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'Zhang Zhung ' (;
Tang Chinese: 羊同 Yangtong) or Xiangxiong was an ancient culture of western and northwestern
Tibet, which pre-dates the culture of
Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet. Zhang Zhung culture is associated with the
Bön religion, which in turn, has influenced the philosophies and practices of
Tibetan Buddhism. Also known as the 'Shang Shung', the Zhang Zhung are mentioned frequently in ancient Tibetan texts as the original rulers of central and western Tibet. Only in the last two decades have archaeologists been given access to do archaeological work in the areas controlled by the Zhang Zhung.
Recently, a tentative match has been proposed between the Zhang Zhung and an
Iron Age culture now being uncovered on the Chang Tang plateau of northwestern Tibet.
Extent of the Zhang Zhung kingdoms
According to ''
Annals of Lake Manasarowar'', at one point the Zhang Zhung civilization was comprised of 18 kingdoms in the west and northwest portion of Tibet. The Zhang Zhung culture was centered around sacred
Mount Kailash and extended west to
Sarmatians and present-day
Ladakh &
Baltistan, southwest to
Jalandhar, south to the
kingdom of Mustang in
Nepal, east to include central
Tibet, and north across the vast Chang Tang plateau and the
Taklamakan Desert to
Shanshan. Thus the Zhang Zhung culture controlled the major portion of the "roof of the world".
The Zhang Zhung capital city was said to be
Khyunglung (Khyunglung Ngülkhar), the "Silver Palace of
Garuda Valley", southwest of
Mount Kailash, which is identified with palaces found in the lower
Sutlej Valley, in the ancient
Kinnaur District of
Himachal Pradesh,
India.
The Zhang Zhung built a towering fort,
Chugtso Dropo, on the shores of sacred
Lake Dangra, from which they exerted military power over the surrounding district in central Tibet.
The fact that the some of the ancient texts describing the Zhang Zhung kingdom also claimed the
Sutlej valley was
Shambhala, the land of happiness (from which
James Hilton possibly derived the name "
Shangri La"), may have delayed their study by Western scholars.
History of the Zhang Zhung
Paleolithic findings
Pollen and
tree ring analysis indicates the Chang Tang plateau was a much more liveable environment until becoming drier and colder starting around
1500 BC. One theory is that the civilization established itself on the plateau when conditions where less harsh, then managed to persist against gradually worsening climatic conditions until finally expiring around
1000 CE (the area is now used only by wandering
nomads). This timeframe also corresponds to the rise of the Tibetan kingdoms in the southern valleys which may also have contributed to the decline of the plateau culture.
Iron Age culture of the Chang Tang — the Zhang Zhung?
Recent archeological work on the
Chang Tang plateau finds evidence of an Iron Age culture which some have tentatively identified as the Zhang Zhung. This culture is notable for the following characteristics:
★ a system of hilltop stone
forts or citadels, likely used as a defense against the
steppe tribes of
Central Asia, such as the
Scythians
★ burial complexes which use vertical tombstones, occasionally in large arrays, and including up to 10,000 graves in one location
★ stone temples located in the mountains adjacent to the plains, characterized by windowless rooms, corbelled stone roofs, and round walls
★ evidence of a stratified social structure, as indicated by royal or princely tombs
★
petroglyphs which shows the culture was a warrior
horse culture
These characteristics more closely match the Iron age cultures of
Europe and the Asian steppes than those of India or
East Asia, suggesting a cultural influence which arrived from the west or north rather than the east or south.
Defeat of the Zhang Zhung in 644 CE
In
644 CE the Zhang Zhung were defeated by
Songtsen Gampo, the 33rd King of Tibet, in a battle near
Lake Dangra. The Tibetan king and the Zhang Zhung king had married each other's sisters in a political alliance. However the Tibetan wife of the king of the Zhang Zhung complained of poor treatment by the king's principal wife. War ensued and the Zhang Zhung were decisively defeated and Tibet unified for the first time. However their
Bön traditions were absorbed into the greater
Tibetan culture and would become some distinctive elements of
Tibetan Buddhism.
Revolt of Zhang Zhung in 677 CE
Zhang Zhung revolted after the death of King Trimang Löntsän (Khri-mang-slon-rtsan, r. 650-677), the son of
Songtsän Gampo, but was brought back under Tibetan control by the "firm governance of the great leaders of the Mgar clan".
[1]
The Zhang Zhung language
A handful of Zhang Zhung texts and 11th century bilingual Tibetan documents attest to an Zhang Zhung language which was related to
Old Tibetan, although it included words of
Kinnaur origin. The exact relation to Old Tibetan is subject to dispute. The
Bönpo claim that the Tibetan writing system is derived from the Zhang Zhung alphabet, while modern scholars consider the question open. Given the rarity of text samples, another possible explanation is that the 11th century Bönpo, struggling for legitimacy as
Kadampa and
Nyingmapa sought to marginalize Bön, resorted to creating an artificial ancient writing system.
Modern-day Zhang Zhung speakers
A language called
Zhang Zhung is still spoken by approximately 2,000 native speakers in the
Sutlej Valley of Himachal Pradesh
[1]. It is not clear if this language, of the Himalayish family of the
Tibeto-Burman family, derives from the language spoken by the Zhang Zhung, or if they are the descendants of the Zhang Zhung as claimed, although this is quite plausible.
Zhang Zhung culture's influence in India
It is noteworthy that the Bönpo tradition was founded by a
buddha like figure named
Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche[2], whose teachings are similar in scope to the teaching espoused by the historical
Buddha. Bönpos claim that Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche lived some 18,000 years ago, and visited Tibet from the land of
Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring, or
Shambhala. Bönpos also suggest that during this time Lord Shenrab Miwoche's teaching permeated the entire subcontinent and was in part responsible for the development the Vedic religion. An example of this link is that
Mount Kailash, as the center of Zhang Zhung culture, is also the most sacred mountain to Hindus. In turn, Buddhism evolved from the spiritual teachings of the Vedic religion. As a result, the Bönpos claim that the much later teaching at least indirectly owes its origin to Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche.
See also
★
Zhang Zhung Meri
★
History of Tibet
★
Guge
References
★ Allen, Charles. (1999) ''The Search for Shangri-La: A Journey into Tibetan History''. Little, Brown and Company. Reprint: 2000 Abacus Books, London. ISBN 0-349-111421.
★ Hummel, Seigbert. (2000). ''On Zhang-zhung''. Edited and translated by Guido Vogliotti. Library of Tibetan Works and Archives. Dharamsala, H.P., India. ISBN: 81-86470-24-7.
★ Stein, R. A. (1961). ''Les tribus anciennes des marches Sino-Tibétaines: légends, classifications et histoire''. Presses Universitaires de France, Paris. (In French)
External links
★
website of John Bellezza, an archeologist researching the Zhang Zhung
★
Berzin archive article on Bon and the Zhang Zhung
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