Lama Dorji, or Lama Darja (; mn, Лхамдаржаа; 1726 or 1728–1753) was a mid-eighteenth century

khan Khan may refer to: *Khan (inn), from Persian, a caravanserai or resting-place for a travelling caravan *Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name *Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by ...

or ruler of the

Dzungar Khanate The Dzungar Khanate, also written as the Zunghar Khanate, was an Inner Asian khanate of Oirat Mongol origin. At its greatest extent, it covered an area from southern Siberia in the north to present-day Kyrgyzstan in the south, and from t ...

, a confederation of Mongol tribes that ruled over most of present-day

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

and part of eastern

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...

and southern

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

. He was the eldest son of

Galdan Tseren Galdan Tseren (; ?–1745) was a Choros (Oirats) prince and the ''Khong Tayiji'' of the Dzungar Khanate from 1727 until his death in 1745. Galdan Tseren was the eldest son of Tsewang Rabtan. After the assassination of his father by rival faction ...

Khong Tayiji Khong Tayiji ( mn, , хун тайж; ), also spelled Qong Tayiji, was a title of the Mongols, derived from the Chinese term ''Huangtaizi'' (皇太子; "crown prince"). At first it also meant crown prince in the Mongolian language. It was original ...

of the Dzungar Khanate from 1727 until his death in 1745. Before his death,

had designated his second son

Tsewang Dorji Namjal Tsewang Dorji Namjal (; Mongolian：; 1732–1750) was the mid-eighteenth century khan or ruler of the Dzungar Khanate, which covered most of present-day Xinjiang and part of eastern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and southern Siberia. Background Tsew ...

to succeed him. However, a succession dispute soon erupted among

's three sons. Lama Dorji conspired with the husband of his sister Ulam Bayar, the

Baghatur Baghatur ( otk, 𐰉𐰍𐰀, Baga; mn, ''Baγatur'', Khalkha Mongolian: Баатар ''Bātar''; tr, Bağatur, Batur, Bahadır; russian: Богатырь Bogatyr; bg, Багатур Bagatur; fa, بهادر; pa, ਬਹਾਦੁਰ , بہا� ...

Sayin Bolek and other ''saisans'' or high officials (), to kill Tsewang Dorji Namjal while he was on a hunting trip. During an abortive attack on the plotters in 1750, Tsewang Dorji Namjal was captured and blinded then sent as a prisoner to

Aksu, Xinjiang Aksu is a city in and the seat of Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang, lying at the northern edge of the Tarim Basin. The name Aksu literally means "white water" (in Turkic) and is used for both the oasis town and the Aksu River (Xinjiang), Aksu River. T ...

along with his brother, Tsewang Dashi. Despite his low birth as a Khoit, Lama Dorji's encountered little opposition except from the Dzungar Khan,

Dawachi Dawachi (; mn, Даваач; died 1759) was the last khan of the Dzungar Khanate from 1753 until his defeat at the hands of Qing and Mongol forces at Ili in 1755. Dawachi belonged to the highest rank of Dzungar aristocracy. He traced his ancest ...

, grandson of

and

Tsewang Rabtan Tsewang Rabtan (from ''Tsewang Rapten''; ; ; 1643–1727) was a Choros (Oirats) prince and the Khong Tayiji of the Dzungar Khanate from 1697 (following the death of his uncle and rival Galdan Boshugtu Khan) until his death in 1727. He was mar ...

's cousin Tsering Dhondup (). In 1751, Lama Dorji defeated Dawachi, who was forced to flee across the border into

Kazakh Khanate The Kazakh Khanate ( kk, Қазақ Хандығы, , ), in eastern sources known as Ulus of the Kazakhs, Ulus of Jochi, Yurt of Urus, was a Kazakh state in Central Asia, successor of the Golden Horde existing from the 15th to 19th century, ...

territory with about a dozen men. Amursana was one of Dawachi's few followers who returned to Tarbagatai to join up with his Khoit clansmen. With a thousand men, he then marched to

Ili Ili, ILI, Illi may refer to: Abbreviations * Irish Life International, part of Irish Life and Permanent * Intuitive Logical Introvert, a personality type in socionics * Influenza-like illness * Iran Language Institute, a state-owned, non-profit ...

where they surprised Lama Dorji and killed him on 13January 1753. Other sources claim that Lama Dorji was killed by his own troops in December 1752. Dawachi then assumed the title ''taisha'' of the Dzungars.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dorji, Lama Dzungar Khanate 18th-century Mongol rulers Tibetan Buddhist monks 1720s births 1753 deaths

See also

References