**Gyal Khatun** (Balti: རྒྱལ་ཁ་ཐུན།, lit: *Royal Queen*) was a princess from the Makpon empire in northern Pakistan. She was the daughter of King Gyalpo Ali Senge Anchen, a very important person in Balti history. Gyal Khatun married Jamyang Namgyal, who was the ruler of Ladakh in the 17th century, becoming the Great Mother Queen of Ladakh. In Balti and Ladakhi songs, she is also called **Silima Khatun**, meaning "*Untainted and Pure Queen*".

Even though Gyal and her daughter-in-law *Gyal Kelsang*, who was also a Balti princess, were Muslims, the Ladakhi Buddhists see them as important people. They believe they are the same as the Tibetan Buddhist Goddess Tara. Gyal Khatun is also famous for starting the Gelugpa order of Tibetan Buddhism in Ladakh by putting the Tsongkhapa sculpture in the Basgo Temple.

Gyal Khatun is very respected in Ladakh because she supported both Buddhist Gompas and Mosques. Her leadership brought peace between the kingdoms of Makpon and Ladakh, which used to fight. Her son, Sengge Namgyal, later became the most important person in Ladakhi history, known as the *"Lion King of Ladakh"*. The Balti and Ladakhi rulers saw her as a strong and secular role model.

History
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Painting of the Skardu Valley, Baltistan.
During his time as ruler, Jamyang Namgyal, the king of Ladakh, decided to help the Sultan of Chigtan take control of Skardu, the Makpon Kingdom. But while they were crossing the mountains in winter, Namgyal's soldiers got lost in a big snowstorm. Ali Senge Anchan's skilled army attacked Namgyal's troops and trapped them because the snow blocked all the mountain passes and valleys. This made Namgyal surrender.

Jamyang Namgyal was captured and put in prison in Skardu. Ali Senge Anchan then took over Ladakh and made the Makpon empire bigger, going into Western Tibet. According to the *"Royal Chronicles of Ladakh"*, while Namgyal was in prison, he fell in love with Ali Senge's daughter, Gyal Khatun. They promised to marry each other, and Gyal Khatun became pregnant. When Ali Senge found out, he told Namgyal he could marry his daughter and go back to Ladakh with his people if he promised to be loyal to Ali Senge Anchan.

Ali Senge Anchan let the Ladakhi king, Jamyang, go, but there was a condition. He said Jamyang had to marry his daughter, Gyal Khatun, and their son would be the next king of Ladakh. Because of this, Jamyang's two sons with his first wife, Queen Tsering, couldn't be rulers, and they had to leave Ladakh and go to Central Tibet.

### Dowry and Wedding traditions

The Stok Palace, residency of Ladakhi kings.
The Balti kings were known for giving big dowries when their princesses got married. The dowry included things they could move, like gold, silver, precious stones, jewelry, expensive clothes, swords, guns, and 12 sets of kitchen cutlery. You can still see Gyal Khatun's movable dowry at the Stok Palace Museum in Ladakh. They have the Queen’s stomacher and a necklace made of thirteen rows of silver beads. As part of the things they couldn't move, they also gave villages. According to local customs, a lot of Muslim maids, male helpers, and a group of Balti musicians (later called Kharmon or Royal Musicians) were sent to Ladakh as part of Gyal Khatun’s wedding party.

According to Balti traditions, King Jamyang might have needed to give gifts to his bride's parents. This tradition, called "khamital (Balti: ཁམི་ཏལ​་)", means the boy's parents send gifts to the girl's parents. After this, the boy's parents should follow the tradition of "rintho" or "onarin, where the boy's parents should pay for the milk the girl drank when she was a baby. Once they pay with 24 tolas of gold and 24 goats, the wedding date is set. The Ladakhi Lamas welcomed Gyal Khatun as the Buddhist god of long life, the White Tara.

