Changkya Khutukhtu

Samding Dorje Phagmo The Changkya Khutukhtu (Chakhar Mongolian: Janggiy-a qutuγ-tu, Khalkha Mongolian: Зангиа Хутагт Zangia Khutagt; Tibetan: ལྕང་སྐྱ་ཧོ་ཐོག་ཐུ།, lcang-skya ho-thog-thu; Chinese: 章嘉呼圖克圖, Zhāngjiā Hūtúkètú) was the title held by the spiritual head of the Gelug lineage of Tibetan Buddhism in Inner Mongolia during the Qing dynasty.

The most important lama of this series was the Third Changkya, Rolpai Dorje, who was preceptor to the Qianlong emperor of China, and chief representative of Tibetan Buddhism at the Qing court.

He and his successors, mostly based in Beijing, were considered to be the senior Tibetan lamas in China proper and Inner Mongolia.

[1] Note: In some enumerations, the second Changkya, Ngawang Losang Chöden is counted as the first, the third Rölpé Dorjé as the second, and so on.

[16] It has been reported that before his death in 1957 he had signed a pledge that he would not reincarnate until the Republic of China retook the mainland.