the Lama Neten.
This must have been in the early 1960s it is said that he served as the Lama
Neten for a long time, right from the days of Sey Dopola and even after his
death in 1953.
As
per accounts of the elders, he must have probably died in 1968, which is soon
after the above picture was taken.
Since
he was a celibate monk, he did not have any children. Therefore, this house was
inherited by his siblings. When I was a kid, this house was occupied by four
families, who were all descendants of Lama Neten’s siblings. These families
demolished the house in the late 1980s or early 1990s when they all began
constructing their own houses. The house is vividly in my mind, but I could not
get hold of a picture of the same.
Lama Neten Sonam Dorji had a first cousin (son of
his mother’s sister Wangchuk and her husband Wangdi from Thumling, Bartsham) who
served as the Umze (precentor) in Trashigang Dzong. The post of Umze is a
respected one since he is the one who leads the ritual ceremonies, and sits right
next to the presiding Lama. His name was
Umze Dorji Wangdi (nicknamed Umze Merkong – as he had a small burn mark on his
neck). He was the eldest son of Lama Neten’s mother’s sister Wangchuk. He was
younger than Lama Neten by a few years. People believe he might have risen to
the post of Lama Neten too, but he died suddenly while he was still serving as
the Umze.
Umze Dorji
Wangdi was the elder brother of my maternal grandfather. According to my
mother, he died suddenly during a feast organized by the villagers in his honour.
In those days, and as recently as the early 2000s, it was customary for the village
folks to slaughter a pig and organise a feast in honour of someone successful from
the village when he comes home to visit his relatives. It was during such a
feast that Umze Dorji Wangdi suddenly fell sick and died. Most probably, he had
suffered a stroke. Few years later, a little boy born after his death,
recounted the story of his past life that exactly matched the life of Umze
Dorji Wangdi, and he was recognized as his reincarnation. He received modern
education and currently works in a corporation in Thimphu, but he is also a
true Buddhist practitioner at the same time following Drukpa Kargyu tradition
under His Eminence Gyalwa Dokhampa. He must be in his 50s now.
By then,
the Lama Neten had resigned and was residing in his house in Majawaoong. His
house was just about 150 metres below that of the Umze’s. Elders recall that the Umze had a fine Phurpa
(Kilaya) believed to have been given by some high Lama, probably Dudjom Jigdrel
Yeshe Dorje. The Lama Neten liked it and wanted to have it. So, after Umze’s
death, the Phurpa was given to the Lama Neten. Today, some believe that this
Phurpa has been offered to the main statue of the protecting deity of the Nagtshang temple in
Bartsham.
Umze Dorji
Wangdi had also helped in the construction of a two storeyed traditional house
for his parents. It was not as elegant and imposing as the house of the Lama
Neten, but it was a nice house with a overhanging roofed verandah (built in the
architectural style of Western Bhutan) above a pig sty down below. This house, in its renovated and refurbished
form, stands to this day.
So, let us now turn back to the life and ancestry of
the Lama Neten.
Lama Neten Sonam Dorji was born in the village of
Majawoong in Bartsham. Majawoong is located on a gentle slope next to the
famours Barstsham Chador Lhakhang in Trashigang. According to Umze Drepa Sonam Dorji, the Lama
Neten was born in the year of ox, the same year as his paternal grandfather Meme
Chadola. From this, it can be surmised
that the year was 1901.
On his
father’s side, he descended from Lopen Tshering who came to Bartsham from
Kurtoe Tsankhar and settled here and founded a small temple which later was
replaced by the present day Chador Lhakhang. His mother had her roots in Tsamang, Mongar.
As his
name indicates, he was a learned Buddhist Master though not much is known about
him now. His wife was Ani Konyermo (Ani is a respectful title used for the
spouses of Lamas).
Lopen
Tshering and Ani Konyermo had eight children – 6 sons and 2 daughters. In the
order of their birth, they were Dorjilia, Tenzinla, Ugyenla, Pemala, Changila,
Jangchub (daughter), Damchoema (daughter) and Sinchungla (Source: Meme Lobzang
Yeshi from Bartsham, 93 years old as of 2024). Their children then had many
offsprings of their own. Hence, almost all Bartshampas are in one way or the
other descendents of Lopen Tshering. (see the Family tree of the descendants of
Lopen Tshering here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q5vU6UMp2BzouXH2ETwyrlV6jedGyMAd/view?usp=sharing).
Sinchungla,
the youngest son of Lopen Tshering, married Pema Sangja from Majawoong, and
they had the following children: 1. Jamu (daughter), 2. Lama Neten Sonam Dorji
(son), 3. Cheten(daughter) 4. Garpa
Kezang (son) 5. Pemchoe 6. Dorji Dema (daughter), 7. Kunzang Lhamo (daughter) and
8. Phuntsho Dema (daughter).
So, as you
can see, Lama Neten Sonam Dorji was born as the eldest son of Sinchungla and
Pema Sangja. He grew up during the rule of the first king and Second King of
Bhutan. When he was a child, Trashigang Dzong must have been under the
governorship of Dzongpon Sonam Tshering, father of Dzongpon Thinley Tobgyel
(aka Sey Dopola).
From the
16th century onwards, one of the dominant sects of Buddhism that had
made inroads into the villages of central and eastern Bhutan was the Peling
sub-sect of the Nyingmapa founded by Terton Pema Lingpa who was born in
Bumthang. However, as it is now, the monastic order inside the Dzongs which
housed the administrative centres of the different regions or districts was the
Drukpa Kargyu sect set up by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, the founder of the
state of Bhutan. The Dzongs had a vibrant monastic community, and children from
the locality were encouraged to enrol as novice monks.
And so it
was that little Sonam Dorji, the eldest son of Sinchungla and Pema Sangja from
Bartsham Majawoong was enrolled as a novice monk in Trashigang. The exact year
that he was enrolled is not known. But suffice it to say that he was sent there
when he was quite small, may be before turning 10.
He turned
out to be gifted with superior intelligence, and he excelled in his studies. He
not only was able to memorise and understand the scriptures much faster than
the others, but he also excelled in picking up all aspects of performing the
different rituals. And as a result, it is said that he rose up the ranks of the
monastic centre within the Dzong steadily until he became the Lama Neten, the
head of the monastic order within the Dzong.
It is said
that he served as Lama Neten for a long time during the time of Dzongpon
Thinley Tobgyel alias Sey Dopola and even after Sey Dopola passed away in 1953.
Acknowledgement:
The above accounts have been written based on information from many people, especially the following.
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| Meme Lobzang Yeshey (b. 1931) with my Japanese friend Yoshiki Ishiuchi doing research on Bartsham Meme Lobzang Yeshi is my father's maternal first cousin. He has a photographic memory of past events, and he is especially good with family history of not only the Bartshampas, but of most prominent families of Bhutan. At 93, he is now losing some grasp of those memories. |
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| Umze Drepa Sonam Dorji (middle). He is the one who took care of the only photograph of Lama Neten Sonam Dorji. Though faded, he believed that technology should be able to restore it. That is when I came in and took help from my friend Dr Naren Dubey, CEO of ScanCafe. |
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| My uncle Wangchuk Dorji (b. 1956), my mother's paternal cousin, is another person who has good memories of the history of Bartsham. |
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| My mother (Mrs Kunzang, b. 1944) is a born hard worker and not so much into small talk and story telling, but with age, she has become better at recalling and narrating past stories to me. |
