Bhrikuti Devi (), known to Tibetans as ', Bhelsa Tritsun ("Besa"[Dowman, Keith. (1988) The Power-places of Central Tibet: The Pilgrim's Guide, p. 16. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London and New York. .] Nepal )[Tenzin, Ahcarya Kirti Tulku Lobsang. "Early Relations between Tibbet and Nepal (7th to 8th Centuries)." Translated by K. Dhondup. The Tibet Journal, Vol. VII, Nos. 1 &2. Spring/Summer 1982, p. 84.][Josayma, C.B. , The Tibet Journal, Vol. XVIII, No. 1. Spring 1993, p. 27.] or simply ' (), was a princess of the Licchavi kingdom in Nepal. In c.622[Dr Poonam Rana, "Role of Bhrikuti (Bhelsa Tritsun) in spread of Buddhism", Sirjana Journal, p.208-115.] Bhrikuti became the first wife and queen of the king of Tibet, Songtsen Gampo (601–683 CE, reign 614-648)[Tsepon W D Shakabha, An Advanced Political History of Tibet. Boston: Brill, 2010.] Bhrikuti was seen as an incarnation of Green Tara,[ Ancient Tibet: Research materials from the Yeshe De Project, p. 202 (1986). Dharma Publishing, Berkeley, California. .][ together with the Jowo Mikyo Dorje statue for which the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa was built.][
]
Life
Even though the historicity of Bhrikuti Devi is not certain, and no reference to her has been found among the documents discovered at Dunhuang, "there are increasing indications supporting this hypothesis."[Pasang Wandu and Hildegard Diemberger. dBa' bzhed: The Royal Narrative concerning the bringing of the Buddha's Doctrine to Tibet, p. 26, n. 15. (2000). Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wein. .] There were certainly very close relationships between Tibet and Nepal at this period and, "Such a mythological interpretation discredits in no way the historical likelihood of such a marriage...."[Snellgrove, David. 1987. Indo-Tibetan Buddhism: Indian Buddhists and Their Tibetan Successors. 2 Vols. Shambhala, Boston, Vol. II, pp. 416–417.]
Many Tibetan accounts make Bhrikuti the daughter of Amshuvarma (605–621 CE), co-ruler and successor of Śivadeva I. If this is correct, the marriage to Songtsen Gampo must have taken place sometime before 624 CE.[ Ancient Tibet: Research materials from the Yeshe De Project, p. 225 (1986). Dharma Publishing, Berkeley, California. .] Acharya Kirti Tulku Lobsang Tenzin, however, states that Songstän Gampo married Bhrkuti Devi, the daughter of king "Angsu Varma" or Amshuvarma (Tib: Waser Gocha) of Nepal in 632.[Tenzin, Ahcarya Kirti Tulku Lobsang. "Early Relations between Tibbet and Nepal (7th to 8th Centuries)." Translated by K. Dhondup. The Tibet Journal, Vol. VII, Nos. 1 &2. Spring/Summer 1982, p. 85.]
According to some Tibetan legends, however, a Nepali king named Go Cha (identified by Sylvain Lévi as "Udayavarman", from the literal meaning of the Tibetan name) was said to have a daughter called Bri-btumn or Bhṛkuti.[Shaha, Rishikesh. Ancient and Medieval Nepal. (1992), p. 18. Manohar Publications, New Delhi. .]
"Udayavarman" was most likely the same king we know as Udayadeva, the son of Śivadeva I and later, the adopted son and heir to Aṃshuvarmā. He was also thought to be the father of Narendradeva (Tib: Miwang-Lha).[Shaha, Rishikesh. Ancient and Medieval Nepal. (1992), p. 17. Manohar Publications, New Delhi. .] If this is accepted, it means that Narendradeva and Bhrikuti Devi were brother and sister.
We do have some fairly detailed historical accounts of Narendradeva. The (Jiu) Tangshu, or Old Book of Tang, records that when the king of Nepal,[Pelliot, Paul. Histoire Ancienne du Tibet. Paris. Libraire d'amérique et d'orient. 1961, p. 12.] the father of Licchavi king Naling Deva (or Narendradeva), died, an uncle (Yu.sna kug.ti = Vishnagupta) usurped the throne.[Vitali, Roberto. 1990. Early Temples of Central Tibet. Serindia Publications, London, p. 71. ] "The Tibetans gave him Narendradeva refuge and reestablished him on his throne in; that is how he became subject to Tibet."[Snellgrove, David. 1987. Indo-Tibetan Buddhism: Indian Buddhists and Their Tibetan Successors. 2 Vols. Shambhala, Boston, Vol. II, p. 372.][Chavannes, Édouard. Documents sur les Tou-kiue (Turcs) occidentaux. 1900. Paris, Librairie d’Amérique et d’Orient. Reprint: Taipei. Cheng Wen Publishing Co. 1969, p. 186.][Bushell, S. W. "The Early History of Tibet. From Chinese Sources." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. XII, 1880, pp. 529, n. 31.]
