Drowai Gonpo (aGro bai mgon po, 1508–1548) was a king who wielded power in parts of Central Tibet from 1524 to 1548. He belonged to the Phagmodrupa dynasty which reigned over

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

or parts of it from 1354 to the early 17th century. Drowai Gonpo was a son of the ruler

Ngawang Tashi Drakpa Ngawang Tashi Drakpa (, 1488–1564) was a king of Tibet who ruled in 1499–1554 and 1556/57–1564. He belonged to the Phagmodrupa Dynasty which was the dominating regime in Tibet from 1354 to 1435 and maintained a degree of authority until the ea ...

(d. 1564), the last important leader of the dynasty and known by the

Fifth Dalai Lama Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (; ; 1617–1682) was the 5th Dalai Lama and the first Dalai Lama to wield effective temporal and spiritual power over all Tibet. He is often referred to simply as the Great Fifth, being a key religious and temporal leader ...

as the "King of Tibet". His mother was a lady of the

Rinpungpa Rinpungpa (; ) was a Tibetan dynastic regime that dominated much of Western Tibet and part of Ü-Tsang between 1435 and 1565. During one period around 1500 the Rinpungpa lords came close to assemble the Tibetan lands around the Yarlung Tsangpo R ...

family, which was dominant in the Tsang region of West Central Tibet. In 1524 Drowai Gonpo was established as sub-ruler in Gongri Karpo to the west of the Nêdong palace where his father dwelt. Like his father he received the royal title ''gongma'', "the high one". He married a lady from Chontse who gave birth to

Ngawang Drakpa Gyaltsen Ngawang Drakpa (Gyaltsen) (, d. 1603 or 1604) was a king in Central Tibet who ruled from 1554 to 1556/57, and again from 1576 to 1603/04. He belonged to the Phagmodrupa Dynasty which held power in Tibet or parts of it from 1354 to the early 17th cen ...

. In another marriage, with a daughter of the Ganden lord, he sired Sonam Drakpa Gyaltsen (d. 1566?) and Namgyal Rabten (d. 1568?). The move of a part of the Phagmodrupa family to Gongri Karpo caused serious internal feuds in the dynasty, some years after the death of Drowai Gonpo (1548). This led to the complete eclipse of Phagmodrupa power in Central Tibet. After the demise of Drowai Gonpo, a stupa decorated with jewels was erected at Gongri Karpo to contain his remains.Ya Hazhang, 1994, p. 384.

References

{{Phagmodrupa rulers Phagmodrupa dynasty 16th-century Tibetan people 1548 deaths 1508 births

See also

References