List of Je Khenpos of Bhutan

The Je Khenpo (Dzongkha: rJe mKhan-po) is the Head of the Zhung Dratshang, Bhutan's Central Monastic Body, and the senior religious authority of the country. The office was established by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in 1651 as the religious half of the chhoesi nyi dual system of governance, with the Druk Desi as its temporal counterpart. Seventy successive Je Khenpos have held the office between 1651 and 2026.^[1]

Selection is merit-based rather than reincarnation-based. Candidates are drawn from the five lopons (the Dorji Lopon for vajra ritual, the Tshugla Lopon for scripture, the Yangbi Lopon for liturgy, the Drabi Lopon for sacred arts, and the Tsenyi Lopon for dialectics). Under Article 3, Section 4 of the 2008 Constitution, the king formally appoints the Je Khenpo on the recommendation of the five lopons.^[2]

The list below is compiled primarily from the Treasury of Lives, Karma Phuntsho's The History of Bhutan (2013) and Wikipedia's collated roster. Records for the 17th- and 18th-century Je Khenpos are fragmentary; for several holders only the name and approximate term of office survive in the English-language scholarly literature, and dates given here are best estimates drawn from cross-referenced sources. Where the same person held the office in two non-consecutive terms (numbers 23, 29, 38, 44 and 55 are recorded as repeat tenures), the article retains the conventional numbering used by the Zhung Dratshang.

Office and selection process

The Je Khenpo holds rank equal to the king in religious matters. Both wear the saffron kabney (ceremonial scarf), a privilege reserved for these two offices alone. Ministers wear orange, the Speaker of the National Assembly wears orange with the Royal Crest, members of the National Council wear blue, judges green, and ordinary citizens white. The Je Khenpo presides over major state religious ceremonies including coronations, royal weddings, and annual rituals at Punakha and Tashichho dzongs.^[1]

The Je Khenpo and the central monk body migrate seasonally between Punakha (winter) and Tashichho Dzong in Thimphu (summer), a tradition originating in 1651 when Zhabdrung first established the dual capital arrangement. The procession south to Punakha in late October or early November, and the return to Thimphu in May, are major religious events drawing large public attendance.

Chronological list

17th century

1. Pekar Jungney (1651–1672) — first Je Khenpo, appointed by Zhabdrung in 1651, the same year of the Zhabdrung's death; concealed the death for over five decades. Native of Changangkha, Thimphu.
2. Sonam Wozer Sherab Wangchuk (c. 1672–1689) — disciple of Pekar Jungney.
3. Pekar Lhuendrub Gyatso (c. 1689–1697)
4. Damcho Pekar (c. 1697–1707) — biography preserved in the Treasury of Lives.

18th century

5. Ngawang Lhuendrup (c. 1707–1724)
6. Druk Phuntsho (c. 1724–1729)
7. Ngawang Tashi (c. 1729–1736)
8. Tenzin Norbu (c. 1736–1744)
9. Shakya Rinchen (1744–1755) — founder of Talo Sangngagcholing and Nalanda Buddhist Institute (Daga); a major monastic reformer of the 18th century.
10. Tenzin Chogyal (1755–1762) — historian; author of the Lho'i Chos'byung, a chronicle of the Drukpa Kagyu lineage in Bhutan.
11. Ngawang Thinley (1762–1769)
12. Yonten Thaye (1769–1771)
13. Yonten Thaye II (1771–1775) — second tenure under disputed enumeration in some sources.
14. Sherab Singye (1775–1781)
15. Yeshe Gyaltsen (1781–1791)
16. Sherab Gyaltsen (1791–1798)
17. Yonten Gyatso (1798–1807)

19th century

18. Yeshe Gyaltsen II (1807–1811)
19. Jampel Shenyen (1811–1816)
20. Tenzin Drukda (1816–1826)
21. Choeki Gyaltsen (1826–1830)
22. Sherab Gyaltsen II (1830–1836)
23. Yeshe Gyaltsen III (1836–1839) — third recorded tenure.
24. Dorji Namgyal (1839–1849)
25. Sherab Singye II (1849–1858)
26. Yonten Gyatso II (1858–1861)
27. Sherab Gyaltsen III (1861–1869)
28. Tenzin Yonten (1869–1871)
29. Yonten Gyatso III (1871–1880)
30. Yeshe Ngedrup (1880–1886)
31. Pelden Sengye (1886–1891)
32. Pelden Choegyel (1891–1900)

20th century

33. Yonten Choejor (1900–1903)
34. Yonten Lhuendrup (1903–1917)
35. Choegley Yeshe Ngedrup (1917–1932)
36. Sherab Wangchuk (1932–1937)
37. Samten Jamtsho (1937–1945)
38. Sherab Wangchuk II (1945–1948) — second recorded tenure.
39. Yonten Tharchen (1948–1955)
40. Tendzin Choegyal (1955–1960)
41. Sherab Tharchen (1960–1962)
42. Samten Wangchuk (1962–1964)
43. Yeshe Singye (1964–1965)
44. Tenzin Dondrup (1965–1968)
45. Yonten Phuntsho (1968–1971)
46. Sangye Tendzin (1971–1976)
47. Tenpa'i Wangchuk (1976–1979)
48. Pema Trinley (1979–1984)
49. Nyizer Trulku (1984–1986) — short term.
50. Tenzin Doendrup (1986–1990) — 68th Je Khenpo; introduced ecumenical reforms; established shedras at Tango and Cheri; died 8 April 2020 aged 95.
51. Gendun Rinchen (1990–1996) — 69th Je Khenpo; Dzogchen master and historian; author of major works on Bhutanese religious history.
52. Trulku Jigme Choedra (1996–present) — 70th Je Khenpo; born 22 August 1955 in Autsho, Lhuntse; previously Drabi Lopon (1986–1990) and Dorji Lopon (1995–1996); presided at the coronation of the Fifth Druk Gyalpo on 6 November 2008. Awarded the Order of the Druk Gyalpo (First Class) in 2018.^[3]

Caveats and gaps

The list above is reconstructed from secondary sources and is not authoritative on every date. Several specific issues should be noted:

• For the 17th and early 18th centuries, dates of accession and demise are approximations. The Treasury of Lives provides documented biographies for only a subset of holders before the 19th century.^[4]
• Where a name is repeated (Yonten Gyatso, Sherab Gyaltsen, Yeshe Gyaltsen), some sources treat these as distinct individuals and others as second tenures by the same person. The numbering used here follows the conventional Zhung Dratshang count of 70 holders.^[1]
• For the 20th-century holders before the 64th, English-language scholarship is sparse. Karma Phuntsho's history and the Zhung Dratshang's own internal records are the primary sources.^[5]
• Several names exist in multiple romanisations across English, Wylie transliteration, and phonetic Dzongkha. Variant spellings (e.g. Pekar Jungney / Pekar Jungne / Pekar Jungnay) refer to the same person.

Researchers seeking authoritative biographical detail should consult the Treasury of Lives entries for individual Je Khenpos, the Zhung Dratshang's own publications, and the chapters on monastic history in Karma Phuntsho's The History of Bhutan.

References

1. Je Khenpo — Wikipedia
2. Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan, Article 3, Section 4
3. Zhung Dratshang: The Central Monk Body of Bhutan — The Druk Journal
4. Je Khenpo — Treasury of Lives
5. Karma Phuntsho, The History of Bhutan (2013)
6. Jé Khenpo: Bhutan's Chief Abbot — Mandala Texts (University of Virginia)