### Succession as ruler

After King Jamyang Namgyal died, Gyal Khatun took over the government while her young son, Sengge Namgyal, grew up. She's famous for being Sengge Namgyal's mother. Sengge Namgyal was called the "Lion King of Ladakh". There's a famous ballad that tells the story of Sengge Namgyal's birth, when he was held by his mother, Gyal Khatun, also known as ZiZi:

|  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "| "Today the old king’s name shall resound through the verse, for see the lovely babe his grandson, born today. see him in the arms of his mother, this child whose name shall be famous all the world, see him in the arms of Zi-Zi, the Queen. This child whose name shall be famous in all the world". | "|

Legacy
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Basgo Monastery, built by Gyal Khatun and later completed by Sengge Namgyal.
In Ladakh, Gyal Khatun is seen as a patron (someone who supports) of both mosques and Buddhist temples. Her son, Sengge Namgyal, kept working on the Maitreya temple that his mother, Gyal Khatun, had started. Gyal Khatun is known as the Royal supporter of Chamba Lakhang, and she also gave jewelry for Maitreya's statue in the second temple, Serzang Lakhang. To honor his mother, Sengge Namgyal made the original Kache mosque in Leh. But more buildings were added to the mosque because of a partnership with the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Gyal Khatun is praised for building many small mosques in Shey, Leh, and Nubra. People in Ladakh sing folk songs about her with the title Silima Khatun, meaning "The Untainted and Pure Queen," showing how much they admire her. There's a Ladakhi folk song called *The Song of Silima Khatun* that's all about praising the Queen:

|  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "| My famous queen is like the rising sun,  The precious Silima Queen is brilliant like a vision of light.  My famous queen is like the Shining full moon  To he lee [utterance to fill the rhythm]  My precious Silima queen you are brilliant like a vision of light,  Even your royal line is god-like, brilliant like a vision of light.  Silima Khatun your royal line is the line of sugar-cane wood,  Precious Silima Queen your race may flourish like leaves.  Your name and qualities have become known all over the world.  Oh precious Silima Khatun Queen, brilliant like a vision of light. | "|

Polo match in Skardu.Gyal Khatun is also famous for starting the Gelugpa order of Tibetan Buddhism in Ladakh. She put a Tsongkhapa sculpture in the Basgo Temple, also called the Kalzand Drolma Temple. Gyal Khatun supported both Muslim and Buddhist places of worship in Ladakh. Her being in the Namgyal family brought peace between the two kingdoms. Even after King Jamyang Namgyal died, Gyal Khatun still played a big role in Ladakh's politics and religion. She supported Mahayana and Tantric Buddhism and helped build religious buildings.

Gyal Khatun is known for bringing Balti music and instruments like Drums and Oboes to Ladakh from Baltistan. These instruments were part of her dowry and are now important in Ladakhi music. She also introduced Polo, a traditional sport, to Ladakh from Baltistan. The Namgyal kings built private mosques in Leh and Shey for Gyal Khatun and her servants, where she kept practicing Islam until she died.

### Ali Senge Anchans Dream

Gyal Khatun's life is connected to mystical and divine things, which makes her very important. In the book "Antiquities of Indian Tibet," A. H. Francke talks about a special event involving Gyal Khatun's father, Ali Senge Anchan. In a dream, Ali Senge saw a lion (Sengge) coming out of the river near the castle and going into Gyal Khatun's body. According to the royal records, this dream made people believe that Gyal Khatun was a form of the Tibetan Buddhist Goddess Tara, who saves people and shows kindness. Francke translated a verse from the original manuscript as:

|  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "| "Yesterday in a dream, I saw a lion [emerging] from the river in front [of the castle]; And, jumping at Rgyal-Kha-thun, he disappeared into her body, At the same time also, That girl conceived. Now it is certain that she will give birth to a male child, Whose name ye shall call Sen-ge-rnam-gyal!" | "|

This special event in Gyal Khatun's life made her very respected in the region's history. Her legacy is more than just being a queen because her special connection affected events and decided what happened to her family. This influence led to her son, Sengge Namgyal, becoming the famous Lion King of Ladakh.