Tibetan Sources on the History of Helambu
The earliest Tibetan sources refer to Helambu as sBas yul Yol mo gangs ra, or the “Hidden Land of Yolmo Snow Enclosure.” According to the Northern Treasure (Byang gter) lineage of the Nyingma school, it is one of the seven hidden lands (sBas yul) in the Himalayas. These early references appear in six Tibetan guidebooks and descriptions attributed to Rigzin Gödem (1337–1408), the founder of the Northern Treasure tradition. Gödem, a renowned terton (treasure revealer), was also the spiritual teacher of the kings of Gungthang. In these texts (BT), the Hidden Land of Yolmo Snow Enclosure is described as a sanctuary for Tibetans seeking refuge from religious persecution, foreign invasions, and civil strife, or those wishing to leave behind a morally degenerate society to continue their spiritual practice in peace. The texts depict Yolmo as an uninhabited land, free from political control, with abundant flora and fauna, offering an ideal setting for establishing a harmonious society and achieving higher spiritual realization. It is portrayed as a sacred land, blessed by Padmasambhava. Written in the form of prophecies, these texts urge Tibetans to flee Tibet when the signs of the Declining Age (snyigs dus) become evident and to seek refuge in Yolmo Gangra or another hidden land in the Himalayas. In addition to describing routes to these hidden lands, they encourage travelers to utilize natural resources, including gold and turquoise, to construct rest houses and temples along the way.
Two additional sources that mention Yolmo Gangra—though briefly—are works by Tsangnyön Heruka (1452–1507), likely composed around 1488: The Life of Milarepa and The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa. In The Life of Milarepa (MRB 2004, 1), Marpa advises Milarepa on sacred places for meditation:
“There is the Riwo Palbar of Mangyul and the Yolmo Gangra of Nepal, which are holy places prophesied in the Mahāyāna sūtras.”
Other versions of the text state that these locations were foretold in the Avataṃsaka Sūtra.
In The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa, Chapter 7 of Part 1, The Song of a Yogi’s Joy, recounts how Milarepa traveled to Yolmo Gangra to meditate in the Singalin forest, at the Tiger’s Cave of the Lion’s Fortress (sTag phug seng ge rdzong). There, a local goddess appeared to him, offering her services. Later, when five young nuns from Mon visited and inquired about the place, Milarepa sang the following praise of Yolmo Gangra:
Obeisance to you, my Guru!
(translated by Chang 1999, 74.)
I met you through having accumulated great merits,
And now stay at the place you prophesied.
This delightful place, a place of hills and forests.
In the mountain meadows, flowers bloom;
In the woods dance the swaying trees.
For monkeys it is a playground.
Birds sing tunefully,
Bees fly and buzz,
And from day until night the rainbows come and go.
In the summer and winter falls the sweet rain,
And mist and fog roll up in fall and spring.
At such a pleasant place, in solitude,
I, Milarepa, happily abide
Meditating on the void-illuminating Mind.
Nachang Shakya Zangpo revealed the treasure teaching known as The Legend of the Great Stupa (Chorten) at Samye, Tibet, in 1512. Following this revelation, he excavated and reconstructed the Jarung Khashor Stupa in Nepal. The reincarnation lineage he belonged to—recognized posthumously—was believed to trace back to a humble helper who carried stones during the original construction of the Jarung Khashor Stupa.
The Legend of the Great Stupa recounts how this helper was later reborn in Tibet as Pema Gungtsen, a religious minister in the court of King Trisong Detsen during the 8th century. According to the prophecy of Guru Rinpoche, he was destined to be reborn once again in Tibet to restore the Jarung Khashor Stupa.
Although no extant biography of Ngachang Shakya Zangpo exists, accounts from the biographies of his contemporaries (Lekden) provide insight into his life. Following the prophecies of Rigzin Gödem, he is said to have opened the Hidden Lotus Grove (sBas pa Padma tshal), identifying it with the Helambu region. There, he built the first Buddhist temple of the area, present-day Tshiri Gonpa.
