9th Dalai Lama facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lungtok
Religion	Tibetan Buddhism
Personal
Born	(1805-12-01)1 December 1805 Dan Chokhor, Kham,  Qing Dynasty
Died	6 March 1815(1815-03-06) (aged 9) Ü-Tsang,  Qing Dynasty
Parents	Tendzin Chokyong (father) Dondrub Dolma (mother)
Senior posting
Title	9th Dalai Lama
Period in office	1810–1815
Predecessor	Jamphel Gyatso
Successor	Tsultrim Gyatso
Chinese name
Chinese	隆朵嘉措
Transcriptions
Tibetan name
Tibetan	ལུང་རྟོགས་རྒྱ་མཚོ་
Transcriptions Wylie lung rtogs rgya mtsho Tibetan Pinyin Lungdog Gyaco

Lungtok Gyatso (born December 1, 1805, died March 6, 1815) was the 9th Dalai Lama of Tibet. His full name was Lobzang Tenpai Wangchuk Lungtok Gyatso. He was the only Dalai Lama who passed away when he was still a child. He was also the first of four Dalai Lamas who died before turning 22 years old.

Early Life of Lungtok Gyatso

Lungtok Gyatso was born on December 1, 1805. He was born near a monastery called Dan Chokhor. Some people say he was an orphan, but others say his parents were Tendzin Chokyong and Dondrub Dolma.

From a very young age, he was considered a possible next Dalai Lama. He was taken to Gungtang monastery near Lhasa. There, Tibetan officials and Chinese representatives, called ambans, examined him. The people who served the 8th Dalai Lama thought he was the best choice.

In 1808, the Seventh Panchen Lama, Gedun Choekyi Nyima, confirmed he was the next Dalai Lama. The Panchen Lama then performed a special ceremony. He shaved the boy's head and gave him the name Lobzang Tenpai Wangchuk Lungtok Gyatso.

Life as the 9th Dalai Lama

This picture shows the 9th Dalai Lama being enthroned. The Mongolian ambassador, Manjubazar, is on the right, and the Chinese ambans are sitting on the far right.

In 1810, Lungtok Gyatso was officially made the Dalai Lama. This special event happened at the Potala Palace. He sat on the Golden Throne of the Ganden Po-drang Government. In the same year, the old Regent, Ta-task Nga-wang Gon-po, passed away. A new Regent, De-mo Tul-ku Nga-wang Lo-zang Tub-ten Jig-me Gya-tso, took his place.

An English explorer named Thomas Manning visited Lhasa in 1812. He met the 9th Dalai Lama, who was seven years old at the time. Manning was very impressed. He wrote that the Dalai Lama had a "beautiful and interesting face." He also said the boy was "gay and cheerful." Manning felt very moved by meeting him.

In 1812, the Seventh Panchen Lama gave the boy his vows to become a novice monk. This happened in Lhasa on September 22. Lungtok Gyatso was said to be very interested in Buddhist teachings, known as dharma. He was also very smart. He could remember long prayer texts and important root-texts. Some of his teachers included Ngwang Nyandak, Jangchub Chopel, and Yeshe Gyatso.

Passing Away

The nine-year-old Dalai Lama caught a cold during the yearly Monlam Prayer Festival. He passed away in Tibet on March 6, 1815. His death made the whole country very sad. This sadness lasted for eight years until a new reincarnation was found. His body was placed in a golden reliquary, a special container, in the Potala Palace. It was called Serdung Sasum Ngonga.

During this time, from the 9th to the 12th Dalai Lamas, the Panchen Lama became very important. This was because these four Dalai Lamas died when they were young. The Panchen Lama helped lead Tibet during these times.

See also

In Spanish: Lungtok Gyatso para niños