Drakpa Gyaltsen (1619-1656), who was the fake fourth reincarnation of Penchen Sonam Drakpa (1478-1554)*, was born at Ge Khasa in Tolung in 1619 to his mother Lak Agyal and father Namsey Norbu. He was the third of five children of his parents. His ancestral estate at Ge Khasa was one of the largest estates in Tolung. His father held the post of a border night watchman at Nangso (Nang means inner and So refers to ‘SOKPO’ Mongolia). His father’s nephew Tag Gowa, son-in-law of Depa Gona Shakpa of Phenyul, served as senior minister of Depa Tsangpa**. Due to his connection with political powers, he manipulated and managed to place his son in the list of candidates for reincarnation of the fourth Dalai Lama, Yonten Gyatso (1589-1616). Nevertheless, his rival candidate, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (1617-1682), was recognized as the true reincarnation of the fourth Dalai Lama. Drakpa Gyaltsen’s mother Lak Agyal therefore forcibly proclaimed her son to be the reincarnation of the Trulku Gelek Palsang, and he thus got the name Trulku Drakpa Gyaltsen.

Although rumor had it that Drakpa Gyaltsen and the fifth Dalai Lama were on bad terms, there was no any actual frictions between them, as is evident from the biographies of Penchen Lobsang Choekyi Gyaltsen, the Fifth Dalai Lama and Trulku Drakpa Gyaltsen. In his autobiography, Drakpa Gyaltsen mentions that he received many teachings from the great Fifth Dalai Lama, and also invited him to his residence and had excellent opportunity to attend on him with high reverence and spent the whole day in conversation with him.

According to the autobiography of the Fifth Dalai Lama, Drakpa Gyaltsen was possessed by an evil spirit which, because of its distorted prayers, acts very harmful to the Dharma and sentient beings. Whether an evil spirit possessed him or incited his mental continuum or Drakpa Gyaltsen himself transformed into a spirit – as might be- it was widely known that after Drakpa Gyaltsen’s death, the upper Chamber, his residential palace, was haunted by a very harmful spirit. Moreover, according to his biography, the Fifth Dalai Lama suddenly got up from his meditation and went to the upper Chamber, where Drakpa Gyaltsen, being possessed by a spirit, was lying unconscious. The Great Fifth granted him the empowerment of Mahakala and conducted the Dispeller of all Obstacles ritual but did not benefit him. So, at the time when Drakpa Gyaltsen breathed his last breath, the Great Fifth suddenly rose from his meditation and visited the Upper Chamber, the residence of Drakpa Gyaltsen and bestowed upon him the empowerments of Mahakala and Dispeller of All Obstacles but Drakpa Gyaltsen passed away. The above proved the fact and we should not believe in hearsays.

After the death of Drakpa Gyaltsen, the Fifth Dalai Lama and his regent Desi Sonam Rabten, at different times, experienced the wrath of the spirit. When they told Nechung deity about this, they were told that they should not stay there and go to Potala when the cremation of Drakpa Gyaltsen was performed. After that, from the silver sepulture of Drakpa Gyaltsen and his Upper Chamber, wails were heard during night and various kinds of evil omens were witnessed. Nechung deity said that if it were left in that way, it would inflict more harms to the Dharma and beings, and thrown into the river. The coffin flew down the river and when it reached the Dol Chumig Karmo in Southern Tibet, it was picked up by a woman. The woman died the same day. As a result, many bad omens, such as tragic incidences, lack of rainfall, epidemics and violence were witnessed in that area and the people were filled with horrible suspicion. In order to pacify the Drakpa Gyaltsen’s spirit and prevent him from causing harm to the Dharma and the people, the Fifth Dalai Lama built a shrine at the site of propitiate him and gave him the name Dholgyal.

Dholgyal has many different names. Norchen Kunga and his entire lineage called him Kordak (Guard of Treasury), Gyalgon (monk spirit), Jungpo (preta-demon), Damsi (Samaya violator) and Sondrey (evil spirit in living being) and Shindrey (evil spirit of a dead person). Minling Terdak Chenpo called him Malicious Damsi and the Eigth Penchen Lama Tenpai Wangchuk called him Sky-travelling evil spirit. Trichen Ngawang Chokden, the fifty-fourth Gaden Throne-holder, named him wrathful Gyalgong and Purchok Ngawang Jampa called him spirit. The Tibetan Government’s official oracle Nechung called him Asey Khyampo (A-sras Khyam-po), which means “Wandering Son of Alag”, because he wandered around on earth after he died. On the other hand, Mahadeva and Tashi Tsringma called him Gyadre or Chinese Spirit. Those who were proud of him in the hill of Pangung in Lhasa called him Great Jewel of sPang-lung. Dolgyal called himself as Evil Spirit of Ganden.

Though the Great fifth made efforts to pacify his evil spirit, the evil spirit brought more misfortunes to the people, as if lake was burst. It showed that the more he was propitiated, the more he caused harms such and there were diseases, death, tragic events, hails and storms. Therefore, the entire monastic community appealed to the Dalai Lama to use violent method. So, the Great Fifth, Ngarampa Dondup Gyatso, Lobsang Khyentse, Dodrak Rigzin Trulku, Dharma King Terdak Rena Lingpa, Drigung Trulku Rinpoche, Ugja Lungpa, Katsal Zurpa Ngari Konchok Lhundup and Palri Trulku performed the wrathful Lama, Yama, Phurba and Logtri practice for seven days and night. At the end, a homa rite was performed to burn Dholgyal and his entire retinues, and everyone near it smelt a burning flesh. Everyone was convinced that (the spirit was burnt in reality). This is according to the biography of the Great Fifth.

Regarding the question how Drakpa Gyaltsen transformed himself into evil spirit (Samaya Violator) due to his distorted prayers, the Fifth Dalai Lama said,

Even though he is not,

And since this interfering spirit and creature of distorted prayers

Is harming everything – both the dharma and sentient beings –

Do not support, protect or give him shelter, but grind him to dust.

In short, as is evident from the above cases, Dholgyal is a wrathful evil spirit, which was born of wrong prayers, to inflict harms to both the Dharma and sentient beings.