Zhangzhung or Shangshung was an ancient culture and kingdom in western and northwestern
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
, which pre-dates the culture of
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...
in Tibet. Zhangzhung culture is associated with the
Bon
''Bon'', also spelled Bön () and also known as Yungdrung Bon (, "eternal Bon"), is a Tibetan religious tradition with many similarities to Tibetan Buddhism and also many unique features.Samuel 2012, pp. 220-221. Bon initially developed in t ...
religion, which has influenced the philosophies and practices of Tibetan Buddhism. Zhangzhung people are mentioned frequently in ancient Tibetan texts as the original rulers of today's western Tibet. Only in the last two decades have archaeologists been given access to do archaeological work in the areas once ruled by the Zhangzhung.
Extent of the Zhangzhung kingdoms
Tradition has it that Zhangzhung consisted "of three different regions: sGob-ba, the outer; Phug-pa, the inner; and Bar-ba, the middle. The outer is what we might call Western Tibet, from
Gilgit
Gilgit (; Shina: ; ur, ) is the capital city of Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan. The city is located in a broad valley near the confluence of the Gilgit River and the Hunza River. It is a major tourist destination in Pakistan, serving as a h ...
in the west to Dangs-ra khyung-rdzong in the east, next to lake gNam-mtsho, and from
Khotan
Hotan (also known as Gosthana, Gaustana, Godana, Godaniya, Khotan, Hetian, Hotien) is a major oasis town in southwestern Xinjiang, an autonomous region in Western China. The city proper of Hotan broke off from the larger Hotan County to become ...
in the north to Chu-mig brgyad-cu rtsa-gnyis in the south. Ladakh, including lahaul and spiti, was part of sGob-ba. The inner region is said to be sTag-gzig (Tazig)
ften_identified_with_Bactria.html" ;"title="Bactria.html" ;"title="ften identified with Bactria">ften identified with Bactria">Bactria.html" ;"title="ften identified with Bactria">ften identified with Bactria and the middle rGya-mkhar bar-chod, a place not yet identified." While it is not certain whether Zhangzhung was really so large, it was an independent kingdom and covered the whole of what is today's Western Tibet, Ladakh and Gilgit.
The capital city of Zhangzhung was called Khyunglung ( or ), the "Silver Palace of Garuda", southwest of
Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; ''Kangrinboqê'' or ''Gang Rinpoche''; Standard Tibetan, Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ; ; sa, कैलास, ), is a mountain in the Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It h ...
(Mount Ti-se), which is identified with palaces found in the upper
Sutlej Valley
The Sutlej or Satluj River () is the longest of the five rivers that flow through the historic crossroads region of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan. The Sutlej River is also known as ''Satadru''. It is the easternmost tributary of the Ind ...
.
According to Rolf Alfred Stein, author of ''Tibetan Civilization'', the area of Shang Shung was not historically a part of Tibet and was a distinctly foreign territory to the Tibetans:
[''Tibetan Civilization'' by R.A. Stein, Faber and Faber]
History of the Zhangzhung
Iron Age culture of the Chang Tang—the Zhangzhung?
Recent archeological work on the
Chang Tang
The Changtang (alternatively spelled Changthang or Qangtang) is a part of the high altitude Tibetan Plateau in western and northern Tibet extending into the southern edges of Xinjiang as well as southeastern Ladakh, India, with vast highlands ...
plateau finds evidence of an Iron Age culture which some have tentatively identified as the Zhangzhung.
The Conquest of Zhangzhung
![Tibetan empire greatest extent 780s-790s CE](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Tibetan_empire_greatest_extent_780s-790s_CE.png)
There is some confusion as to whether Central Tibet conquered Zhangzhung during the reign of
Songtsen Gampo
Songtsen Gampo (; 569–649? 650), also Songzan Ganbu (), was the 33rd Tibetan king and founder of the Tibetan Empire, and is traditionally credited with the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet, influenced by his Nepali consort Bhrikuti, of Nepal ...
(605 or 617–649) or in the reign of
Trisong Detsen
Tri Songdetsen () was the son of Me Agtsom, the 38th emperor of Tibet. He ruled from AD 755 until 797 or 804. Tri Songdetsen was the second of the Three Dharma Kings of Tibet, playing a pivotal role in the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet and th ...
(), (r. 755 until 797 or 804). The records of the ''
Tang Annals'' do, however, seem to clearly place these events in the reign of Songtsen Gampo for they say that in 634, Yangtong (Zhangzhung) and various
Qiang tribes, "altogether submitted to him". Following this he united with the country of Yangtong to defeat the 'Azha or
Tuyuhun
Tuyuhun (; LHC: *''tʰɑʔ-jok-guənʔ''; Wade-Giles: ''T'u-yühun''), also known as Henan () and Azha (; ), was a dynastic kingdom established by the nomadic peoples related to the Xianbei in the Qilian Mountains and upper Yellow River valley ...
