DHARAMSHALA, August 10: The medium of one of the state oracles of Tibet has passed away on Sunday at the age of 78, the official website of the Tibetan government in exile (officially known as Central Tibetan Administration) reported.
Tenzin Wangdak, medium of Gadhong oracle and also a former Kashag secretary, breathed his last around 10:51 AM after a prolonged illness.
The Central Tibetan Administration paid its respects to the departed soul through a prayer service on Monday. All offices under the administration remained closed after the prayer service that went from 3 to 4 PM.
Born in 1937 at Gyatong in Lhasa, Tibet, Gadhong Tenzin Wangdak had served the Tibetan government as a civil servant before coming into exile in 1957. He studied in St. Augustine school, Kalimpong, India. He was recruited as a translator at the Department of Education in 1963.
In 1964, was appointed the administrator of the Handicraft Centre at Phuntsokling Tibetan settlement, Odisha and subsequently became the settlement officer in 1967.
He was also a member of the drafting committee for the CTA Staff Guideline booklet in 1970. In 1972, he was appointed the Secretary of the Kashag Secretariat (Kadrung)
He was appointed an Assistant Secretary with the Private Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1980 before retiring from active administrative services in February 1986.
He became the medium of Gadhong state oracle on July 25, 1987, a position he held until his demise on Monday.
