Born in 1758 at Lhari Gang (Tob-rgyal Lha-ri Gang) in the Upper Ü-Tsang region of southwestern Tibet his father, Sonam Dhargye and mother, Phuntsok Wangmo, were originally from Kham.

[1] They were distant descendants of Dhrala Tsegyal, who was one of the major heroes of the Gesar epic.

The enthronement ceremony was presided over by Demo Tulku Jamphel Yeshi, the first of a series of Regents to represent the Dalai Lamas when they were minors.

In 1790 the Gurkhas invaded southern Tibet and conquered several provinces including Nya-nang and Kyi-drong.

The city of Shigatse and the Tashilhunpo Monastery were captured and looted but the Gurkhas were driven back to Nepal in 1791 after the Qing dynasty sent troops to Tibet.