Tibet (Myth, Religion and History)

by Tsewang Gyalpo Arya | 2019 | 70,035 words

This essay studies the history, religion and mythology of Tibet, and explores ancient traditions and culture dating back to more than 1000 BC. This research study is based on authoritative texts and commentaries of both Bon (Tibet's indigenous religion) and Buddhist masters available in a variety of sources. It further contains a comparative study ...

3. Early Zhangzhung Kings

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The land of Zhangzhung with sixty regions and eighty hamlets of ten thousand people [Tib:Yul kham drug cu khri sde brgyad cu'i zhing]^[1] ^[2] was said to have been ruled by eighteen kings once with the title of Bya ru [bird horn] before the formation of Yarlung dynasty. The names and the regions that these eighteen kings ruled indicate the existence of vast civilization on the Tibetan pleatue much before the rise of Yarlung dynasty. sLob dpon bsTan 'zin nam dag has reproduced the name of the Kings and the regions they ruled based on sKyab ston khro 'grel and Gangs ri'i dkar chag.

Seven kings mentioned in sKyab ston khro 'grel are:

1. The universal king Khri wer la rje gu lang gser gyi bya ru can ruled the regions around the frontal side of Mount Tise, the hills with fragrance of incenses [Tib:ri spos ri ngad ldan gyi rtsa ba], near the lake Mu le kyud. He built a temple gSas khang nor bu spung rtsig before the Mount Tise and was said to have met Buddha Tonpa Shenrab and received teachings from him and preached Khri rje lung bstan sutra. He ruled from the Gar ljang g.yu lo rdzong mkhar fort. The place is said to known as rGyang grags mgon these days.

2. sPung rgyung gyer gyi rgyal po 'od kyi bya ru can ruled from sTag chen rngam rdzong mkhar fort in sPu hreng land of sPu mar hring.

3. Gu wer nor gyi rgyal po 'od kyi bya ru can ruled from his golden fort [Tib:gSer gyi mkhar] in Zhangzhung Tsu na'i yul shod dum pa tsal. It is known as Gung dum these days.

4. sTag sna gzi brjid rgyal po khri ldem lcags kyi bya ru can ruled from the fort sTag sna dbal gyi rdzong mkhar in the central town of sTag sna gling at the foot of Zhangzhung Ci na'i yul spos ri ngad ldan. It is called Bon ri sTag sna rong these days. [In Ladakh, there was a region known as sTag sna with a palace called king sTag sna gzi brjid rgyal po'i pho drang, this could be same.]

5. Sad hri gyer gyi rgyal po aud pal 'od kyi bya ru can controlled Zhangzhung kha yug from Mu rdzong chen po khro chu mkhar.

6. sLa kra gu ge'i rgyal po rin chen 'od kyi bya ru can: A community of g.Yung drung sem pa practitioners developed in the hills of rGyal ba mnyes yul gyi khab khyung chen spung town in Zhangzhung Kyung lung. It is called mKhar dong these days. The king ruled from the fort dNgul mkhar dkar po khro chu'i rming rdo can in the central region.

7. Mu mar thog rgod rgyal po aen 'od kyi bya ru can ruled from the fort Ru thog gnam rdzong mkhar in Zhangzhung ru thog.

The list of the eighteen Kings and the regions according to Gangs ri dkar chag are^[3] :

1. Three kings ruled from mKhar rzong at rGyang ri g.yu lo ljong before the Mount Kailash, they were: 1) Hos rje khri ver gser gyi bya ru can, 2) Zhangzhung zil g.non rgyal po rlabs chen khyung gi bya ru can and 3) Hri do gyer spungs rgyal po kang ka shel gyi bya ru can.

2. Three kings who ruled from Khyung lung rgyal ba mnyes yul were: 4) sLas kra gu ge'i rgyal po rin chen 'od kyi bya ru can, 5) rGyungs yar mu khod rgyal po gzhan tson 'od kyi bya ru can, and 6) Kyi li gu ge rgyal po un chen dung gyi bya ru can.

3. Two kings who ruled from Zhangzhung Pu hreng: 7) sPungs rgyung gyer gyi rgyal po 'od kyi bya ru can and 8) Nye lo ver ya rgyal po phra men 'od kyi bya ru can.

4. Two Kings in Zhangzhung Tsi na'i yul were: 9) sTag sna gzi brjid rgyal po 'od kyi bya ru can and 10) Zo dmar this spungs rgyal po me dpung 'od-kyi bya ru can.

5. Two kings in Zhangzhung Da rog yul were: 11) bDud 'dul dbal gyi rgyal po nyi shel 'od kyi bya ru can and 12) Li ver gyer gyi rgyal po klu shel 'od kyi bya ru can.

6. Two kings in Zhangzhung sTa sgo yul were: 13) Shel rgyungs hri do rgyal po zo dmar 'od kyi bya ru can and 14) Lig mur nam kha'i rgyal po be dur 'od kyi bya ru can.

7. One King in Zhangzhung Kha skyor gyi yul was: 15) Mu ber nor gyi rgyal po ga ljang 'od kyi bya ru can.

8. One King in Zhangzhung Kha yug gi yul was: 16) Sad hri gyer gyi rgyal po au dpal 'odyi bya ru can.

9. In Zhangzhung La dvads kyi yul was: 17) Nye lo ver ya rgyal po gnam lcags dbal gyi bya ru can

10. In Zhangzhung Ru thog gi yul was: 18) Mu mar thog rgod rgyal po ain da 'od kyi bya ru can.

Robert Vitali, in his classification of these kings and the regions they ruled as outlined in his work, "A Tentative Classification of The bya ru can kings of Zhang Zhung", contains good information on these kings.^[4] During the time of these Kings, Zhangzhung had eighteen regions with a population around ten thousand each [Tib:khri sde bco brgyad] and Yungdrung Bon religion was wide spread in all these regions. The kings lived for one thousand years and some attained enlightenment and left without leaving any bodily residues^[5]. Bya ru [bird horn] is a crown or ornament that is put on head, it is in the shape of horns of a mythical bird Garuda [Tib:Bya khyung]. It was also used and adorned for sacred religious purposes like at the top of stupas and on the head of some wrathful deities. It is said that there were eight priests [Tib:Shen] with Bya ru title. Garuda is considered to be the king of birds; it has a pair of horns on its head. Bya ru means bird's horn and the bird is identified with Garuda [Tib:Bya khyung], a mythical bird with horns. Therefore, Bya ru can means, one with the horns of Garuda. Zhung in Zhangzhung language means bya khyung, the Garuda. It would mean the land of Garuda, i.e. Kyung lung. Dan Martin has a section on Bird horn in his blog^[6]. One strong evidence of Zhangzhung king is the seal of Zhangzhung king Lig mi rgya, which is still preserved at sMan ri monastery in Himachal Pradesh in India. I was fortunate enough to be told about this seal and physically shown by none other then H.E. the 33rd sManri Khri 'zin Lungtok Tenpai Nyima. The seal and the inscription on it and the meaning are detailed in bsTan 'zin rNam dag's book^[7].

It is in Zhangzhung script and reads: Kha tsan pa sha lig shi ra tsa, meaning "All conquering universal King" [Tib:Tham cad dbang du bsgyur ba'i srid pa'i rgyal po].