Mangyül Gungthang (), ) alternatively known as Ngari Me (Lower Ngari) is the name of a Tibetan kingdom established under
Sakya
The ''Sakya'' (, 'pale earth') school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug. It is one of the Red Hat Orders along with the Nyingma and Kagyu.
Origins
Virūpa, 16th century. It depic ...
overlordship in
Southwest Tibet around 1265. Historically it lies in an area that was an important transit point between the north and south Himalayas, and it was through this route that
Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava ("Born from a Lotus"), also known as Guru Rinpoche (Precious Guru) and the Lotus from Oḍḍiyāna, was a tantric Buddhist Vajra master from India who may have taught Vajrayana in Tibet (circa 8th – 9th centuries)... According ...
and
Śāntarakṣita
(Sanskrit; , 725–788),stanford.eduŚāntarakṣita (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)/ref> whose name translates into English as "protected by the One who is at peace" was an important and influential Indian Buddhist philosopher, particul ...
arrived in Tibet. It was founded by a descendant of the Tibetan royal house, Bumdegon (1253–1280) It was one of the thirteen myriarchies (''khri skor bcu gsum'') ruled by a Sakya lama viceroy appointed by the
Yuan court of China.
Chökyi Drönma
Chökyi Drönma (1422-1455) was a Tibetan princess and Buddhist leader. She was the main consort of Thang Tong Gyalpo, who recognized her as an emanation of Machig Labdrön through the lineage of Vajravārāhī and appointed her as the first Sam ...
, the eldest daughter of Thri Lhawang Gyaltsen (1404–1464) and the first
Samding Dorje Phagmo
The Samding Dorje Phagmo () is the highest female incarnation in Tibet''The Power-places of Central Tibet: The Pilgrim's Guide'', (1988) p. 268. Keith Dowman. . and the third highest-ranking person in the hierarchy after the Dalai Lama and the Pa ...
– the third highest-ranking person in the Tibetan hierarchy – hailed from the district.
The kings of Gungthang were subject to a variety of
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
n overlords down to 1620, when their kingdom was destroyed by the King of
Tsang.
The capital of the kingdom was the fortified citadel of
Dzongkar "White Fortress". After the discovery of gold in Western Tibet, it became an important link in the network of trans-Himalayan trade.
[Hildegard Diemberger, ''When a woman becomes a religious dynasty,'' pp34,38.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mangyul Gungthang
Tibetan kings