The Treasury of Lives

Yeshe Ngodrub (ye shes dngos grub) was born in the Tang (stang) valley of Bumthang (bum thang) in central Bhutan. He was given the name Rigdzin Gyatso (rig 'dzin rgya mtsho). While still a child he was identified by the Central Monastic Body of Bhutan as the Fifth Zhabdrung Sungtrul (zhabs drung gsung sprul), one of two incarnation lines that stem from Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel (zhabs drung ngag dbang rnam rgyal, 1594-1651). He was enthroned at Sang Chokhor (gsang chos 'khor) in Paro (spa gro), the seat of his incarnation line.

In his youth Yeshe Ngodrub studied with the thirty-first Je Khenpo, Yonten Gyeltsen (rje mkhan po 31 yon tan rgyal mtshan, 1804-1870) and the forty-first Je Khenpo, Ngawang Donden ('brug rje mkhan po 41 ngag dbang don ldan, 1818-1886). He mastered the three main religious arts (gar thig dbyangs gsum): sacred dance; drawing maṇḍalas; and performing rituals, and further became an expert in all thirteen traditional arts of Bhutan (bzo rigs bcu gsum).

Yeshe Ngodrub produced many works of art for numerous temples throughout the country. He was considered especially skillful in painting, making statues of clay, and carving ritual masks from wood. It is said that he was able to draw an image of Avalokiteśvara on a single grain of barley.

Among his creations are the head of the Buddha at Paro Rinpung Dzong. The body of the statue was made by a local clay sculptor, who requested Yeshe Ngodrub to design the face. He also crafted a pair of Yamāntaka masks which are now enshrined in the protective deity room (mgon khang) and only used by the dance master ('cham dpon) during the first day of the Paro Tsechu (tshe bcu) festival.

Yeshe Ngodrub held the important positions of Desi (sde srid) and Je Khenpo (rje mkhan po) during his lifetime. He was fifty-three when he became the fifty-seventhDesi, a post he held between 1903 and 1906, and later served as fifty-third Je Khenpo from 1915 to 1917. Between the two postings he resided at Paro Sang Chokhor, during which time he constructed the Kunga Choling (kun dga' chos gling) temple nearby. During his time as Desi, Yeshe Ngodrub, lent his full support to the first king, Gongsa Ugyen Wangchuck (o rgyan dbang phyug, 1862-1926) and can be seen in a photo from the first king's enthronement in Punakha in 1907.

In the middle of the nineteenth century the Fourth Zhabdrung Tuktrul, Jigme Norbu (zhabs drung thugs sprul 04 'jigs med nor bu, 1831-1861) and the Ha Ponlop (ha dpon slob) attempted to alter the remains of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, which had been left undisturbed since his death in 1651. They did so despite the warnings of Je Khenpo Yonten Gyeltsen, who spoke about the protector deities who had forbidden any disturbance of the remains. Immediately after their actions, an earthquake weakened the columns of the building in which the remains were kept, and, alarmed, the two men resealed the building and left. In

In 1915 Yeshe Ngodrub again attempted to open the body relics of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel. This time, he was more successful; the body was cleaned, the inner layers of clothing were changed, and the relic was replaced into a silver box with great care and respect. Since then the body relics have remained undisturbed as one the most precious treasures in Bhutan.

Yeshe Ngodrub passed away seated in a meditative posture in the top tower of Tashichoedzong (bkra shis chos rdzong), in 1917 at the age of sixty-six. Some maintain his death came as a result of him touching the body relics of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel. Another common contention is that holding the position of Je Khenpo depletes an individual's strength, that following intensive public teaching and ritual activities associated with the throne their lives are shortened and that they are more likely to encounter obstacles. Nevertheless, Yeshe Ngodrub gave thirteen sessions of public teachings while serving as Je Khenpo.

Prior to his death, Yeshe Ngodrub explained to his only niece, Ngodrub Pema (dngos grub pad ma), that he would be reborn as her nephew. His body relics were taken to Sang Chokhor and installed inside the silver stupa.