Updated: 03 June, 2005
A hero of the old school Sonam Wangphel Laden La was born of ancient Sikkimese ancestry on 16 June 1876 at Ging, a small village which is three miles to the north of Darjeeling town. His father named Lodio Lama was the landlord and high priest of Ging monastery which belonged to the red sect Lhachung-pa. In 1898 he joined the corps of the Darjeeling Police, and soon attained official rank. In 1903-4 was deputed to the Staff of the Tibetan Mission of Colonel Young husband. After this he was an assistant to Colonel O’Connor in connection with His Holiness the Tashi Lama’s tour throughout India.. In 1906 he assisted the British Government in the important treaty with Tibet. In 1910 his services were requisitioned by the Political Department of the Indian government in connection with the Dalai Lama’s journey to meet the Viceroy and make a pilgrimage of the Buddhist holy places of India. He was subsequently deputed to Tibet to settle terms between the Chinese and Tibetans as a representative of the British Government, and part of his duty consisted in helping to lead the Chinese Amban, LienOYu, and general Chung and the Chinese troops out of Tibet, whilst Colonel Willoughby held the Indian frontier. During World War I, Sonam Wangphel Laden La assisted in raising war loans and in recruiting the hill tribes. He was mentioned in dispatches and in 1917 received the military title of Sardar Bahadur. Then, in 1921, when Sir Charles Bell went to Lhasa with the object of cementing the friendly relationship with the Tibetan Government, the Sardar Bahadur was appointed his personal assistant. In 1923 the Tibetan government again enjoyed the Sardar Bahadur’s services, for which they had been asking the Government of India for two years. This time, he organised a Police Force in Lhasa and, also, the Tibetan Army. During the following year in recognition the Dalai Lama conferred upon him the highest distinction in Tibet by raising him to the rank of a Dzasa or Tibetan Peer. Previously, in 1912, when some misunderstanding had existed between the Dalai Lama and the Tashi Lama, the Sardar Bahadur had succeeded in bringing about a friendly agreement between them. For this good service, the Dalai Lama conferred upon him the title of De-Pon (or General) and a Premier Class Gold Medal of the Order of the Golden Lion, the first of its kind struck in Tibet, which is massive gold nugget bearing the name of the Dalai Lama . Tashi Lama presented the gold medal to Sardar Bahadur and conferred upon him the title of Deo-nyer-chhm-Po or Lord Chamberlain of the Court of Tashi Lhunpo. In 1927 he was made a Chevalier of the Leopold II by the King and Queen of Belgium. In January 1930, he was sent to Lhasa by the Indian Government to dilute a very serious disagreement between Tibet and Nepal; there by preventing war between the two countries. For this outstanding service he was made a Commander of the British Empire. In June 1931 the Sardar Bahadur, after 33 years of public life, retired from government service. He had scholarly command of ten languages, English, Tibetan, Hindi, Kirati, Bengali, Nepali, Lepcha and other Himalayan tongues. Sardar Bahadur SW Laden La breathed his last in Kalimpong on 26 December 1936. thestateman.net May 05
