Aba Kunga Tundup, Shey

Aba Kunga Tundup le, 95, from the prominent Laba family in Shey, recalls his youth when he procured salt and wool from Changpa traders who would travel to Chemrey during ston (autumn). In return, he bartered wheat, barley, and flour sourced from Shey. The exchange rate for salt varied: some years it was traded in equal quantities, while in other years, the value of salt could double.

Some residents of Shey also journeyed to Kargil to sell salt. Kunga Tundup specifically recalls the involvement of members from the Kanku family in the Kargil trade, while members of the Choldan and Sayeepa families would travel to Changthang for commercial exchange.

Aba Kunga recalls a time when employment opportunities in Ladakh were scarce. Even individuals from affluent families from leh and Zanskar had to seek work outside Ladakh after the harvest season, typically around October. They traveled via the Manali route to find jobs in government-funded projects like road and irrigation works.

He himself joined such a journey once, working on several development projects in Dalhousie. At the time, the daily wage there was Rs 1. As summer drew near, Ladakhi laborers would shift northwards to Manali, where wages rose slightly to Rs 1 and 8 annas per day. On the return journey, Aba Kunga and Phunsog Tsering from Shey, who was accompanied by his son, shared two donkeys to transport their belongings back to Ladakh after a full year away from home. Aba Kunga estimates he was around 30 years old at the time.

He also recalls that in those days, most parts of northern India lacked electricity. Railway stations and Bus stops were illuminated by oil lamps.

Aba Kunga also remembers the oppressive Res system of forced labor, under which local villagers were compelled to carry goods from one village to the next. However, his family, being from the Laba lineage, was exempt from this harsh duty.

In later years, Aba Kunga began traveling to Leh to sell hay, eggs, and firewood. The earnings from these sales were used to purchase essential supplies such as tea and cooking oil for his household from Lala Shaadilal. Eventually, he opened a shop in his village, which he managed for twenty years. 

Stone Inscription: 17th Century, Shey.

Aba Tsering Nurbu

Aba Tsering Nurbu with Kaga Phunstok Angchuk Togo of Ladakh Rocks & Minerals Museum at Shey

Accompanied by Aba Tsering Nurbu Le, an 82-year-old member of the Bestangpa family from Shey, we had the unique opportunity to examine an ancient stone inscription near Shey Palace—a site of immense historical and spiritual significance in Ladakh.

Although parts of the inscription have been lost to time, the names of King Jamyang Namgyal—the 17th-century ruler of Ladakh (1595–1616)—and Chindak Paljor remain legible, suggesting that the text was created after the king’s passing.

Given its secluded location and historical significance, this inscription warrants further scholarly investigation. Historians and researchers are invited to contribute any additional insights that may help deepen our understanding of these inscriptions

Preliminary analysis of the inscription's images has been conducted by local scholar Stanzin Mingyur (CIBS) @smstanzin 

Mahadeva Solkha.

Aba Tsering Dorjey, 88, from Markha village in Leh, Ladakh, recounts that his ancestors originally came from Chilling village. It is widely believed that the people of Chilling are descendants of Newari craftsmen from Nepal, who were invited by King Sengge Namgyal in the 17th century to create the Sakyamuni Buddha statue at Shey Palace. The name Chilling (Phyi-gling) translates to "place of the foreigner." The community holds Mahadeva as their principal deity and conducts a special prayer called Mahadev Solkha in his honor.

Gyalpo Sengge Namgyal,Gyamo Skalzang Dolma and Lama Taksang Repa.

Three significant images are found at Chemrey Gompa, Shey Palace, and Hemis Gompa. The image at Chemrey Gompa is the most widely recognized depiction of King Sengge Namgyal. However, there is limited information available regarding the images at Shey and Hemis. Therefore, they are proposed only as possible representations of King Sengge Namgyal and his wife, Skalzang Dolma. Experts are invited to provide further insights into these lesser-known depictions.

Portuguese missionary António de Andrade, who traveled through Ladakh around 1624, met Sengge Namgyal in Leh and described him as a tall, dark man wearing a skull mala around his neck, symbolizing the impermanence of life.

Chemrey Gompa 

Chemrey Gompa 

Shey Palace

Shey Palace

 

Hemis Gompa.

Hemis Gompa.

Shey Inscriptions: Rediscovering 17th-Century Records of Ladakh

In the 17th century, Nepali/Newari artisans crafted the Sakyamuni Buddha statue at Shey Palace. It was recorded that they inscribed their names somewhere in the area surrounding the palace. Recently, after a month-long search, we successfully located and documented these ancient inscriptions, which had disappeared from recent academic discourse, marking one of the first modern records of this rare gem in Ladakhi history.

Shey Inscriptions (Click and Refresh to Enlarge)

Translation:

Om Swasti!

The Guru is called Tiger (Stag), the King is Lion (Seng ge), and the Queen is Happiness (dGa’ ba).

The Dharma Minister is Aku Garmo (A ku ’gar mo).

This monument (chod yon) was constructed at that time, using 1020 zho of gold and 12.5 man bdros srang of copper.

The commissioner was Master Sheldok (She ldog) of Sakti.

Pomoche is Sengye Zargal Bangdup (sangs rgyas zar gal bang grub) from Nepal.

The goldsmith from Chiling was Paldan Tsering Gyatso.

The Gama was performed by Dea Tsering Nag Spere (bde’ tshe ring nag spe re).

May we be born as the prime disciples of the patron and priest. The monument was built in the Male Snake year. 

Mangalam!

Our Team:

The team involved Lama Jigmet Chozang le, the Khar Lama, Lama Jigmet Samstan le from Tia, Leh-based social anthropologist Viraf Mehta, Phunsok Angchuk Togo of Ladakh Rocks & Minerals Museum at Shey, and the author. Local scholar Stanzin Mingyur from Shang contributed to the translations, referencing Yoseb Gergan's mid-20th-century work on Ladakh Gyalrabs.

For more on the subject refer to Rigal JP, 1983, "Chiling, un village du Ladakh" in Dr Kantowski & R.Sander (eds.) Recent Research in Ladakh (SIA Band 1), Weltforum Verlag, Munich.