Drüpchen Çagthag Rinpoche

Drüpchen Çagthag Rinpoche (grub chen lCags thag / གྲུབ་ཆེན་ལྕགས་ཐག་) was a Mahasiddha from Pé-yul Dréma Jong — a Hidden Land of Guru Rinpoche in Sikkim. Çagthag Rinpoche arrived in Sikkim from Golok in Tibet in the 1870s at the age of 20. He was a wondering naljorpa who traveled to almost all parts of Sikkim and helped locals wherever he went.

He subdued countless malevolent brings who harassed local people in Sikkim. During his life in Sikkim, he revealed several gTérmas and rang-zhan (self-emanated artefacts). The miraculous activities he performed are still recalled by people in Sikkim.

He was a master gTummo and the other rTsa rLung practises of the Six Yogas of Naropa. He could effortlessly rise into air and travel to places where other humans could not go. For him the physical elements posed no barrier. His students referred to him Çagthag Rinpoche because Çagthag (lCag thag / ལྕག་ཐག་) means Iron Chain. He used to wear over 500 lbs of interlinked chains made of iron around his body. It is said that the weight of the chains would keep him grounded. He also used to wear rus rGyan — human bone ornaments, a khatvangha in his left hand and a bow in his right hand. He often dressed in only a leopard skin skirt. Drupchen Chakthag Rinpoche was considered by many to be an emanation of Mahasiddha Tilopa — but he never revealed who was.