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| Pende Lhaptse- Counting its days for collapse |
Namchi has played an
imperative part in the history of Sikkim. If we go back to the reign of Chador Namgyal (1700-1716 AD) the Pende
Ongmoo affair allocates a special place in the Sikkimese history. It is said that
Pende Ongmoo was executed at a place called Pende-Lhaptse, a few kilometers
away from today’s Namchi town. It is necessary to discuss here about Pende
Ongmoo, who has shared, such a special place in the early history of Sikkim.
Pende Ongmoo sometimes written as Pende Wangmo was born of the first wife of
King Tensung Namgyal (1670-1700 A D) who was a Bhutanese princess. During the
accession of Chador Namgyal, she put a strong opposition regarding the
succession of her brother. For her, being the eldest child of the deceased King
Tensung Namgyal she was the legitimate successor to the throne of Sikkim after
her father. Her stubborn nature led her to invite a force from Bhutan to
assassinate the boy king who was just 14 during his accession. A loyal minister
of the Sikkimese Court Yugthing Yeshe took the boy King to Lhasa via Ilam and
Walong (then in western Sikkim now in Eastern Nepal). The event led to the
Bhutanese occupation of Rhabdentse, then capital of Sikkim. For nearly 8 years
of occupation the Bhutanese withdrew themselves from Sikkim with the mediation
of Sixth Dalai Lama of Tibet. But, Pende Ongmoo was not reconciled. She was in
search of an opportunity to take a beautiful chance to capture the throne of
Sikkim. In 1716, when the King Chador Namgyal was at Ralang hot spring Pende
Wangmo conspired with a Tibetan doctor to cause bloodletting from a main
artery. The doctor, in a pretext of check-up cut the main vain of the king that
caused his death.
After the death of the
king, a force was sent to Namchi to execute the Tibetan doctor and the crooked
princess. The doctor was granted a fierce death by the Sikkimese ministers. Likewise,
Pende Wangmo strangled to death with a silk scarf inside a room of the said
palace.
Few years back, I have
visited the said place which is now at the verge of its downfall. It is a
palace built for Pende Wangmo by then ruler of Sikkim. The most unfortunate
matter which I witnessed during my visit was the least paid attention of the
concerned authority to preserve the heritage. In some unknown period, to keep
the structure stand, few iron pillars were erected which now bowing down due to
the heavy load of the building. If some effective measures are not taken to
protect this ‘living history’, within few years it will get collapse which
would not only lead to a loss of an old building but also a treacherous page of
Sikkim History.
Note:- The picture shown above was taken few years back and due to a low resolution its not properly visible. Latest picture of the site will be featured soon on this blog.
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