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Thonmi Sambhota (Thönmi Sambhoṭa, aka Tonmi Sambhodha;, Tib. , Wyl. thon mi sam+b+ho Ta; b. seventh cent.) is traditionally regarded as the inventor of the
Tibetan script The Tibetan script is a segmental writing system ('' abugida'') of Indic origin used to write certain Tibetic languages, including Tibetan, Dzongkha, Sikkimese, Ladakhi, Jirel and Balti. It has also been used for some non-Tibetic langua ...
and author of the ''Sum cu pa'' and ''Rtags kyi 'jug pa'' in the 7th century AD. Thonmi Sambhota is not mentioned in any of the '' Old Tibetan Annals'' or other ancient texts, although the ''Annals'' does mention writing shortly after 650. The two treaties attributed to him must postdate the 13th century. :"According to Tibetan tradition, Songtsen Gampo sent a young man of the Thönmi or Thumi clan, Sambhoṭa son of Anu (or Drithorek Anu) to India in 632 with other youths, to learn the alphabet. The pattern chosen was the script of Kashmir. At all events, the ancient annals of Tun-huang record against the year 655 that 'the text of the laws was written'. It is staggering to realize that, in a couple of decades, not only was the Tibetan alphabet invented, but the script had been adapted to the Tibetan language by a highly complicated orthography, and used for the writing of documents. Thönmi is also said to have composed, no doubt later on, a very learned grammar on the Indian pattern." Of the students sent to India, Thonmi Sambhota, said to have been the fourth of seven wise ministers of the emperor Songtsen Gampo, was the only one to return to Tibet. It seems that the Tibetan script he devised, in what is believed to be Pabonka Hermitage was based on the
Brahmi Brahmi (; ; ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system of ancient South Asia. "Until the late nineteenth century, the script of the Aśokan (non-Kharosthi) inscriptions and its immediate derivatives was referred to by various names such as 'lath' ...
and
Gupta script The Gupta script (sometimes referred to as Gupta Brahmi script or Late Brahmi script)Sharma, Ram. '' 'Brahmi Script' ''. Delhi: BR Publishing Corp, 2002 was used for writing Sanskrit and is associated with the Gupta Empire of the Indian subcon ...
s which had been in use in India since c. 350 CE. King Songtsen Gampo is said to have retired for four years to master the new script and grammar and then made many translations including twenty Avalokitesvara texts. Other translators quickly added to the corpus of
Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
translations. The "Six Codices of the Tibetan constitution" were drawn up and court records, genealogies, legends and poetry were preserved in writing.''Ancient Tibet: Research Materials from the Yeshe De Project'', pp. 192-193. 1986. Dharma Publishing, Berkeley, California. .


Footnotes


Further reading

* ''The Clear Mirror: A Traditional Account of Tibet's Golden Age''. Sakyapa Sonam Gyaltsen, translated by McComas Taylor and Lama Choedak Yuthok. 1996. Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, New York. . "Chapter 10: Minister Tonmi brings the alphabet from India, and King Songsten Gampo creates the Laws of the Ten Virtues", pp. 99–110. * ''Sacred Scripts: A Meditative Journey Through Tibetan Calligraphy''. Authors - Tashi Mannox & Robin Kyte-coles, endorsed by H.H Dalai Lama. 2016. Mandala Publications, San Rafael, CA. . "A brief history of the Tibetan Writing Systems: King Songsten Gampo turned to Minister Thönmi Sambhoṭa to renovate the Tibetan writing systems and grammar", pp. 3–12.


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thonmi Sambhota 7th-century Tibetan people Creators of writing systems History of Tibet People whose existence is disputed Tibetan script