Namgyal dynasty of Ladakh Gyalpo of Ladakh | |||||||||||
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| 1460 (1460)–1842 (1842) | |||||||||||
 Historical map of Ladakh at its largest extent | |||||||||||
| Capital | Leh | ||||||||||
| Common languages | Ladakhi,Tibetan | ||||||||||
| Religion | Tibetan Buddhism | ||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
• Established | 1460 (1460) | ||||||||||
• Disestablished | 1842 (1842) | ||||||||||
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| Today part of | India (Ladakh) China Pakistan Nepal | ||||||||||
TheNamgyal dynasty was a dynasty whose rulers were the monarchs of the former kingdom ofLadakh that lasted from 1460 to 1842 and were titled theGyalpo of Ladakh.[1] The Namgyal dynasty succeeded thefirst dynasty of Maryul and had several conflicts with the neighboringMughal Empire and various dynasties ofTibet, including theTibet–Ladakh–Mughal War. The dynasty eventually fell to theSikh Empire andDogras ofJammu. Most of its known history is written in theLadakh Chronicles.
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According to theLadakh Chronicles, the Namgyal dynasty was founded byBhagan, the son of Bhara in the kingdom ofMaryul. Bhagan was described as warlike, and established the Namgyal dynasty in 1460 after he formed an alliance with the people ofLeh and dethroned the Maryul king Lodrö Chokden (Blo-gros-mc'og-ldan) and his brothers Drünpa Aliand Lapten Dargyé (Slab-bstan-dar-rgyas).[2]: 25, 171
He took the surname Namgyal (meaning victorious) and founded a new dynasty which still survives today. King Tashi Namgyal (1555–1575) managed to repel most Central Asian raiders, and built a royal fort on the top of the Namgyal Peak.Tsewang Namgyal (1575–1595) extended his kingdom as far asNepal.
Sengge Namgyal (r. 1616-1642), known as the "Lion" King, made efforts to restore Ladakh to its old glory by an ambitious and energetic building program including theLeh Palace and the rebuilding of severalgompas, the most famous of which areHemis andHanle.[3]
He expanded the kingdom intoZanskar andSpiti, but was defeated by theMughals, who had already occupied Kashmir andBaltistan. His son Deldan Namgyal (1642–1694) had to placate theMughal emperorAurangzeb by building a mosque inLeh. However, he defeated the Mughal army in Baltistan. His son Delek sided withBhutan in a religious dispute betweenTibet and Bhutan, which resulted in aninvasion by theFifth Dalai Lama. Delek Namgyal sought assistance from the Mughal Empire who drove out the Tibetan forces. The Mughuls withdrew after being paid off by the 5th Dalai Lama.[4]
The Namgyal dynasty ended in 1842 after an invasion of Ladakh by the Dogra generalZorawar Singh and its subsequent annexation.[5]
By the beginning of the 19th century, the Mughal empire had collapsed andSikh rule had been established inPunjab and Kashmir. However the Dogra region of Jammu remained under its Rajput rulers (who ruled under the maharaja ranjit singh) Rajput ruler were given the control of their states but under the name of Punjab and they were part of khalsa empire,General Zorawar Singh invaded Ladakh in 1834. King Tshespal Namgyal was dethroned and exiled toStok where they still had a smalljagir until the post independencepolitical integration of India.[6]
The kings of Namgyal dynasty along with their periods of reign are as follows:[7][8][9]
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