, and then conquered two more tribes of Qiang before threatening Songzhou with an army of more than 200,000 men. He then sent an envoy with gifts of gold and silk to the Chinese emperor to ask for a Chinese princess in marriage and, when refused,
attacked Songzhou. He apparently finally retreated and apologised and later the emperor granted his request.
Early Tibetan accounts say that the Tibetan king and the king of Zhangzhung had married each other's sisters in a political alliance. However, the Tibetan wife of the king of the Zhangzhung complained of poor treatment by the king's principal wife. War ensued, and through the treachery of the Tibetan princess, "King Ligmikya of Zhangzhung, while on his way to ''Sum-ba'' (
Amdo
Amdo ( am˥˥.to˥˥ ) is one of the three traditional Tibetan regions, the others being U-Tsang in the west and Kham in the east. Ngari (including former Guge kingdom) in the north-west was incorporated into Ü-Tsang. Amdo is also the bi ...
province) was ambushed and killed by King Srongtsen Gampo's soldiers. As a consequence, the Zhangzhung kingdom was annexed to Bod (Central Tibet). Thereafter the new kingdom born of the unification of Zhangzhung and Bod was known as Bod rGyal-khab." R. A. Stein places the conquest of Zhangzhung in 645.
Revolt of Zhangzhung in 677
Zhangzhung revolted soon after the death of King
Mangsong Mangtsen
Mangsong Mangtsen (), Trimang Löntsen or Khri-mang-slon-rtsan (r. 655–676 CE) succeeded to the throne after the death of his Father Gungsong Gungtsen. or, his grandfather, Songtsen Gampo, its Dispute of Succession however he was the third or, s ...
or Trimang Löntsän (, r. 650–677), the son of
Songtsen Gampo
Songtsen Gampo (; 569–649? 650), also Songzan Ganbu (), was the 33rd Tibetan king and founder of the Tibetan Empire, and is traditionally credited with the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet, influenced by his Nepali consort Bhrikuti, of Nepal ...
, but was brought back under Tibetan control by the "firm governance of the great leaders of the Mgar clan".
[Beckwith, Christopher I. ''The Tibetan Empire in Central Asia. A History of the Struggle for Great Power among Tibetans, Turks, Arabs, and Chinese during the Early Middle Ages,'' 1987, Princeton: Princeton University Press. , p. 43.]
The Zhangzhung language
A handful of Zhangzhung texts and 11th century bilingual Tibetan documents attest to a
Zhangzhung language
Zhang-Zhung () is an extinct Sino-Tibetan language that was spoken in what is now western Tibet. It is attested in a bilingual text called ''A Cavern of Treasures'' (''mDzod phug'') and several shorter texts.
A small number of documents preserve ...
which was related to
Kinnauri
Kinnauri, also known as Kanauri, Kanor, Koonawur, Kanawari or Kunawar (Takri: 𑚊𑚮𑚝𑚵𑚤𑚯/𑚊𑚝𑚵𑚤𑚯/𑚊𑚝𑚵𑚤/𑚊𑚱𑚝𑚭𑚦𑚰𑚤/𑚊𑚰𑚝𑚦𑚤, Tibetan:ཀིནཽརཱི), is a Sino-Tibet ...
. The
Bonpo
''Bon'', also spelled Bön () and also known as Yungdrung Bon (, "eternal Bon"), is a Tibetan religious tradition with many similarities to Tibetan Buddhism and also many unique features.Samuel 2012, pp. 220-221. Bon initially developed in ...
claim that the Tibetan writing system is derived from the Zhangzhung alphabet, while modern scholars recognize the clear derivation of Tibetan script from a North Indian script, which accords with non-Bon Tibetan accounts.
A modern Kinnauri language called by the same name (pronounced locally
Jangshung
Kinnauri, also known as Kanauri, Kanor, Koonawur, Kanawari or Kunawar (Takri: 𑚊𑚮𑚝𑚵𑚤𑚯/𑚊𑚝𑚵𑚤𑚯/𑚊𑚝𑚵𑚤/𑚊𑚱𑚝𑚭𑚦𑚰𑚤/𑚊𑚰𑚝𑚦𑚤, Tibetan:ཀིནཽརཱི), is a Sino-Tibet ...
) is spoken by 2,000 people in the
Sutlej Valley
The Sutlej or Satluj River () is the longest of the five rivers that flow through the historic crossroads region of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan. The Sutlej River is also known as ''Satadru''. It is the easternmost tributary of the Ind ...
of Himachal Pradesh who claim to be descendants of the Zhangzhung.
