Sonam Rapten

Desi Sonam Choephel ( Tib: chos sde srid bsod nams ' phel ) or Sonam Rabten (* 1595, † 1658) was a notable scholar of the Gelug tradition of Buddhism in Tibet and statesman. He was the first ruler in Tibet from 1642 to 1658.

In the youth of the 5th Dalai Lama, he sought help from the Mongolian military leader Gushri Khan to end the persecution of the Gelug Sect of the Dalai Lama and thus established the leading position of this order in Tibet.