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59-522: Founder Changchub Gyaltsen came from the monastic principality Phagmodru ("sow's ferry crossing"), which was founded as a hermitage in 1158 by the famous Kagyu scholar Phagmo Drupa Dorje Gyalpo . It was situated in the Nêdong district southeast of Lhasa . Some time after the death of the founder in 1170, some of his disciples met and organized a true monastery , called Dansa Thil  [ de ] (Wylie: gdan sa mthil , 1198). Phagmodru evolved into

118-455: A Nyingmapa monk of the powerful noble family of the Tsang , who became the first Sakya Trizin . The "southern monastery" was founded under the orders of Drogön Chögyal Phagpa in 1268, across a river from the earlier structures. 130,000 workers were reportedly drafted for its construction. Its powerful abbots governed Tibet during the 13th and the 14th centuries under the overlordship of

177-454: A conference in Sakya in 1358 to settle the affairs of Central Tibet. Although the results of the meeting were not quite satisfactory he left a garrison in Sakya. Forces from Lhatse under the ex- ponchen Wangtson created trouble but were quickly defeated by the Sakya and Phagmodru troops, Wangtson was imprisoned and 464 of his men were blinded. By this ruthless victory the power of the new regime

236-541: A consort in 1974 and had two sons who have since assumed and are currently assuming responsibility as the 42nd and 43rd Sakya Trizins , respectively. The Sakya Monastery, or Sakya Centre as it is most commonly known, currently has as its Director Ven. Sonam Chogyal and functions under the guidance of Kyabgon Sakya Gongma Trichen Rinpoche and is generally overseen by the 42nd Sakya Trizin Ratna Vajra Rinpoche , who continues to work on improving and strengthening

295-628: A dangerous enemy of the Ming Dynasty in its Inner Asian policy. The amount of information on these relations available in Chinese and Tibetan sources reflects the fact that at any time it did not represent a priority either for the Chinese or the Tibetan side. In relations with China Tibet was only one of numerous peripheral regions". The first rulers were lamas who did not marry, and the succession up to 1481 went via collateral kinsmen. The dynasty

354-512: A division of society in nine classes. In the field of fiscal administration, he revised the revenue system so that one sixth of the produce was yielded as tax. Changchub Gyaltsen was a prominent religious patron. He ordered many copies of the Kangyur (Buddha's words in translation) to be made. He entertained good relations with well-known religious scholars such as Buton Rinchen Drub , Gyelse Thokme and Lama Dampa Sonam Gyaltsen. During his time

413-571: A large and wealthy estate around the monastery, which was governed by members of the Lang family. They maintained a variant of the Dagpo Kagyu school of Buddhism known as the Phagdru Kagyu . When Mongol rule was imposed on Tibet in the mid-13th century, Phagmodru became an appanage under Hülegü Khan (d. 1266), forming one of the thirteen myriarchies (divisions) of Central Tibet. Towards

472-499: A law-giver, politician and religious patron, he created a heritage that lasted centuries. Tai Situ is the Tibetan transcription of the term Da Situ (大司徒) from Chinese, meaning great Situ , referring to an office-holder or administrator. He was also sometimes called 松秋堅贊 in Chinese. The Phagmodru hermitage, situated on the northern bank of the Tsangpo River , was founded by Phagmo Drupa Dorje Gyalpo (1110–1170) who initiated

531-762: A monk. Although the rulers always belonged to the Lang Family, the first five incumbents were clerics who did not marry. The dignity of desi was therefore inherited by nephews, brothers or cousins. The subsequent undisputed rule of the Phagmodrupa lineage lasted until 1435. From 1435 to 1481 the power of the Phagmodrupa declined as they were eclipsed by the Rinpungpa , who patronized the Karma Kagyu school. They were followed by four generations of Tsangpa kings who ruled from 1565 to 1642, until Lobsang Gyatso ,

590-473: A number of dzong (castles) such as Chaktse Drigu, Olkha Taktse , Gongkar , Nêdong , Drakkar, Rinpung , Samdruptse , Panam, and Lhundruptse . He took care to establish guard-posts in the border regions, in particular at the Chinese frontier. Tai Situ Changchub Gyaltsen died in 1364 and was succeeded by his nephew Jamyang Shakya Gyaltsen ( Tibetan : འཇམ་དབྱངས་ཤ་ཀྱ་རྒྱལ་མཚན , Wylie : ' jam dbyangs sha kya rgyal mtshan , Chinese: 章陽沙加監藏; 1340–1373), also