Zhangzhung culture's influence in India
Bonpo tradition claims that Bon was founded by a
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...
-like figure named
Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche
Tonpa Shenrab ( "Teacher Shenrab") or Shenrab Miwo ()—also called the Buddha Shenrab, Guru Shenrab and a number of other titles—is the legendary founder of the Bon tradition of Tibet.
The story of Tonpa Shenrab was revealed in a fourteen ...
, to whom are ascribed teachings similar in scope to those ascribed to the historical
Gautama Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
. Bonpos claim that Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche lived some 18,000 years ago, and visited Tibet from the land of Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring, or
Shambhala
In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Shambhala ( sa, शम्भल ',''Śambhala'', also ''Sambhala'', is the name of a town between the Rathaprā and Ganges rivers, identified by some with Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh. In the Puranas, it is named as ...
.
[
]
Bonpos also suggest that during this time Lord Shenrab Miwoche's teaching permeated the entire subcontinent and was in part responsible for the development of the
Vedic religion. An example of this link is said to be
Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; ''Kangrinboqê'' or ''Gang Rinpoche''; Standard Tibetan, Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ; ; sa, कैलास, ), is a mountain in the Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It h ...
, which is the center of Zhangzhung culture, and also the most sacred mountain to Hindus. As a result, the Bonpos claim that the supposedly much later Hindu teaching owes its origin - at least indirectly - to Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche.
See also
*
Zhangzhung Meri
*
History of Tibet
While the Tibetan plateau has been inhabited since pre-historic times, most of Tibet's history went unrecorded until the introduction of Tibetan Buddhism around the 6th century. Tibetan texts refer to the kingdom of Zhangzhung (c. 500 BCE – 625 ...
*
Shambala
*
Guge
Footnotes
Sources
*
Allen, Charles. (1999) ''The Search for Shangri-La: A Journey into Tibetan History''. Little, Brown and Company. Reprint: 2000 Abacus Books, London. .
* Bellezza, John Vincent: ''Zhangzhung. Foundations of Civilization in Tibet. A Historical and Ethnoarchaeological Study of the Monuments, Rock Art, Texts, and Oral Tradition of the Ancient Tibetan Upland.'' Denkschriften der phil.-hist. Klasse 368. Beitraege zur Kultur- und Geistesgeschichte Asiens 61, Verlag der Oesterreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien 2008.
*
Hummel, Siegbert. (2000). ''On Zhang-zhung''. Edited and translated by Guido Vogliotti. Library of Tibetan Works and Archives. Dharamsala, H.P., India. .
* Karmey, Samten G. (1975). ''A General Introduction to the History and Doctrines of Bon''. Memoirs of the Research Department of the Toyo Bunko, No. 33, pp. 171–218. Tokyo.
* Stein, R. A. (1961). ''Les tribus anciennes des marches Sino-Tibétaines: légends, classifications et histoire''. Presses Universitaires de France, Paris. (In French)
* Zeisler, Bettina. (2010). "Ëast of the Moon and West of the Sun? Approaches to a Land with Many Names, North of Ancient India and South of Khotan". In: ''The Tibet Journal'', Special issue. Autumn 2009 vol XXXIV n. 3-Summer 2010 vol XXXV n. 2. "The Earth Ox Papers", edited by Roberto Vitali, pp. 371–463.
Further reading
* Bellezza, John Vincent. (2010). "gShen-rab Myi-bo, His life and times according to Tibet's earliest literary sources". ''Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines'' Number 19 October 2010, pp. 31–118.
* Blezer, Henk. (2010). "Greatly Perfected, in Space and Time: Historicities of the Bon Aural Transmission from Zhangzhung". In: ''The Tibet Journal'', Special issue. Autumn 2009 vol XXXIV n. 3-Summer 2010 vol XXXV n. 2. "The Earth Ox Papers", edited by Roberto Vitali, pp. 71–160.
* Zeisler, Bettina (2010). "East of the Moon and West of the Sun? Approaches to a Land with Many Names, North of Northern India and South of Khotan". In: The Earth Ox Papers. Special Issue. ''The Tibet Journal'', Autumn 2009 vol XXXIV n 3-Summer 2010 vol. SSSV n. 2. Edited by Roberto Vitali. Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, H.P., India. pp. 371–463.
External links
Study Buddhism article on Bon and the ZhangzhungOral Tradition from Zhangzhung, An Introduction to the Bonpo Dzogchen Teachings of the Oral Tradition from ZhangzhungExpedition to Zhangzhung
{{Buddhism topics
7th century in Tibet
Archaeological cultures of East Asia
Bon
Dzogchen
Former countries in Chinese history
History of Tibet
Iron Age Asia
Tibetan archaeology
Former kingdoms