Gungsong Gungtsen (637-655, r.649-655) was a Tsenpo during the

Tibetan Empire The Tibetan Empire (,) was an empire centered on the Tibetan Plateau, formed as a result of expansion under the Yarlung dynasty heralded by its 33rd king, Songtsen Gampo, in the 7th century. It expanded further under the 38th king, Trisong De ...

, and the only known son of

Songtsen Gampo Songtsen Gampo (Classical , pronounced ) (; (601–683 CE, reign 614-648) was the 33rd Tibetan king of the Yarlung dynasty and the founder of the Tibetan Empire. The first of three Dharma Kings of Tibet, he formally introduced Buddhism to Tib ...

, the 33rd king of Tibet.

Early life

Gungtsen was born on 605/617 C.E in

Lhasa Lhasa, officially the Chengguan District of Lhasa City, is the inner urban district of Lhasa (city), Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region, Southwestern China. Lhasa is the second most populous urban area on the Tibetan Plateau after Xining ...

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

during his grandfather

Namri Songtsen Namri Songtsen (), also known as "Namri Löntsen" () (died 618) was according to tradition, the 32nd King of Tibet of the Yarlung dynasty. (Reign: 570 – 618) During his 48 years of reign, he expanded his kingdom to rule the central part of the ...

's reign.

Biography

Gungsong Gungtsen was born to Mangza (or Mongsa) Tricham (), the noble woman from the Mang or Mong clan of Tölung (), a valley to the west of

.Stein, R. A. ''Tibetan Civilization'' 1962. Revised English edition, 1972, Faber & Faber, London. Reprint, 1972. Stanford University Press, p. 63. cloth; pbk. If Gungsong Gungtsen was married and had a son before 641, he was most probably born sometime before 625. He is traditionally said to have been born at a nine-storied palace known as the "Celestial Auspicious Mansion of Draglha", built by Bhrikuti to the south of Lhasa. It is said that a shrine and a stupa were then built by his father on a rocky mountain near

Yerpa Yerpa (also known as Brag Yer-pa, Drak Yerpa, Druk Yerpa, Dagyeba, Dayerpa and Trayerpa) is a monastery and a number of ancient meditation caves that used to house about 300 monks, located a short drive to the east of Lhasa, Tibet. Description Dr ...

which resembled a seated image of Tara. Accounts say that when Gungsong Gungtsen reached the age of thirteen, his father Songtsen Gampo, retired. This corresponds to the period when he learned Tibetan grammar and worked on the Tibetan constitution. Gungsong Gungtsen also married 'A-zha Mang-mo-rje when he was thirteen and they had a son,

Mangsong Mangtsen Mangsong Mangtsen (), Trimang Löntsen or Khri-mang-slon-rtsan (r. 655–676 CE) succeeded to the Tibetan throne either after the death of his father Gungsong Gungtsen, or of his grandfather the 33rd Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo. He became the 35t ...

(r. 650-676 CE). Gungsong Gungtsen would have only ruled for five years when he died at the age of eighteen. His father, Songtsen Gampo, took the throne again. He is said to have been buried at Donkhorda, the site of the royal tombs, to the left of the tomb of his grandfather

(gNam-ri Srong-btsan). The dates for these events are unclear.Gyaltsen, Sakyapa Sonam (1312-1375). ''The Clear Mirror: A Traditional Account of Tibet's Golden Age'', p. 192. Translated by McComas Taylor and Lama Choedak Yuthob. (1996) Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, New York. . Written records of the actual enthronement ceremony of Gungsong Gungtsen are said to be scant.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gungtsen, Gungsrong 7th-century Tibetan people Emperors of Tibet 7th-century births 7th-century deaths