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Sonam Topgay Dorji

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Sir Raja Sonam Topgay DorjiCIE(Dzongkha:སྟོབས་རྒྱས་རྡོ་རྗེ་;Wylie transliteration:Stobs-rgyas Rdo-rje;1896–1953), also calledTobgay,was a member of theDorji familyandBhutanesepolitician who served between 1917 and 1952 in theRoyal Governmentunder theFirstandSecond Kings of Bhutan.During this period, Topgay Dorji officially held the posts ofGongzim(Chief Minister),Deb Zimpon(Chief Secretary), and Trade Agent to the Government of Bhutan. As such, Topgay Dorji was responsible for fostering Anglo-Bhutanese relations, and later,Bhutan–India relations.Topgay's ties with the west and modernist political factions contributed significantly to the modernpolitical landscapeand modernization of Bhutan.

Topgay Dorji inherited his positions from his father,KaziUgyen Dorji,who was instrumental in advisingUgyen Wangchuckbefore and after he became the FirstKing of Bhutan.Topgay Dorji lived, worked, and died atBhutan House,the Dorji's estate inKalimpong,India,the traditional administrative center of southern Bhutan.[1][2][3]

Family[edit]

Main article:Dorji family

Topgay was the son ofGongzimUgyen Dorji,adviser toGongsarUgyen Wangchuckboth before and after the rise of the latter to the throne.GongzimUgyen Dorji had advised the future First King to mediate between theBritishandTibet,[4]: 35 and later to allow the large-scaleinduction of Nepalis into Bhutanestablishing friendly ties withBritish India.

His paternal aunt wasAyiThubten Wangmo.

Topgay Raja married PrincessMayum Choying Wangmo,the youngest daughter of the SikkimeseChogyal,atBhutan Houseon April 5, 1918.[5][6]Together they had three sons and two daughters.

His eldest son wasJigme Palden Dorji,born in 1919. He went on to become Governor ofHaain 1924, and then to succeed his father as the firstPrime Minister of Bhutan.Jigme Palden Dorji was assassinated amid a political struggle between modernist pro-Dorji and monarchist pro-Wangchuck factions.[7][8]Topgay's second son was named Ugyen, born in 1933. Ugyen was recognized as a renownedlamaatBhutan Houseas a young boy. This lama was a strong influence inTibet andMongolia.[9]He was thereafter called Ugyen Rimpoche, orBoedhay Rimpoche.[10][11]The youngest son wasLhendup "Lenny" Dorji,born October 6, 1935. Lhendup served briefly as Acting Prime Minister in 1964. That year, he went into voluntary exile in Nepal and later settled atKalimpong.[citation needed]

Topgay's elder daughterAshiTashi Dorjiserved as theGyaltshab(King's Representative / Regent) of Eastern Bhutan. In 1964, she accompanied Lhendup into voluntary exile, though she returned to Bhutan in 1972.[citation needed]On October 5, 1951, Topgay's younger daughterAshiKesang Choden Dorjimarried the Third KingJigme Dorji Wangchuck,creating a new bond so prominent as to cause some discontent among other Bhutanese families.[5][12]Topgay is thus an ancestor of the current Fifth KingJigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.

Life[edit]

Insignia of theOrder of the Indian Empire.

In 1917, Topgay assumed his father's positions asGongzim(Chief Minister) and Trade Agent to the Government of Bhutan,[7]however he functioned to a large extent as prime minister, foreign minister, and ambassador toIndia.[5]Topgay, though young at around 21 years of age, thus became the First KingUgyen Wangchuck's closest adviser.[13]Administering fromBhutan House,Sonam Topgay Dorji was also Governor ofHaa,directly abutting the estate, between 1917 and 1924.[citation needed]

Through his position as trade intermediary, Topgay and theDorji familyamassed wealth reputedly greater than that of theroyal family.[5]He and his family also supported Western education of Bhutanese youths, paving the way for later educational reforms under the Third King.[2]

