The Ninth Dalai Lama

Lungtok Gyatso, the Ninth Dalai Lama (1806-1815), born in the village Den Chhokhor, Kham, on January 20, 1806 was the shortest lived of them all. Although he ascended the throne as the Ninth Dalai Lama on November 10, 1808, his life ended at age nine, before he even had a chance to mature and come into his own reign. He reportedly died of pneumonia on March 26, 1815. However, given the fragile nature of Tibetan sovereignty, with the Qing Dynasty crumbling before their very eyes, and Britain licking its chops at the prospect of colonizing this keystone Asian nation, it has also been conjectured that he may have been assassinated by his regent and court ministers, so that they might continue on with the status quo. To further support this theory, it is noted that the three subsequent Dalai Lamas also died very young, and under mysterious circumstances. One notable event in the life of the Ninth Dalai Lama was the arrival of the first Englishman to visit Lhasa, writer Thomas Manning, who was granted audience with the young Dalai Lama in 1811.