The Central Tibetan Administration is saddened to report the passing away of Lamo Tsangpa’s medium, Tsewang Namgyal. He took his last breath in the early hours of 24th April at the PGI Hospital in Chandigarh.
The late Tsewang Namgyal arrived in India in 1986 with his family and since then had assumed his rightful role as a medium of Lamo Tsangpa. When the Chinese communist force occupied Tibet in 1959, he was only 10 years old. He was among the youngest prisoners and was later sent to join the Chinese army’s cultural troupe. As an artiste he excelled in almost every faculty of music, thus achieving respect and honour within his professional circle. He retired from the cultural troupe in 1986 and subsequently visited India.
Soon after his arrival in India, with the blessing and urging from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the late Tsewang Namgyal stayed back to continue the hereditary role as the medium.
For the last few years, he had suffered from several bouts of heart problems and other ailments. He was admitted to a hospital in Delhi last year for a long spell of time. He returned to Dharamsala when the condition improved a bit. Unfortunately, the situation deteriorated suddenly last week and he was swiftly taken to Chandigarh for treatment where he passed away.
A quiet funeral attended by around 50 monks from various monasteries and his immediate family was held on the morning of 25th April in Dharamsala The Central Tibetan Administration remained closed after 3PM on Friday as a mark of respect to the reverend medium of the highly regarded official oracle.
The late Tsewang Namgyal was only 59. He is survived by his wife and four sons.
A Brief background on Lamo Tsangpa.
Lamo Tsangpa has a long history intricately woven with the Tibetan national history. Lamo Tsangpa First arrived from Lamo Jangchuk in Taktser District. The deity holds a higher status in the hierarchy of Tibetan official oracles. The deity had a very close relationship with the Tibetan government during the third and fifth Dalai Lama. During the fifth Dalai Lama, when the Gaden Phodrang was first established, Lamo Tsangpa deity was accepted as one of the official oracles.
The long lineage of Panchen Lama has regarded the Lamo Tsangpa as their protector deity.
