Khyung sprul ‘jigs med nam mkha’i rdo rje was one of the greatest Tibetan travellers and Bon po masters of the first half of the 20th century. Born in Khyung po (Khams) in 1897, he was fully ordained in sMan ri monastery in Central Tibet. After his ordination he started a fascinating pilgrimage that took him to Bhutan, Nepal, India and Western Tibet. His rNam thar is an extended and detailed account of all his travels providing a lot of interesting information, not only on religious matters but also on the social and political context of that period.

In India, he visited Varanasi, Amritsar and Delhi on various occasions; however, he had a special liking for Khu nu (Kinnaur valley) where he spent several years as a missionary in the area around Morang and Lippa. Most of his religious and medical activities took place in the Upper Sutlej region (mNga’ ris) where he founded Mdo sngags grags rgyas gling monastery in Gu ru gyam region, in the same cave where the great Bon po master Dran pa nam mkha’ had been active during the 8th century. Khyung sprul ‘jigs med nam mkha’i rdo rje identified the site known as mKhar gdong, a short distance from
Gu ru gyam, as Khyung lung dngul mkhar, the ancient capital of Zhang zhung.

After spending twenty years of teaching and conducting pilgrimages in the area, he died in 1955 in his monastery in Gu ru gyam, and with him a chapter in the history of Tibet was closed.

Several Western travellers and Tibetologists, such as Govinda and Tucci, had the occasion to meet him in India and Tibet, and interesting descriptions of him (including a few pictures) are available that will help to understand his biography from various viewpoints.