30 Facts About Depa Norbu

Norbu, with the later title of Depa and known as Nangso Norbu, was a Tibetan government official born in the Central Tibetan province of U around the end of the 16th century.

Lobzang Gyatso first mentions Depa Norbu as attending a tea party in 1626, invited by the young Tulku Dragpa Gyaltsen next door at Drepung Monastery.

Depa Norbu is alleged by some, including Trijang Rinpoche, to have suffocated the same Tulku thirty years later with a similar scarf.

Early in 1638, acting as Drepung's Treasurer in a project for each Gelugpa monastery to construct new sets of the Eight Classical Stupas, Depa Norbu insisted on changing the proportions of the Drepung set, which had been designed by master Zurchen Choying Rangdrol.

The heirs to the Gekhasa family had been killed by Mongols so they needed a male groom but Lobzang Gyatso felt Depa Norbu was a poor choice, commenting that the family accepted him "as if it wished to be punished".

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In 1652 Lobzang Gyatso, invited by the Chinese emperor, left for Beijing and amongst others Depa Norbu accompanied his party a far as the foot of the Nyuglai Lanying pass.

Everyone going to China was apprehensive about the diseases and other dangers of the perilous journey, wrote Lobzang Gyatso, but Depa Norbu, who was to remain in Lhasa, and seemingly convinced that nobody would be returning, was delighted that he did not have to go and he did not hide his pleasure.

The Desi agreed but Depa Norbu started drawing up a tariff of fees to charge everyone for attending the event, according to their status.

Lobzang Gyatsho lamented that Depa Norbu made this artist, incapable of doing anything harmful, suddenly disappear from his project staff.

Little later in 1656 Depa Norbu gets a positive mention, the only one he earns in Lobzang Gyatso's autobiography.

Depa Norbu's spirit is then said to have manifested as the spirit Shugden, and some, including Trijang Rinpoche, allege that he was murdered by suffocation at the hands of Depa Norbu.

In 1641, during the Tibetan civil war, Depa Norbu was deputed to lead a body of troops west from Shun, six miles east of Lhasa, via upper Tolung to reinforce Gushri Khan's Mongol army besieging the fort at Shigatse.

However, Depa Norbu refused to do anything and when the cannon station was lost to the enemy he was the first man to leave his post and run away.

Depa Norbu was renowned as a tantric magician having allegedly attained spiritual powers which he used inter alia to protect Bhutan against such invasions from Tibet, of which this was the fourth attempt he had successfully faced but the first from the new Geluk government; the first three had been from the king of Tsang.

In 1646 Depa Norbu was sent south to the Bhutan border to investigate the humiliating rout.

Depa Norbu returned to report inter alia that the Bhutanese had indeed captured twenty five Tibetan army officers including the three most senior commanders and all the army's weapons, armour and equipment.

Each time the Bhutanese counter-attacked, Depa Norbu is variously described as having fled, escaped in terror, deserted, lost his saddle and took flight to Phagri followed by his troops.

Depa Norbu retreated to Tibet with his men following, abandoning all their arms, weapons and equipment.

Depa Norbu was left with a common tent, his elaborate and costly one having been captured.

Depa Norbu was even accused of betrayal, indulging in secret dealings with the Bhutanese enemy, but despite his incompetence, cowardice and duplicity Lobzang Gyatsho tried to come to terms with him, hoping that he might yet turn out to be a good leader.

Depa Norbu appointed Norbu as overall commander of four large invading armies but Norbu, involved in a plot with the Bhutanese, asked Lobzang Gyatso to have the invasion postponed.

Depa Norbu's behaviour was dubious; he let himself be defeated and his army retreated from Phagri in disgrace after the disastrous campaign.

Lobzang Gyatso observed that Depa Norbu appeared to be 'an impressively natural leader' but whether this was noted mockingly or not is unclear.

All this would have been hard to bear for Depa Norbu who was used to doing as he liked with impunity under his deceased brother's protection.

In Lhasa, Lobzang Gyatso had many visitors expressing sympathy and support and the protector spirit Nechung warned that Depa Norbu himself was escaping, in accordance with the spirit Nojin Chenpo's prediction.

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Depa Norbu's rebellion was supported by the Tsang nobility, the Sakya hierarch and the Fourth Drukchen, Padma Karpo.

Depa Norbu even claimed the award of some property, landed estates, for Norbu and his henchmen, if not for himself.

Shortly before Depa Norbu had arrived in Lhasa from Shigatse a few months earlier they had met Lobzang Gyatsho for eight days of detailed conversations concerning leadership, history and 'matters of concern to the Mongols'.

Depa Norbu expected the message would be about how to perform a destructive rite but it was instead a long message stating how Norbu and Ngodrup were in the right.

However, Depa Norbu is further mentioned by the Tibetan historian Dungkar as, ultimately, turning his back on Lobzang Gyatso and fleeing to exile in Bhutan.