Template:Infobox religious biography Ngawang Lobzang Thupstan Chognor[1][2] (Template:Bo), commonly known as 19th Kushok Bakula Rinpoche (19 May 1918 – 4 November 2003) was a Buddhist lama, who also served as India's ambassador to Mongolia. He is mainly known for his efforts in reviving Buddhism in Mongolia and Russia by linking them with the community of Tibetan exiles in India.[3]
He was born in the Matho branch of the Royal House of Ladakh, India. He was the youngest child of his father, Nangwa Thayas, the titular King of Matho, and his wife, Princess Yeshes Wangmo of the Royal House of Zangla. He was recognised by the Thirteenth Dalai Lama as a reincarnation of Bakula Arhat,[4] one of the Sixteen Arhats who in legend were direct disciples of Gautama Buddha. He was a direct descendant of the last King of Ladakh Tsepel Tondup Namgyal. He was, in fact, his great-great-great grandson.Template:Citation needed[5][6][7]
"In 1962 ... allowed the Indian troops to convert a section of his Pethub Monastery into a makeshift military hospital. When a section of people in Kashmir demanded plebiscite, Rinpoche categorically stated that Ladakh would never go to Pakistan and would remain with India."[3]
Later he served in the Parliament of India, and was deeply engaged with welfare, education and rights of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes of India. In his later years, he became India's Ambassador in Mongolia.[8] He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1988.[3] The airport at Leh in the Indian region of Ladakh is named after him.
References
- ↑ Varieties of Secularism in Asia: Anthropological Explorations of Religion, Politics and the Spiritual{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}(12 March 2012). ISBN 9781136668630
- ↑ Tributes paid to 19th Kushok Bakula Rinpoche on 99th Birth anniversary(30 May 2016).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Architect of Modern Ladakh. Daily Excelsior(14 January 2018).
- ↑ Tribute to the Venerable Kushok Bakula Rinpoche. FPMT.
- ↑ The History of the Political Ordeal of Ladakh. Reach Ladakh Bulletin. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
- ↑ The History of the Political Ordeal of Ladakh
- ↑ The History of the Political Ordeal of Ladakh. Reach Ladakh Bulletin(6 November 2019).
- ↑ Former Ambassadors. Embassy of India Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
Further reading
- Nawang Tsering Shakspo and Henry M. Vyner, M.D. (2006): Kushok Bakula Rinpoche — Saint and Statesman, World Buddhist Culture Trust, New Delhi
- Patrick Dowd, "The Nineteenth Bakula, Ngawang Lobzang Thubstan Choknor," Treasury of Lives, accessed February 04, 2021, http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Bakula-Ngawang-Lobzang-Thubstan-Choknor/13652
Template:PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 1980–89 Template:Authority control