Sacred Geography: Birthplace of Singge Namgyal

Sengge Namgyal (Sen-ge-rnam-rgyal) was a notable 17th-century king of the Namgyal dynasty in Ladakh, India, reigning from around 1616 until his death in approximately 1642. Known as the "Lion King," he was a devout Buddhist celebrated for his substantial contributions to the construction of monasteries, palaces, and shrines across Ladakh. 

While Sengge Namgyal’s reign and achievements are well-documented, including his death at Hanle, the details of his birth are shrouded in legend. Local lore from Skurbuchan tells that his mother, Queen Gyal Khatun, went into labor while returning to Timosgang and paused to rest in Skurbuchan. It is believed that he was born beneath a boulder at a place now known as 'Gyalpo Phong.' Today, this site holds considerable spiritual significance within Skurbuchan’s sacred geography.

Dorjey Sonam, 85, of the Kunga Stampelpa family in Skurbuchan, made numerous trips to the salt markets of Chemrey and Sakti villages during his youth. In those days, he carried nas (barley) and chuli (dried apricot) from Sham to trade for salt brought by Tibetan traders, whom he recalls as coming from the Gertse region of Tibet. The journey was long and arduous, taking seven days on donkeys to reach Sakti from Skurbuchan—five days to Leh and an additional two days from Leh to Sakti. Dorjey remembers seeing thousands of raluk (goats and sheep) grazing across the fields of Sakti and Chemrey.

The exchange rate at the market fluctuated, with traders receiving two to three times the amount of barley in exchange for a given quantity of salt. The market took place twice a year: once during the Spid Tsongs in spring and again in autumn, during the Ston Tsongs. Although salt was commonly measured using a container called a batti (equivalent to two kilograms), Dorjey and other traders from Skurbuchan brought their own nyaga (measuring tools) along with weights such as one pao, two pao, one kilogram, and eight pao. They spent two days at the market, purchasing salt from the Tibetans. Sadly, all of Dorjey’s companions who once traveled to the salt markets with him have since passed away. While Dorjey only bought salt for personal use, some elders from his village returned to Skurbuchan and later undertook long journeys to Baltistan. There, they traded salt for phatings (a type of local cloth) and butter. The Baltis, in turn, visited Skurbuchan and set up camp at a site called Miyeskor in the village. They brought stone utensils known as doltoks, which they sold in Skurbuchan and neighboring villages. These doltoks were transported on wooden frames called Kis-Kis.

Besides the Sakti-Chemrey salt market, Dorjey Sonam also traveled on foot as far as Lamayuru and Sonamarg. While his visits to Sonamarg were to buy his annual supply of goods, he visited Lamayuru to pay the heavy government tax in the form of barley. In Sonamarg, he would buy das (a type of grain), toe (another grain), and peas. He recalls that, in those days, Rs 1 could buy 12 kg of peas, 7 kg of wheat, and Rs 2 would buy 1 kg of rice. Dorjey vividly remembers the extremely high government tax and describes those times as very difficult for the people of Ladakh. He would carry up to 35 kg of barley all the way to Lamayuru to pay his dues. A government official collected the barley at a government kutti (office), and often these interactions were bitter, as local Ladakhi officials frequently rejected the quality of the barley on trivial pretexts 

Tsering Nurbu, 84, of the Tangkarpa family in Skurbuchan, faced many hardships during his early years when he had to seek work with different traders. He would often accompany traders from Skurbuchan on their trips to the Sakti salt market, where he helped care for their donkeys. On the return journey from Sakti, the traders would sometimes stop for rest and recreation near Skampari, close to Leh. While the traders enjoyed their well-deserved sessions of chang (local wine), Tsering was left responsible for looking after the salt-laden donkeys. Often, when the traders had drunk too much, they would fight among themselves, falsely claiming that their donkeys had been swapped with others, making life even more difficult for Tsering.

After working as a helper for a few years, Tsering’s father suggested that if he wanted to improve his circumstances, he should leave his job and start a business. With Rs 60 that Tsering had saved, and an additional Rs 30 his father had, they set out for Srinagar to buy goods for trade. In those days, the entire journey to Srinagar was done on foot. Father and son decided to travel together, carrying the goods on their backs. To manage the heavy load, Tsering’s father decided to train young and inexperienced Tsering in the use of a Kis-Kis, a load-carrying frame that was common among long-distance travelers in Ladakh. The wooden frame, worn on the back, was designed to carry goods over long distances. It was used in conjunction with a long stick, which the loader carried as a walking stick. However, when the loader grew tired, the stick was skillfully placed under the load, allowing the person to rest while standing as the stick supported the weight. 

After a few days of training, they started their maiden trip to Kashmir. On the way, there was always the fear of being waylaid by robbers known as Chakpas. To stay safe, Tsering and his father would take precautions by finishing all cooking activities, especially the mandatory Ladakhi chai, before sunset. Immediately after, they would find a good place to hide—either above or below the road, but never on the roadside. There, they would sleep in silence until sunrise, when they would resume their journey.

In Srinagar, Tsering and his father discovered a place where they could buy teacups at a great discount. The offer was Rs 1 for a set of 70 cups. Tsering’s father bought two sets for Rs 2. Besides the teacups, they also bought daily-use items such as utensils, chai, matchboxes, and dye colors. The entire journey to and from Srinagar took them 27 days. On the 28th day, Tsering went around the village selling his stock of items from Kashmir. He sold one cup for one Aaloo pari (an empty tin can of potatoes) and made a handsome profit. With the remaining cups, he went to Khalste and sold all of them. The business bug had bitten Tsering, and according to him, for the first time in his life, he felt happy and confident. Soon, people started paying more attention to him than before. Tsering’s father too suggested that had Tsering continued working as helper as a Khapron or Rarzee , things would never have improved. Therefore, he encouraged him to continue visiting Kashmir. Over the coming years, Tsering made seven more trips to Kashmir, and his fortunes continued to grow.

Once, while in Kashmir, Tsering and a few other Ladakhis were fortunate to meet Ven 19th Bakula Rinpoche, who generously gifted them each 26 kilos of rice, a piece of cloth for a goncha (traditional Ladakhi dress), a patloon (pair of pants), a kameez (shirt), and a tipi (a type of hat). 

Tsering continued his business ventures and once carried two sacks of rice, each weighing 23 kilograms, on his back across the Zojila pass in his Kis-Kis. He hoped to use the rice to help his mother overcome a long-standing problem she had faced throughout her life. At that time, Tsering’s mother contributed to the family income by cleaning wool, which women from the village would leave at her home. For each batch of wool she cleaned, she kept half and returned the other half to the owner. Although this work was physically exhausting and not very profitable, it helped sustain the family. That year, Tsering made a trip to the Sakti-Chemrey salt market, bringing with him the two sacks of rice he had bought from Kashmir. At the market, the Tibetans also sold wool alongside salt, and Tsering managed to exchange nearly equal amounts of wool for the rice. This successful trade brought a significant change: Tsering’s mother was able to stop working for others and began processing her own wool, selling it to ensure a steady source of income for the family.