13th Dalai Lama
Ngawang Lobsang Thupten Gyatso Jigdral Chokley Namgyal, abbreviated to Thubten Gyatso (Tibetan: ཐུབ་བསྟན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་, Wylie: Thub Bstan Rgya Mtsho; 12 February 1876 – 17 December 1933) was the 13th Dalai Lama of Tibet, enthroned during a turbulent era and the collapse of the Qing Dynasty. Referred to as "the Great Thirteenth", he is also known for redeclaring Tibet's national independence, and for his reform and modernization initiatives.
Thubten Gyatso | |
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ཐུབ་བསྟན་རྒྱ་མཚོ | |
| Title | The 13th Dalai Lama |
| Personal | |
| Born | 12 February 1876 Thakpo Langdun, Ü-Tsang, Tibet |
| Died | 17 December 1933 (aged 57) Lhasa, Tibet |
| Resting place | Potala Palace |
| Religion | Tibetan Buddhism |
| Home town | Lhasa |
| Known for | 13th Dalai Lama |
| Signature | |
| Military service | |
| Rank | Dalai Lama |
| Senior posting | |
| Teacher | Phurchok Ngawang Jampa Rinpoche |
| Period in office | 31 July 1879 – 17 December 1933 |
| Predecessor | Trinley Gyatso |
| Successor | Tenzin Gyatso |
| Ordination | 1895 |
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| Tibetan Buddhism |
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In 1878, he was recognized as the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. He was escorted to Lhasa and given his pre-novice vows by the Panchen Lama, Tenpai Wangchuk, and named "Ngawang Lobsang Thupten Gyatso Jigdral Chokley Namgyal". In 1879, he was enthroned at the Potala Palace, but did not assume political power until 1895, after he had reached his maturity.
Thubten Gyatso was an intellectual reformer and skillful politician. He was responsible for countering the British expedition to Tibet, restoring discipline in monastic life, and increasing the number of lay officials to avoid excessive power being placed in the hands of the monks.