649-524: A number of prefectures (都司) and counties (寨) in Central Tibet. A Chinese I military commissioner was appointed in Hezhou close to the border in 1374. The emperor bestowed on him general governing authority over Do-Kham ( Eastern Tibet ) and Ü-Tsang (Central Tibet). However, there is no trace of this office in the Tibetan chronicles or documents. Tibetan sources show that the titles and seals sent by

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708-491: A number of putative ancient religious works, the Kathang Denga , were "rediscovered"; they extol the ancient Tibetan kings and the first arrival of Buddhism. Changchub Gyaltsen also earned fame as builder. In 1351 or 1352 he founded the great monastery of Tsetang with a college for debates on logic. He also gave subsidies to the meditation college of Thel and had a worship hall built. Of worldly constructions, he founded

767-582: A number of scrolls from the original Sakya Monastery in Tibet by smuggled them to India. The Sakya Trizin and his followers have established several institutions in and around the Dehradun area, including a charitable hospital, a monastic college, and a nunnery. Being an ancient hereditary lineage, the elder sons of the Sakya school typically married in order to maintain the family line. The 41st Sakya Trizin , now known as Kyabgon Sakya Gongma Trichen, had also taken

826-490: A sub-sect of the Kagyu school of Buddhism . After his death a monastery called Thel arose at the place in the late 12th century. It is presently in ruins. The monastery was ruled by members of the noble Lang Family whose pedigree went back to ancient times. During the Sakya period, when regents called ponchen ( dpon-chen ) ruled Tibet under Mongol ( Yuan ) overlordship, Central Tibet was divided into thirteen myriarchies. One

885-594: Is a Buddhist monastery situated in Sa'gya Town (ས་སྐྱ་), Sa'gya County , about 127 kilometres (79 mi) west of Shigatse in the Tibet Autonomous Region . The monastery is considered as the seat of the Sakya (or Sakyapa) school of Tibetan Buddhism . Sakya Monastery was founded in 1073, by Khön Könchok Gyalpo ( Tibetan : དཀོན་མཆོག་རྒྱལ་པོ། , Wylie : dkon mchog rgyal po ; 1034–1102), originally

944-485: Is the Lhakang Chempo or Sibgon Trulpa. Originally a cave in the mountainside, it was built in 1268 by dpon-chen Sakya Sangpo and restored in the 16th century. It contains some of the most magnificent surviving artwork in all of Tibet, which appears not to have been damaged in recent times. The Gompa grounds cover more than 18,000 square meters, while the huge main hall covers some 6,000 square meters. After

1003-550: The 10 March 1959 Lhasa uprising to protect the 14th Dalai Lama from the Communist Chinese People's Liberation Army , the majority of Sakya Monastery's monks were forced to leave. As Namkhai Norbu states in his book, "previously there were about five hundred monks in the Great Sakya Monastery, but by the end of 1959 only 36 aged monks remained." The northern monastery was destroyed during

1062-583: The 5th Dalai Lama (1617–1682), took control of Tibet and established the Ganden Phodrang regime with the support of Güshi Khan (1582–1655), a Mongol ruler of Kokonor and founder of the Khoshut Khanate . Sakya Monastery Samding Dorje Phagmo Sakya Monastery ( Tibetan : ས་སྐྱ་དགོན་པ། , Wylie : sa skya dgon pa ), also known as Pel Sakya ( Tibetan : དཔལ་ས་སྐྱ། , Wylie : dpal sa skya ; "White Earth" or "Pale Earth"),

1121-569: The Cultural Revolution , while the southern half escaped from destruction. The monastery was renovated and rebuilt in 2002. Das Sharat Chandra writes: As to the great library of Sakya, it is on shelves along the walls of the great hall of the Lhakhang chen-po. There are preserved here many volumes written in gold letters; the pages are six feet long by eighteen inches in breadth. In the margin of each page are illuminations, and

1180-618: The Fifth Dalai Lama and Sangye Gyatso , and then remained in effect until the invasion of Tibet by Maoist China. The dynasty in the first place wielded power over Central Tibet ( Ü and Tsang ). After 1373 the rulers periodically dispatched formal tributes to the emperors of the Ming dynasty in China, and received from them the title Chanhuawang (Chinese: 闡化王, prince who expounds Buddhism ) in 1406. The Ming court formally established

