Od Ded Gungyel – the deity from Kheng area

Od Ded Gungyel is worshipped in kheng speaking area and its periphery region. The writer would like to apologise for  not being able to carryout comprehensive study on this deity although I would love to do that. . In some region Od Ded Gungyel is revered as Od Ded Gongjan (as I have noticed) during my research.  However, this should open room for further research in the future. I am sure researchers like Dr. Dorji Penjore, Lham Dorji and others have already worked on it. I also hope that bloggers like PSN (Kuenzang Thinley) and my friends Kinga Choden and Sithar would help me add more stories to this legend. This paper is just an attempt to highlight on the legend of Od Ded Gungyel's or Od Ded Gongjan's origination.

Legend has it that, long long time ago, during the age of complete darkness, a light emerged from an open space. This light was an extra ordinary light. First it appeared when there was complete darkness everywhere and secondly, it is believed to have laid a huge dull egg. Out of this egg came out a creature who had a ferocious look. He had tiger's head , hands and claws of a bear and  human like body.

Around the same time, there appeared a turquoise egg from a dark sea from one corner of the world. It is being said that a vulture like creature was hatched out of this turquoise coloured egg. The creature was massive and it scavenged on dead animals. 

These two creatures met for the first time when they were looking for food. They also mated.  The vulture is said to have become pregnant after that. In order to lay eggs, these two creatures went out looking for suitable place everywhere but could not find one until they  reached a place called Shelkhar Karpo  Yul Bedhchen. Here they found Paksam Shing and on it they built their nest. The vulture laid nine white conch-shaped  eggs and nine iron eggs.

Four out of the nine born from the conch-shaped eggs were Gyeltshen Namda Karpo, Od Ded Gungyel, Gula Sangwa and Tigu Karpo. They together were known as Lharab Tshezhi. Those born from the iron eggs were made to serve Lharab Tshezhi.