Togdan Rinpoche

Togdan Rinpoche was a Buddhist lama of the Drikung Kagyu tradition, recognised as the reincarnation of earlier Togdan Rinpoches, and a political leader in Ladakh. He was named posthumously for the Padma Bhushan in 2024 in the field of spiritualism, from Ladakh ^[1].

Lama

He was born on 1 January 1938 in Tibet, where he studied under renowned teachers in several Buddhist traditions ^[2]. After returning to Ladakh, his main task was to reorganise the region’s roughly 50 Drikung monasteries ^[2]. He was president of the Ladakh Gompa Association from 1972 to 1975, and attended international Buddhist conferences in Taiwan and Europe ^[2]. He also encouraged Ladakhi families to educate their children and helped many students go to study in Srinagar and Jammu ^[2].

Political leader

In 1967 he was elected chairman of the Ladakh Action Committee, which pressed the region’s demands with the central government and won acceptance of ten of them ^[2]. For four years he was vice-chairman of the Ladakh Development Board, when projects such as the Durbuk canal, the Alchi bridge, new schools and health centres in remote villages were carried out ^[2].

He was president of the National Conference in Leh, was nominated to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council, and became Minister of State for Ladakh Affairs and Planning ^[2].

He died on 24 May 2023 ^[2].