It is not known exactly when Bhrikuti married Songtsen Gampo, but it was presumably about the time that Narendradeva fled to Tibet (c. 621 CE), following Dhruvadeva's take-over of the throne (who, according to an inscription dated in 623, was ruling jointly with Jiṣṇugupta.)[Shaha, Rishikesh. Ancient and Medieval Nepal. (1992), p. 16. Manohar Publications, New Delhi. .]
Bhrikuti in Tibet
This is considered to be the oldest copy of the famous traditional history, the dBa' bzhed, states:
- "Then during the reign of bTsan po Khri Srong btsan, after his marriage with , the daughter of the king of Nepal, the temple ( gtsug lag khang) of Ra sa Lhasa Pe har gling was built. Furthermore, the construction of the forty-two temples of the Ru bzhi was requested and the Brag lha temple was built. 'Thon mi gSam po ra was sent by royal order to in order to get the Indian doctrine and the model of the alphabet ( yi ge'i dpe). . . ."
[Pasang Wandu and Hildegard Diemberger. (2000) dBa' bzhed: The Royal Narrative concerning the bringing of the Buddha's Doctrine to Tibet, pp. 25–26, n. 15. Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wein. .]
Bhrikuti was a devout Buddhist as was her father, and she brought many sacred buddhist images along with expert Newar people craftsmen to Tibet as part of her dowry.
Songtsen Gampo and Bhrikuti built the great temple, the Tsulag Khang (or 'House of Wisdom') to house the images, which is now known as the Jokhang Temple ('House of the Lord') in the heart of Lhasa,[Norbu, Thubten Jigme and Turnbull, Colin. Tibet: Its History Religion and People, p. 143. (1968). Chatto & Windus. Reprint: (1987) Penguin Books, England.] and is considered to be the most sacred temple in Tibet. Her statue of Jowo Mikyo Dorje was then housed in the Jokhang. They also built the red palace of dMar-po-ri which shifted the ancient seat of government in the Yarlung Valley at Yumbulakhang to the site of modern Lhasa.[ Ancient Tibet: Research materials from the Yeshe De Project, p. 204 (1986). Dharma Publishing, Berkeley, California. .] The Red Palace, or Red Fort (Mar-po-ri Pho-drang) on Marpo Ri (Red Mountain) in Lhasa that was later rebuilt into the thirteen storey Potala by the Fifth Dalai Lama, was originally constructed by Nepali craftsmen. She also had constructed the Tub-wang and other statues in Samye and the famous Nepali artist Thro-wo carved the revered statue of Chenresig, Thungji Chen-po rang-jung nga-ldan.[Tenzin, Acharya Kirti Tulku Lobsang. "Early Relations between Tibbet and Nepal (7th to 8th Centuries)." Translated by K. Dhondup. The Tibet Journal, Vol. VII, Nos. 1 &2. Spring/Summer 1982, pp. 85–86.][Josayma, C.B. "Gsaya Belsa: An Introduction". The Tibet Journal. Volume XVIII. No. 1 Spring 1993, pp. 27–28.]
The famous statue Bhrikuti brought is called the Jowo Mikyo Dorje, which came originally from Bodhgaya and, according to the 8th Dalai Lama, the statue rested in Swayambhunath for seven months before being brought into Tibet.[ Nekhor, "Padmasambhava, Nepal, Swayambhu",
https://www.nekhor.org/padmasambhava/nepal/swayambhu, When Songtsen Gampo married the Newar princess Bhrikuti, she brought with her the famous Jowo Mikyö Dorje statue, a representation of Buddha Akshobhya, which had previously been in Bodhgaya. According to the 8th Dalai Lama, Jampal Gyatso (1758–1804), this statue remained for seven months at Kimdol Bihar, on its journey from Bodhgaya to Tibet.] This statue is also called the Manuvajra, the Ramoche Jowo, or Jowo Chungpa. It is currently housed in the Ramoche Temple in Lhasa.
Through history, the Jokhang temple had been sacked at least two times – first during the Mongol invasions and later it was gutted in the 1960s during the Chinese invasion and Cultural Revolution. It is said that the lower half of the statue was found in a Lhasa rubbish dump and the upper part found in Beijing. The parts have since been joined and the statue is surrounded by the Eight [Dowman, Keith. (1988) The Power-places of Central Tibet: The Pilgrim's Guide, p. 59. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London and New York. .] and located at Ramoche.
Bhrikuti is usually represented as Green Tara in Tibetan iconography. Songtsen Gampo also married the Chinese Princess Wencheng in 641, who is considered to be another incarnation of Tara, of White Tara. As queens, Bhrikuti and Wencheng are said to have worked together to establish temples and Buddhism in Tibet.
See also
Further reading
-
Richardson, Hugh E. (1997). "Mun Sheng Kong Co and Kim Sheng Kong Co: Two Chinese Princesses in Tibet." The Tibet Journal. Vol. XXII, No. 1. Spring 1997, pp. 3–11.
-
Richardson, Hugh E. (1965). "How Old was Srong Brtsan Sgampo" Bulletin of Tibetology 2.1. pp 5–8.
