Songtsän Gampo

Songtsen Gampo († 649 ) was King of Tibet from about 617 to 649 Under him the first Tibetans began a major role in the history of Central Asia to play.

The conditions for its success created its predecessors, who were of the Yarlung dynasty, in particular his father Namri Songtsen, which reached a certain unity in southern Tibet. Songtsen Gampo is the thirty-third in the traditional list of the 42 oldest Tibetan rulers. Another term for the first kings of Tibet is " Chögyel " ( Tibetan: chos rgyal; Sanskrit: Dharmaraja ).

Under Songtsen Gampo sent 100 families a representative to the court. A palace was built in Lhasa, at the site of today's Potala Palace. There were nine ministries with as many ministers and a "law book" with as many as 16 general moral principles. Since the 6th century, there were Tibetan cities with walls and small fortresses in cultivated land. There were metal workers who were for the manufacture of gold jewelery tanks and even such dishes in the situation. Coins were minted and developed a font.

Songtsen Gampo demanded 635 from the Chinese Tang Emperor Taizong a princess as wife, which he got after a successful campaign against China. Princess Wen Cheng was a devout Buddhist; she brought with monks and scrolls. Moreover, the King is said to have married the Nepalese Buddhist princess Khri - btsun ( Bhrikuti ); here on, there is no reliable tradition. Furthermore, Songtsen Gampo adopted a princess in decline ends located kingdom of Shang Shung wife.

Of importance today is still the former position Songtsen Gampo in comparison to the Chinese emperor, because today's Chinese government saw it like when Tibet had been a vassal state of China. But the inscriptions of two pillars in Lhasa - one of 821 and one from 1794, both bilingual - speak of the independence and autonomy of both countries. In the latter confirmed China's envoy Ho Lin, Tibet that the Tang and Song period was not a vassal state of China.

Under Songtsen Gampo, Buddhism in Tibet began to take hold, even if it was at that time only a few Buddhists and their temples simple chapels were similar. The king himself founded two of these sanctuaries in Lhasa, including the Jokhang Temple. It is for this reason also, next to King Thrisong Detsen and King Relpacen (Tib.: ral pa can), to the three Dharma Kings of Tibet expected. Predominant was still the shamanistic, animistic Bon religion. It was only in the 8th century, under King Thrisong Detsen ( 755-797 ), there were Buddhist monks of Tibetan origin and 779 they built the first monastery in Tibet, the. Samye