Early History of Tibet

Tibet was first united in 127 BCE by Nyatri Tsenpo, the first of 41 kings of the Yarlung dynasty. During this period, Tibet was a major power in Asia and its borders extended well into modern regions of Nepal, China, and India. At one point Tibetan warriors even invaded the Chinese capital.

Buddhism was first introduced into Tibet when King Songtsen Gampo (617-649 CE) married a Nepalese and a Chinese princess, who brought to Tibet images and statues of the Buddha. King Trisong Detsen (742-797 CE) was regarded as the first great Buddhist King in Tibet, for it was he who invited the Indian Tantric guru Padmasambhava to Tibet to help set up Samye, the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet, and to help "quell the Bon demons". Bon, the indigenous religion of Tibet, could be described as animistic and shamanic and was a strong competing force against Buddhism in Tibet.

Following King Detsen's death, Bon regained authority at various points and Buddhism was persecuted, while at other times Bonpo (followers of Bon) were also persecuted. This finally ended in 842 when the Bon king Lang Dharma was assassinated by a Buddhist monk and the Yarlung Dynasty came to an end.

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