Ngachang Shakya Zangpo transmitted the complete Northern Treasure teachings to his two principal disciples, the brothers Ngari Panchen Pema Wangyal (1487–1543) and Lekden Dorje from Mustang. For a time, he also served as an advisor to the King of Gungthang, Kunzang Nyida Trakpa (1514–1560). In his later years, he withdrew to the Helambu region, where he spent the remainder of his life surrounded by his disciples.
The second tulku of this lineage, Namkha Gyajin, like his predecessor, undertook the renovation of the Jarung Khashor Stupa. He also served as a spiritual preceptor at the court of Gungthang during the reign of Sonam Wangchug De (1577–1627). However, little is known about his life.
The third tulku, Tenzin Norbu (1589–1644), established an extensive network of influential connections in both Tibet and Nepal. A renowned terton (treasure-revealer), he performed a grand public consecration in front of the king’s palace before visiting Swayambhunath and other significant Buddhist sites in the Kathmandu Valley. Following this, the king appointed him as the sexton of the Bodhnath Stupa, which he subsequently restored and consecrated.
Afterward, Tenzin Norbu returned to Tsang, where he resided at Chung Riwoche Monastery, originally founded by Thangtong Gyalpo. He became an advisor to the 5th Dalai Lama, whom he visited multiple times, beginning in 1637. The Dalai Lama later wrote extensively about his activities.
Following the death of his primary teacher, Rigzin Ngagi Wangpo, Tenzin Norbu took responsibility for Dorje Drak Monastery in Central Tibet. Shortly before his own passing, he identified the reincarnation of his teacher. His collected works include numerous texts, among them his own biographies (TN).
Many manuscript versions of Zilnon Wangyal Dorje’s (1647–1716) autobiographical writings have survived, reflecting his immense popularity across the Himalayan region (ZILNON). He received the full corpus of teachings, transmissions, and empowerments of the Northern Treasure lineage from the 5th Dalai Lama. In addition to traveling widely throughout Tibet, he spent years meditating in the Helambu region and maintained close ties with the Gorkha ruler, Prithivīpati Shah (1667–1714). His sister was married to King Pratap Malla (1641–1674) of Kathmandu, further strengthening his regional influence.
During his lifetime, Zilnon Wangyal Dorje twice oversaw the renovation and consecration of the Bodhnath Stupa and was twice appointed as the overseer of the temples in Helambu. He also founded the Samtenling Temple in Ragma, Kyirong, where he spent his final years.
One of his prominent disciples was Terbon Nyima Sengge (1687–1738), who was born into a renowned family of tertons(treasure-revealers). According to his biography, The Chariot of Certainty (GSS), he was born in Mangyul, southern Tibet, and served as the hereditary steward of the “border-taming” temple, Jamtrin, in Kyirong. He is credited with stopping an epidemic in the Kathmandu Valley, for which King Jagajjaya Malla (1722–1734), ruler of the independent Kingdom of Kathmandu during the era of the Three Kingdoms (1482–1769), granted him land. There, he founded Tarkeghyang village.
Nyima Sengge’s son, Trinle Dudjom (1726–1789), was recognized as the fifth reincarnation. However, due to stronger ties with his mother’s lineage, the Domarpas, he returned to southern Tibet. He made a final appearance at Bodhnath in 1748, where he assisted his teacher, the renowned terton Rigzin Tsewang Norbu (1698–1755), in renovating the stupa.
The sources mentioned above are valuable historical records of Helambu. However, many other texts—local histories, registers, and ritual texts—provide additional details about the region’s past.
The prophecies attributed to Rigzin Gödem inspired Tibetan lamas living in the Kyirong area to visit Helambu, undertake extended retreats, and spread the Dharma among the local population.
One of the greatest lamas of the 20th century, Chatral Rinpoche, played a significant role in revitalizing Helambu’s spiritual heritage. He established retreat centers in the region and spent long periods in meditation there. In addition to writing about the sacred sites of Yolmo Gangra, he also revealed previously unknown hidden places. Thanks to his efforts, Helambu regained its reputation as a sacred land blessed by Guru Rinpoche.
