09/03/2022
๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฅ
~๐๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ง
๐๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ ๐ข: ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐๐ท๐ข๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ช ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐ข ๐ญ๐๐ค๐ข๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ฃ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ถ
๐๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ
๐ท๐๐ โ๐ ๐ถโ๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ '๐ต๐โ๐๐๐ข๐-๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐๐' ๐๐๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐i๐๐๐๐ก. ๐ท๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ โ๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ต๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐ข๐, ๐.303 ๐๐๐ โ๐๐๐๐ โ๐ ๐ค๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ต๐โ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ต๐โ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ๐๐.
๐amgyel Bahadur's contribution lies in the field of military organization in Bhutan that had remained largely unorganized till the early years of 1920s due to the highly decentralized and feudalistic outlook of the country.
Namgyel was born in the family of Dungkar Chojie in Kurtoe, present day Lhuentse. He was born to Kartuk and was the youngest in a family of four. He married Rinzinmo, the daughter of Paro Penlop Tshering Penjor, from whom two daughters Karma and Cheki were born.
Nothing much is known about his early life. It's most likely that he started his career at the court of second King Jigme Wangchuck in Bumthang. Captain Ram Singh, a contemporary of Namgyel and one of the 15 Bhutanese boys to be trained and educated at Bumthang, says that Namgyel was one of them studying in Bumthang at Thinley Rabten where they were taught lessons in Hindi by an Indian teacher who was married to a Sikkimese lady. The other teachers included Babu Phento, Babu Tashi and Babu Karchung. Namgyel studied till Class VIII and then went for further military training to Shillong in India. The training on military was imparted by Jamdar Chencho from Haa and Jamdar Kado from Kilikhar, Mongar. After their training and education at Bumthang, the boys were later sent to Shillong, India. They were in the 2nd Gurkha Regiment and were trained for three years. Namgyel was nicknamed 'Bahadur - Strongman' after an incident. During the gun salute presented in honor of one Indian Brigadier, Namgyel broke the gun, a .303 and hence he was named as Bahadur and came to be addressed as Bahadur Namgyel.
After the training in Shillong, India, Bahadur Namgyel along with his mates passed out as Hawaldar, a rank equivalent to Pelpon. Namgyel was later promoted to the rank of captain by King Jigme Wanghuck. As the head of the Bhutanese military he trained other Bhutanese men in Chamkhar thang, Wangduecholing and at Kunga Rabten. He was later promoted as the Chabda, a rank equivalent to a Brigadier.
He started the training camp in -Tencholing, Wangduephodrang. The little mound was leveled into a plain by about 3,000 recruits where about three soldiers died in the process. Along with the camp, the small temple (Radrak ney khang) dedicated to Ap Radrak, the warrior guardian deity, was also built. During the uprising in the south in the early 1950s these recruits were sent all equipped with .303.
In 1964, Chabda Bahadur Namgyel was shot at the Changlimithang ground in Thimphu by a firing squad after he was found guilty and implicated for the assassination of Lyonchhen Jigme Palden Dorji. His body was later removed and no one is sure who removed it or where he was cremated.