On April 23, 1948, Topgay Dorji headed the Bhutanese delegation to recently independentIndia,meetingPrime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru.Topgay and Nehru establishedBhutan–India relations,prompted by a growing security concern overCommunistChina.Bilateral negotiations lasted through August 8, 1949, culminating in the Indo-Bhutan Treaty, replacing the defunctTreaty of Punakha.Under the new agreement, India returned the land aroundDeothang,subject of part of the 1865Anglo-Bhutanese War.[14][15]

Throughout his career, Raja Sonam Topgay Dorji garnered several foreign honors. In 1917, he was granted the titles ofRai BahadurandRajabyKing George V.In 1918, he was made Deputy Minister (Kashagofficer of the fourth rank) by theThirteenth Dalai LamaofTibet.Topgay was further created a Companion of theOrder of the Indian Empire(CIE) on June 8, 1944.[citation needed]

Death[edit]

Topgay Dorji passed away atBhutan Housein September 1953, due to his diabetes which had worsened over time.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Dhakal, D. N. S.; Strawn, Christopher (1994).Bhutan: a movement in exile.Nirala. Vol. 42. Nirala Publications.ISBN81-85693-41-2.Retrieved2011-08-12.
  2. ^abDorji, Khandu-Om (2002)."A Brief History of Bhutan House in Kalimpong"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2012-01-05.Retrieved2011-08-12.
  3. ^"History of Swiss Assistance".Helvetas – Bhutan. 2010-12-13. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-07-25.Retrieved2011-08-12.
  4. ^Leo E. Rose (1977).The politics of Bhutan.Cornell University Press. pp. 35–36, 85, 118.ISBN0-8014-0909-8.Retrieved2011-08-08.
  5. ^abcdSangharakshita; Sangharakshita (Bhikshu) (1996).In the sign of the golden wheel: Indian memoirs of an English buddhist.Windhorse Publications. pp. 26–28.ISBN1-899579-14-1.Retrieved2011-08-09.
  6. ^Lingwood, D. P. E. (Sangharakshita) (1991).Facing Mount Kanchenjunga: an English Buddhist in the Eastern Himalayas.Windhorse Publications. pp. 152–4.ISBN0-904766-52-7.Retrieved2011-08-09.
  7. ^abGlobal Investment and Business Center, Inc. (2000).Bhutan Foreign Policy and Government Guide.World Foreign Policy and Government Library. Vol. 20. Int'l Business Publications. pp. 59–61.ISBN0-7397-3719-8.Retrieved2011-08-09.{{cite book}}:|author=has generic name (help)
  8. ^Ram Rahul (1997).Royal Bhutan: a political history.Vikas.pp. 94–95.ISBN81-259-0232-5.
  9. ^Bhutan Society
  10. ^Vas, E. A. (1986).The dragon kingdom: journeys through Bhutan.LancerInternational. p. 189.ISBN81-7062-007-4.Retrieved2011-08-12.
  11. ^Rustomji, Nari (1971).Enchanted frontiers: Sikkim, Bhutan, and India's northeastern borderlands.Vol. 1.Oxford University Press.pp. 161–166.Retrieved2011-08-12.
  12. ^University of Rajasthan (1978).South Asian studies, Volume 13.South Asian Studies Centre, Dept. of Political Science, University of Rajasthan. pp. 110–12.Retrieved2011-08-08.
  13. ^Labh, Kapileshwar (1974).India and Bhutan.Studies in Asian History and Politics. Vol. 1. Sindhu Publications. p. 200.Retrieved2011-08-12.
  14. ^Warikoo, K. (2009).Himalayan Frontiers of India: Historical, Geo-political and Strategic Perspectives.Routledge contemporary South Asia series. Vol. 13.Taylor & FrancisUS. p. 139.ISBN0-415-46839-6.Retrieved2011-08-12.
  15. ^"Indo-Bhutan Friendship Treaty"(PDF).Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.1949-08-08.Retrieved2011-08-12.
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