The 9th dalai lama - Lungtok Gyatso

There are two spellings of the name of the 9th Dalai Lama of Tibet; one is Lungtog Gyatso, and the other is  Luntok Gyatso. In 1805, Lungtok Gyatso was born near Choekor Monastery in Dan Chokhor. His birthplace is a small village in the historical region of Kham to Tenzin Choekyong and Dhondup Dolma.

He was recognized as the reincarnation of the Eighth Dalai Lama when he was two years old and was escorted to Lhasa with great ceremony.Three years later, he was enthroned at the Potala Palace on the Golden Throne of the Ganden Po-drang Government. His name-- Lungtok Gyatso was given by the Panchen Lama ,from whom he took his novice vows.

Thomas Manning, an English explorer who reached Lhasa in the year of 1812, gave an description about his interview with the 7 year old Dalai Lama. He wrote,"what impressed me most is his beautiful and interesting face. he behaves in a simple and unaffected manner, which is exactly like a well-educated princely. In my eyes, his face was affectingly beautiful, with a gay and cheerful disposition.I was extremely affected by this meeting with the lama. I could have wept through strangeness of sensation."
 But unfortunately, the Dalai Lama only served for a very brief period due to his death at the age of 9 in 1815. The next reincarnation was recognized eight years after his death, during which period the whole nation was plunged into deep sorrow. 

It is interesting to notice that all the 4 Dalai Lamas, from the ninth to the twelfth, had a very short life span. During that time, Panchen was the lama who can fill the void left by those lamas died in their youth.