The Treasury of Lives

Lha Drale Namgyel (lha dgra las rnam rgyal) lived in the fifteenth century, the head of the Lhagyari family (lha rgya ri). The family claims descent from the Pugyel (spu rygal) emperors of Yarlung (yar klung) through king Namde Osung (gnam lde 'od srungs, b. 842), the son of king Tri Udumtsen (khri ur dum btsan, r. 836-842), also known as Langdarma (glang dar ma), and his younger wife whose name is unknown.

The early days of the family is not well documented; they trace their royal line through the kings of Ngari to Tsepo Tsawarong (btsad po tsha ba rong, 12th century) and Nangso Damepa (nang so mda' smad pa, 13th century). Drale Namgyel is counted as the head of the family in the fourth generation. He lived in the family seat of Gyari Castle (rgya ri mkhar), which Nangso Damepa had built in the fourteenth century. At some point, he traveled to the Echen Rigo (e chen ri sgo) region where the local residents offered him barley and enlisted him as their local leader.  Drale Namgyel built a castle here at Rigo Tashi Chodzong (ri sgo bkra shis chos rdzong).

During his life the Rinpung family (rin spungs) rose to power, challenging and then dominating the Pakmodru dynasty (phags mo dru). The fifteenth century also saw the emergence of a new religious tradition, the Geluk, or Gandenpa (dga' ldan pa), as the disciples of Tsongkhapa (tsong kha pa, 1357-1419) then called themselves.

One of the main teachers disseminating the teachings of Tsongkhapa was Gendun Gyatso (dge 'dun rgya mtsho, 1476-1542), who would posthumously be known as the Second Dalai Lama. Drale Namgyel was a main patron of Gendun Gyatso, such that when Drale Namgyel died in 1498, Gendun Gyatso participated in the funerary rituals.