On July 16, 2011, the English edition of A History of the Tibetan Empire was formally released when, on behalf of HH the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang, HE Garchen Rinpoche presented a copy of the English edition to His Holiness the Dalai Lama during long-life ceremonies following the Kalachakra Initation in Washington, D.C.

His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang’s groundbreaking survey of the Tibetan empire, published in Tibetan in 2010, is now available in English. It can be ordered from Vajra Publications.

Starting with an examination of the empire’s prehistoric origins, His Holiness traces the line emperors in Tibet’s Pugyal dynasty as their domain grows from a handful of assembled kingdoms into a powerful Central Asian empire, until its collapse following the assassination of the last emperor Uidum Tsenpo (Lang Darma) in the 9th century CE.

From the start, the Tibetan kingdom, centered in Central Tibet’s Yarlung Valley, was built by steadily consolidating territory. In the 7th century, Songtsen Gampo conquered the powerful Zhangzhung kingdom, stretching across what is now Western Tibet, and an empire was born. For a period of roughly 250 years, the Tibetan empire exerted itself in almost continual military harassment of its neighbors, most notably Tang China, even capturing the capital Chang’an (modern-day Xian) in 763; the Turks to the north, controlling the Southern Silk Road for the better part of a century; city-states in the Arab and Persian empires to the West, such as Gilgit and Balti; and Nepal and India to the South, at one point extending the Tibetan border all the way to the banks of the Ganges.

While Tibetan military might was steadily pressing outwards, the Tibetan empire at home was absorbing a wide array of cultural influences from the lands it was suddenly exposed to, which were eventually to fundamentally reshape Tibetan culture and alter the course of its history. Traditional histories described the different weapons added to the Tibetan arsenal with each new victory, as well as imported agricultural and animal husbandry techniques. By far the most influential and dramatic imports were religious—first Bön from Zhangzhung followed by Buddhism from South Asia, China, and the Turkic Silk Road. Along with Buddhism came writing, with the invention of the Tibetan script by Thönmi Sambhota, and numerous other artistic, intellectual, cultural, and social influences.

His Holiness’s work is structured around the Old Tibetan Chronicle, the Old Tibetan Annals, and others of the thousands of Tibetan manuscripts discovered in Dunhuang at the turn of the last century, the bulk of which are now preserved in the national libraries of England and France. Buried under the sands of a forgotten Silk Road oasis for a thousand years, these documents comprise the earliest and most reliable sources on the Tibetan dynasty.

Passages from relevant manuscripts are presented with an annotated transcription, an English rendering, and full-color images of the manuscript. Each chapter concludes with a critical essay examining problems of language, history, and myth for the period and rulers in question, as well as providing a contextual setting and filling in any lacunae in the manuscripts from more recent historical sources in Tibetan and Chinese. The English edition brings together full-color images of the manuscripts with the author’s commentary in an English translation aimed at a nonspecialist audience, while yet retaining the rigorous detail that will be appreciated by scholars in Tibetan studies. The appendices include bibliographic compilations of publications in Tibetan, Chinese, and Western languages, providing a unique resource to those engaged in the study of Tibetan history. The result is a valuable contribution to our understanding of Tibetan history and culture.

About the translators:

Meghan Howard holds an A.B. in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies from Harvard, where she also studied Sanskrit and Modern Chinese. Having studied Tibetan for more than fifteen years, she is an experienced Tibetan interpreter and has traveled extensively in the Tibetan world. Since 2007, she has served as an assistant to H.H. the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang.

Tsultrim Nakchu is a graduate of Drikung Kagyu Institute’s philosophical college. He has served as an assistant professor at Jangchubling, as an editor for Drikung Kagyu Publications, and currently as secretary to H.H. the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang. He is editor of Songtsen Library’s editions of the collected works of Jigten Sumgon and Marpa Lotsawa.