Da Lam Tserenchimed (, bo, ཏཱ་བླ་མ་ཚེ་རིང་འཆི་མེད།; 1869 – 1914) was a prominent

lama Lama (; "chief") is a title for a teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term ''guru'', meaning "heavy one", endowed with qualities the student will eventually embody. The Tibetan word "lama" means "hi ...

and early 20th century Mongolian independence leader. In December 1911, he was appointed interior minister and ''de facto'' prime minister in the

Bogd Khan Bogd Khan, , ; ( – 20 May 1924) was the khan of the Bogd Khaganate from 1911 to 1924, following the state's ''de facto'' independence from the Qing dynasty of China after the Xinhai Revolution. Born in Tibet, he was the third most importa ...

's first government of Autonomous Mongolia, a position he held until

Tögs-Ochiryn Namnansüren Tögs-Ochiryn Namnansüren (; ; ; 1878 – April 1919), full title: Sain Noyon Khan Namnansüren (, Good noyon khan Namnansüren), was a powerful hereditary prince and prominent early 20th-century Mongolian independence leader. He served as ...

officially became the first prime minister in July 1912.

Early life and career

Tserenchimed was born in 1869 in present-day

Khövsgöl Province Khövsgöl ( mn, Хөвсгөл) is the northernmost of the 21 aimags (provinces) of Mongolia. The name is derived from Lake Khövsgöl. Geography and history The round-topped Tarvagatai, Bulnain and Erchim sub-ranges of the Khangai massif dom ...

. He entered a monastery at an early age, became a

, and then started work as low level clerk in the office of the Shamzudba (the Secular Affairs Administration office) of the estates of the Bogd Khan ''Ikh Shav''), quickly climbing his way up to become ''Da Lam'' (Chief Lama or Abbot). He showed a talent for politics early on and established excellent working relations with local political officials. Around this time he began to support calls for Mongolian independence. In July 1911 Tserenchimed was one of several high-ranking lamas and hereditary princes summoned to Khüree (present day

Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar (; mn, Улаанбаатар, , "Red Hero"), previously anglicized as Ulan Bator, is the capital and most populous city of Mongolia. It is the coldest capital city in the world, on average. The municipality is located in north ce ...

) by the Bogd Khan to discuss independence. The Bogd Khan then named him a member of a delegation, along with Namnansüren, that traveled to

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

to seek Czarist Russian and West European support for Mongolian independence from Chinese rule. BogdKhan

In November 1911 he was named head of General Administration Office of

Khalkh The Khalkha (Mongolian script, Mongolian: mn, Халх, Halh, , zh, 喀爾喀) have been the largest subgroup of Mongols, Mongol people in modern Mongolia since the 15th century. The Khalkha, together with Chahars, Ordos Mongols, Ordos and Tum ...

Affairs in the provisional Mongolian government set up as

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

collapsed in China. The only commoner in Bogd Khan's government, he was then appointed interior minister in the first government of the newly established Autonomous Mongolia in early 1912, a position that was recognized as a ''de facto'' prime ministry, until the establishment in July 1912 of office of prime minister and appointment of Namnansüren to the position. Tserenchimed had established close ties to the Chinese

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

nationalists and the Japanese. In 1913 he attempted to travel to Tokyo to seek Japanese recognition of Mongolian independence and assistance in uniting northern and southern Mongolians but was turned back at

Harbin Harbin (; mnc, , v=Halbin; ) is a sub-provincial city and the provincial capital and the largest city of Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China, as well as the second largest city by urban population after Shenyang and largest ...

by Russian officials. In 1914 he was removed from his position as minister of interior and reassigned to be minister for pacification of western frontier. He died a short while later while traveling out to the western frontier to take up his new position.Urgunge Onon, Derrick Pritchatt 1989, pg 119

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tserenchimed, Da Lam History of Mongolia 1869 births 1914 deaths People from Khövsgöl Province Prime Ministers of Mongolia