This essay surveys the sources for the lifestory of Yeshé Tsogyel, also known as Kharchen Za. It considers references to such a figure in works from Chronicle of Ba (bazhé), Nyingma Kama materials on Vajrakīla traditions, Nyangrel’s life of Padmasambhava, and other Nyingma sources, down to the well-known biography from the Treasures of Taksham, as well as a recent Bönpo version of her life. It also considers what historical works do not mention her, and raises the question of whether she was a historical person or not. The heart of the essay provides detailed information on an important but little-known long biography of Yeshé Tsogyel from the fourteenth century by Drimé Künga Nyingpo, a work that is interestingly different from Taksham’s story but also clearly was a source for him. Among other things, this version of the story makes no mention of any connection of Yeshé Tsogyel to the king Tri Songdé Tsen. Another intriguing suggestion concerns references to her by Guru Chöwang, which hint that yet an older rendition of her lifestory might have been preserved in his collected works which has either been lost or is still to come to light. The essay considers the development of the role of Yeshé Tsogyel as a female consort and especially the seemingly feminist figuration of her by Taksham. It also serves to illustrate the complex process of hagiographical development known also for so many other saints in Tibetan religious literature.
