11th Dalai Lama

The 11th Dalai Lama, Khedrup Gyatso (1 November 1838 – 31 January 1856)^[1] was recognized by the Ganden Tripa as the 11th Dalai Lama of Tibet and enthroned in 1842.^[1][2] He enlarged the Norbulingka, studied at Sera Monastery, Drepung Monastery and Ganden Monastery, and taught students.

11th Dalai Lama, Khedrup Gyatso
Title	His Holiness the 11th Dalai Lama
Personal life
Born	(1838-11-01)1 November 1838 Garthang Monastery, Kham, Qing Tibet
Died	31 January 1856(1856-01-31) (aged 17) Potala Palace, Lhasa, Qing Tibet
Parents	Tsewang Dondrup (father) Yungdrung Butri (mother)
Religious life
Religion	Tibetan Buddhism
Senior posting
Period in office	1842–1855
Predecessor	10th Dalai Lama, Tsultrim Gyatso
Successor	12th Dalai Lama, Trinley Gyatso
Chinese name
Chinese	凱珠嘉措
Transcriptions
Tibetan name
Tibetan	མཁས་གྲུབ་རྒྱ་མཚོ་
Transcriptions Wylie mkhas grub rgya mtsho Tibetan Pinyin Kaichub Gyaco Lhasa IPA [kʰɛtʂup catsʰɔ]

He was recognised as the 11th Dalai Lama in 1841, after being born in Garthang near Dartsedo, the same village where the 7th Dalai Lama, Kelzang Gyatso was born in 1708. He was taken to Lhasa and in 1842, the 7th Panchen Lama, Lobzang Tenpai Nyima, gave him refuge vows, cut his hair and gave him the name of Khedrup Gyatso.^[1][2]

In 1842, he was enthroned as the 11th Dalai Lama in the Potala Palace on the Full Moon day of the 4th Lunar month (24 May 1842). In 1846 he became a preliminary monk (rab byung), and in 1848 at the age of eleven years he took the getsul novice vows of monkhood, while both were bestowed by the 7th Panchen Lama^[3][1]

He had a residence at the Norbulingka built in 1848, and participated in the annual Zhoton summer festival in Lhasa, while also traveling on pilgrimage to Samye Monastery, Mount Kailash and its Lake Manasarovar, and to other places. He gave public audiences, taught, and stood for his examinations in 1852 and 1853, and passed.^[1]

He wrote a book of stanzas, Story of the Monkeys and Birds (Bya sprel gyi gtam-rgyud). It is an allegory of the war at the end of the 18th century between the Tibetans and the Gurkhas ('birds' and 'monkeys' respectively).^[4]

He assumed political leadership on the request of Daoguang Emperor in 1855 but died less than one year later on 31 January 1856,^[1] becoming the third successive Dalai Lama who died at a young age.

"During the period of the short-lived Dalai Lamas—from the Ninth to the Twelfth incarnations—the Panchen Lama was the lama of the hour, filling the void left by the four Dalai Lamas who died in their youth."^[5]