1904.] Sarat Chandra Das— The Hierarchy of the Dalai Lama. 83 
abbotship of Dapung where he was better known by the title of 
Dapung Taiku L or Avatar. In later times this Avatar , in his successive 
incarnations, received the titles of Gyal-wa TUnphche , Gyalwai Wangpo , 
Tale Lama, etc. 
With him, in fact, originated the institution of incarnations in 
Tibet which was but little known before and which siuce then has 
become general all over Tibet and Mongolia. 
In the 52nd year of his age the Lamas of Sera elected him as their 
high priest, which office lie held till hb death in 1541. Since Kyisho, 
the district of which Lhasa is the chief town, had passed under the 
ruler of Tsang named ftinohen Pung-pa, for a peiiod of nineteen years, 
the Lamas of Sungphu and Karma sects presided over the annual prayer 
assembly of Lhasa called the Monlam Chenpo. Under the auspices of 
Gadun Gya-tsho the Lamas of Sera and Dapung regained their lost 
authoi ity over the grand institution. Gadun wrote several works on 
the different, branches of the sacred literature. At the age of 68, in 
the year called Water-tiger, he departed from this life. 
His spirit was discovered in a lad of four years born in the family 
of Ma Hinchen Chug 3 at Toiiung 3 in the year 1546. When this boy 
was teu years old the Lamas of Dapung placed him on the chair of 
their high priest under the title of Sonam Gya-tsho. -31 Formerly, 
when the Tartar Emperor Khublai Khan made rich presents to his 
spiritual tutor Lama Phag-pa, 5 the latter had predicted that in time to 
come he would reappear on this earth as a Lama bearing the name— 
“ Ocean,” which in Mongolian was called Tale— Dalai , while the 
Emperor himself would reign as a king of the name Altan signifying 
gold—in Mongolian. 
Altan, the powerful Khan who ruled over Thumed Mongolia, being 
told by an astrologer that in a former life he was the great Khan of 
China, wished to know what became of the spirit of the Lama who had 
exercised so much influence over Emperor Khublai. Being informed 
that he too was reborn in the person of Sonam Gya-tsho, the incarnate 
Lama of Dapung, the monarch sent his general Tashi Kabdan to bring 
him to Mongolia. 
In 1557, Sonam Gya-tsho became High Priest of Sera. Being in 
charge of both Sera and Dapung, he exercised great influence at Lhasa. 
In 1563, he took the final vows of monkhood. In 1573, he founded 
N3 NS 
