Namgyal Dynasty
It is said that the Namgyals’ were Tibetans and belonged to the Minyak house of Kham region of eastern Tibet.
In the first half of the fifteenth century a prince of Minyak dynasty went on a sojourn cum pilgrimage westward along with his five sons. They visited the then under construction monastery of Sakya, where they found the lamas struggling unsuccessfully to erect four giant pillars in the main hall. One of the sons of the Minyak prince accomplished the Herculean task of lifting the pillars and setting them in proper place. This remarkable feat earned him the title of Khey Bumsa, the one who possesses the strength of one lakh persons. He was offered the hand of Sakya hierarch daughter in marriage and was insisted upon to settle down there. He accepted the offer and settled down with his wife at Phari in the Chumbi valley. This place became the nucleus of the later Kingdom of Sikkim in the first decade of the 16th century.
The legend further goes to state, that the Khey Bumsa couple were issueless for many years, so they were advised to seek the blessings of Thekong Thek the Lepcha king who was said to have possessed prophetic powers.
Khey Bumsa went to the king Thekong Thek, prostrated before him, and offered him the gifts and explained the reason of his visit. Thekong Thek prophesised that they would not only get a child but that one of this childs three descendents would be the ruler of Denzong.
In time the prophecy came to pass as said. Three sons were born to Khey Bumsa. He felt highly obliged to the Lepcha king. A great and deep friendship grew between the Lepchas and the new comers. Khey Bumsa and the Lepcha chief Thekong Thek swore blood brotherhood and signed a pact in blood at Kabe Longstok. To this day the pact is celebrated in Sikkim. The story symbolically rationalizes the alliance between the traditional Lepcha-Bhutia ruling elite in Sikkim.
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