Lungshar

Who was Lungshar?

Tsipön Lungshar born Dorje Tsegyal was a noted Tibetan politician who attempted unsuccessfully to become the paramount figure of the Tibetan government in the 1930s, following the death of the 13th Dalai Lama.

He came from an aristocratic family with a history of service to the 5th Dalai Lama; his father was a Major in the Tibetan Army and he was an Accountant of the 6th rank in the Accountant-General's Office at Lhasa during the 13th Dalai Lama leadership. The Dalai Lama sent him to England and several European nations to supervise four Tibetan students and to act as ambassador at large for Tibet. During his stay in England, he developed an appreciation of England's system of constitutional monarchy, and became convinced that Tibet needed political reform if it were to survive in the modern world.

In 1914, at a time when the Dalai Lama was strengthening state institutions including the military, he returned to Tibet and was appointed tsipön, i.e. one of the four heads of the revenue office. He increased revenue for the state, at the expense of many aristocratic and monastic landlords, earning himself enemies among the elite in the process.