1. Zhangzhung Civilization (introduction)

The kingdom of Zhangzhung has played a seminal role in shaping and developing the Tibetan civilization in the high plateau of Pamir and the neighbouring regions around it. With its capital Khyunglung, the land of Garuda, in the Ngari region of western Tibet, early Zhangzhung extended far from the Mount Kailash to Sumpa of Amdo region of Tibet in the east, and GilgitBalti and Orgyan regions of Jammu & Kashmir of India and Swat of present day Pakisthan in the west, and gLo, Dol po, Ti chu regions of Nepal in the south. Ladakh and areas bordering the Himalayans belts were all part of Zhangzhung civilization. It was one of the twelve greater regions and forty smaller regions in Tibet before the advent of Yarlung dynasty^[1]. People in Kinnuar region of North India still take pride in calling themselves as Zhangzhungpa, the people of Zhangzhung descent. According to Professor Namkhai Norbu,^[2] the principal clan from which the people of Zhang Zhung descended was called bSe kyung sbra. sBra is one of the six original original tribes [Tib:mi'u gdung drug] of Tibet of bSe, rMu, lDong, sTong, dBra and Bru^[3]. Zhangzhung was one of the twelve regions [Tib:rgyal phran sil ma bcu nyis] on the Tibetan plateau which came under Tibetan Yarlung dynasty during the reign of King Nyatri Tsanpo. Although the followers of Bon religion assert that Tonpa Shenrab was born in Tagzig Olmolungring [Tib:sTag gzigs 'Ol mo lung ring] in Persia, present day Iran, historical and geographical facts point to the area around western Tibet as the center of Zhangzhung civilization with the Mount Kailash as the center of their faith.

While describing the land of Zhangzhung, most of the Tibetan texts divide the land into three regions: sGo, Phugs and Bar -outer, inner and middle Zhangzhung, and some texts says that each of these three regions further has its own outer, inner and middle regions. There are various versions of what comprise of these three regions. Whatever the postulate may be, Zhangzhung was a large confederate of regions with people sharing same religious and cultural values with Mount Kailash as the center of their faith and affinity. It was here that the Buddha Tonpa Shenrab Mibo was born and taught the Yungdrung Bon religion, which spread across the Himalayan regions in the south and China in the east around that time.

Until recently, scholars have not shown much interest in the study of this ancient kingdom. Except for cursory remarks of Zhangzhung being conquered by Tibet during the reign of 7th century king Srongtsan Gampo, it has not found much space in the pages of Tibetan history. It received scholarly attention from Tibetan scholars like Tenzin Namdak, Namkhai Norbu and Samten Karmay, whose seminal works generated interest amongst modern scholars and lay people alike to look at Zhangzhung more closely to understand the evolution of Tibetan civilization. Western scholars like Rolf Stein, Erik Haarh, Per Kvaene, J. V. Belleza, Dan Martin etc^[4] took interest in this field of Tibetan studies and greatly helped in establishing the existence of Zhangzhung civilization. It attracted the attention of scholars to explore the ancient civilizations of Tibet from a different perspective. Earlier, Zhangzhung was seen more as a myth, and the language as mere fabrication by the Bonpos, the followers of the Bon religion of Tibet. Now studies in this area have assumed significant importance, as asserted by Prof. Siegbert Hummel writes "Tibetology remains a lame discipline without the knowledge of the Zhangzhung language"^[5].