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Tensung Namgyal

1644 – 1700

2nd chogyal of Sikkim

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About Tensung Namgyal

Lived 1644 – 1700. Tensung Namgyal was a politician.

Tensung Namgyal (Sikkimese: ; Wylie: ) (1644–1700) was the second Chogyal (monarch) of Sikkim. He succeeded his father Phuntsog Namgyal in 1670 and moved the capital from Yuksom to Rabdentse near Geyzing. He had three wives who were Nambi Onmo from Bhutan, Lhacham Pema Putik from Tibet, and Thungwamukma, a Limbu princess from the Arun valley. After establishing Rabdentse as his new capital, he built a palace and asked his Limbu Queen to name it. She named it "Song Khim" which in the Limbu language means "New Palace". This later went on to become "Sukhim" and "Sikkim". He was succeeded by his son Chakdor Namgyal, borne by his second wife in 1700. He had one last son with his third wife. Though he is not well known, his grandson becomes a king of a small kingdom inside his father's rule.

Tensung had an affair with Numbong, a Lepcha noblewoman married to Tasa Aphong, a prominent Lepcha tumyang (village leader), who had a son by him named Yugthing Arub, who would become Sikkim's treasury official during the reign of Tensung's son, Chakdor. Yugthing would later be captured by Bhutanese forces during their invasion of Sikkim in the early 1700s, but gained the respect of the Bhutanese Deb Raja. His descendants, the Barphungpas, would become a significant clan of the Sikkimese aristocracy.

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Important facts

Born
1644
Birth century
Died
1700
Occupation
Positions held
Chogyal

Family & relationships

Child
Chakdor Namgyal
Parent
Phuntsog Namgyal

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Tensung Namgyal's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Tensung Namgyal?

2nd chogyal of Sikkim

When was Tensung Namgyal born?

Tensung Namgyal was born in 1644.

When did Tensung Namgyal die?

Tensung Namgyal died in 1700.

What was Tensung Namgyal's occupation?

Tensung Namgyal was a politician.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Tensung Namgyal

· Wikidata: Q5641773

· DBpedia: Tensung Namgyal

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Tensung Namgyal. https://biography.guide/tensung-namgyal/

MLA: "Tensung Namgyal." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/tensung-namgyal/.

Chicago: "Tensung Namgyal." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/tensung-namgyal/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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