6th Dalai Lama
Tsangyang Gyatso (Tibetan: ཚངས་དབྱངས་རྒྱ་མཚོ, Wylie: tshangs-dbyangs rgya-mtsho, ZYPY: Cangyang Gyamco; born 1 March 1683, died after 1706) was the 6th Dalai Lama. He was an unconventional Dalai Lama that preferred a libertine lifestyle to that of an ordained monk. His regent was killed before he was kidnapped by Lha-bzang Khan of the Khoshut Khanate and disappeared.
Tsangyang Gyatso | |||||||
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| Title | 6th Dalai Lama | ||||||
| Personal | |||||||
| Born | 1 March 1683 Tawang (present-day Arunachal Pradesh, India) | ||||||
| Died | after 1706 (aged approx. 22-23) Amdo (reportedly survived Qing transport of 1706) | ||||||
| Religion | Tibetan Buddhism | ||||||
| Senior posting | |||||||
| Period in office | 1697 received full authorities | ||||||
| Predecessor | Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso | ||||||
| Successor | Kelzang Gyatso | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Chinese | 倉央嘉措 and 宕桑汪波 | ||||||
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| Tibetan name | |||||||
| Tibetan | ཚངས་དབྱངས་རྒྱ་མཚོ་ | ||||||
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The death of the 5th Dalai Lama remained concealed for many years. The 6th Dalai Lama was born in what the Tibetans referred to as "Monyul" at Urgelling Monastery, in modern day Tawang district, Arunachal Pradesh, India. He was located at the age of either 13 or 14. As a youth, he showed high levels of intelligence with unconventional views. Later living as a lay practitioner and a yogi, he grew his hair long, dressed as a regular Tibetan, and was said to also drink alcohol and accept the company of women.
During a power struggle between Tibet, Mongols and Qing China in Lhasa, the Dalai Lama's regent was killed. Afterwards, the Dalai Lama was kidnapped by Mongol forces then disappeared in Amdo, and assumed was murdered, on their way to Beijing in 1706.
The 6th Dalai Lama is also well known for his poems and songs that continue to be popular not only in modern-day Tibet but also among Tibetan speaking communities in Nepal, India and all across China.