Despite its close proximity to the Kathmandu Valley and relative accessibility, Helambu has received relatively little attention from Western scholars. However, researchers such as Graham E. Clarke, Robert Desjarlais, and Franz-Karl Ehrhard have made lasting contributions to the study of its unique culture and history. The Nepal-German Manuscript Preservation Project conducted extensive field research in the area about twenty years ago, photographing old manuscripts. Many Tibetan texts from this collection remain unpublished, though they are available on microfilm at the National Archives in Kathmandu and in digital form on the BDRC website. The first English-language guidebook on the sacred places and Buddhist history of Beyul Yolmo Gangra was written by Khenpo Nyima Dondrub, a native of Melamchighyang.
Over the past two decades, community leaders have frequently discussed how best to express the unique identity and cultural heritage of the people living in Helambu—recognized in ancient texts as the Hidden Land of Yolmo Snow Enclosure. As a result, they adopted the ethnonym Hyolmo, which is reflected in the name of our project.
In conclusion, let us share a beautiful prayer written in 1630 by the 6th Shamarpa (SHAMAR) to the protectors of this sacred land:
HUM
Knower of the three times, immortal Tötrengtsel,
Subduer of malice and cruelty, mighty Tropolö,
Guardians of law and sacred oaths,Protectors of the Hidden Land—
Great Lady of the Sacred Place,
Vajrasādhu, the divine Chati,
Genyen Leru, Jomo Yangri—Deities, nāgas, and the ground’s protector,
Bound in sacred vow to the Mantra Lord,
O joyful companions, hear our call.Act now, shield us from harm,
And with boundless grace, forgive all wrongs.
May happiness and the profound Dharma flourish,
And may the blessings of devotion reach all beings.
This brief essay was composed by Tenzin Sangmo (Zsóka Gelle, Hungary) at the Jarung Khashor Stupa on the first day of Losar in the Year of the Earth Pig.
Tibetan Sources:
BT — Byang gter lugs kyi rnam thar dang ma ‘ongs lung bstan (Biographies and future prophecies of the Northern Treasure tradition), Sherab Gyaltsen and Lama Dawa: Gangtok, 1983, Reproduced from manuscripts from the library of Lama Sengge of Yolmo. W27866; LTWA No. Ka.3:77-2221, fs. 598.
CHORTEN — Mchod rten chen po bya rung kha shor gyi lo rgyus mthong pas grol ba bzhugs so. TBRC Work: W15651; LTWA Acc. No. 2550, fs.32.
GSS — Gu ru Sūrya Sengge’i rnam thar mdor bsdus nges shes ’dren pa’i shing rta, (Manuscript photographed by the author in Nepal) fs. 36.
LEKDEN — Rig ‘dzin mNga ris pa chen po Legs ldan bdud ‘joms rdo rje’i rnam thar. In: bKa’ ma mdo dbang gi bla ma brgyud pa’I rnam thar. Leh: Tashigangpa, 1972, vol. 1, 351-392, W21523.
MRB — gTsang smyon He ru ka, rJe btsun Mi la ras pa’i rnam thar dang mgur ‘bum. (Milarepa’s biography and the Hundred-thousand songs). Delhi: Bod gzhung shes rig dpar khang, 2004.
SHAMAR — 6th Zhva dmar pa Chos kyi dbang phyug. Bal yul du bgrod pa’i lam yig nor bu spel ma’i phreng ba. NGMPP Reel no. L387/3.
TN — Yol mo ba sprul sku bsTan ‘dzin nor bu. Rang gi rtogs pa brjod pa rdo rje’i sgra ma’i brgyud mangs. In Yol sprul bsTan ‘dzin nor bu’i gsung thor bu. Delhi: Dawa Lama, 1982, 95-248, W22115.
ZILNON — Zil gnon dBang rgyal rdo rje’i gsung thor bu. Reproduced from a rare manuscript from the library of bLa ma Ni ma of gLan ’phran. Darjeeling: Konchhog Lhadripa, 1985, W21897.