1239-579: The Karmapa sect of Buddhism while the Phagmodrupa often (but not exclusively) favoured the rival Gelug sect. In the political landscape at this period it was important for rulers to find alliances with powerful monasteries and sects. Kunga Lekpa's grandnephew Ngawang Tashi Drakpa (r. 1499–1554, 1556/57–1564) managed to push back the Rinpungpa from the Lhasa area in 1517–18. He was the last effective king of

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1298-660: The Chinese authorities were valued by the Phagmodrupa as adding to their prestige, but that no ordinances, taxes or laws were imposed by the Ming. The emperor clearly preferred to issue formal appointments of Tibetans as rulers rather than to try to send officials or military commanders. Only essential matters, for instance the ownership of Sakya Monastery , were to be judged by the emperor. Overall, as argued by Martin Slobodník, "the Phag-mo-gru did not represent an important ally or

1357-530: The Mongol Yuan dynasty after the downfall of the Tibetan Empire , until they were eclipsed by the rise of the new Kagyu and Gelug schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Most of the southern monastery was burned down in the 16th century. It was only restored to its previous size in 1948. Its architecture is quite different from that of temples in Lhasa and Yarlung . The only surviving ancient building

1416-420: The Sakya administration only governed its core land. As a consequence most of Tsang (West Central Tibet) came under the authority of Changchub Gyaltsen's regime, the Phagmodrupa. Seals of investiture to the various feudal lords were only given with the approval of Changchub Gyaltsen. In Tibetan historiography 1354 is usually singled out as the year when the Phagmodrupa gained power in Central Tibet; however it

1475-695: The Sakyapa, went into exile in India in 1959 following the Chinese invasion of Tibet. He has lived in Dehra Dun , in the foothills of the Western Himalayas, where the Sakya Monastery was reestablished. He has been there with a number of senior monks and scholars, who also escaped from Tibet, joining the new Monastery and providing continuity to Sakya traditions. These monks and scholars saved

1534-460: The Tsangpa in 1613 and again in 1620, and the final incumbent was expelled from Lhasa in 1635. After his victory over the Tsangpa in 1642, the Fifth Dalai Lama entertained friendly relations with the last titular lord of the line. Some years after the latter's death in 1671, Nêdong was however given to an outsider and the Lang family lapsed into obscurity. In spite of its inglorious later history,

1593-415: The ambitious Wangtson. He therefore made an alliance with Changchub Gyaltsen who was allowed back to his estate. Shortly after, Wangtson took charge of the governance of Central Tibet and gathered Tibetan and Mongol soldiers to attack Phagmodru. Though outnumbered, the troops of Changchub Gyaltsen repelled the Sakya attacks and began to occupy disputed neighboring areas. In 1349 most of Ü (East Central Tibet)

1652-517: The dynasty has a good reputation in traditional historiography. A history translated by Sarat Chandra Das in 1905 says: "During the reign of the Phag[mo]du dynasty all Tibet enjoyed peace and prosperity. People became rich in money and cattle. The country enjoyed immunity from famine and murrain, and was not harassed by foreign invasion. Although some petty fights and quarrels with some of the disaffected and rapacious ministers now and then disturbed

1711-474: The dynasty, keeping good relations with the Second and Third Dalai Lamas , but his influence was mainly restricted to Ü . As he grew old, new infighting beset the family, and his death in 1564 was followed by a long interregnum. Eventually his grandson Ngawang Drakpa Gyaltsen was placed on the increasingly hollow throne in 1576. Though largely powerless, he maintained some importance as a focal point around whom

1770-571: The end of the 13th century the myriarchy fell on hard times and lost territory. Its fortunes were revived by Changchub Gyaltsen, who became lord of the fief in 1322. He managed to defeat various local opponents at a time when the Yuan dynasty, overlord of Tibet, was on the decline. The Sakya regime, centered in Tsang (West Central Tibet) had hitherto wielded power over Tibet on behalf of the Mongols. However, Tai Situ Changchub Gyaltsen superseded Sakya in

1829-460: The first century of the dynasty were as follows: At length the Phagmodrupa were crippled by internal dissent in the Lang family. A brief civil war in 1434 weakened their position. Powerful feudatories took the opportunity to increase their power, in particular the Rinpungpa family who came to dominate Tsang. In 1481 one of their line, Donyo Dorje , managed to have the king Kunga Lekpa (r. 1448–1481) deposed. The Rinpungpa tended to associate with

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1888-532: The first four volumes have in them pictures of the thousand Buddhas. These books are bound in iron. They were prepared under orders of the Emperor Kublai Khan , and presented to the Phagpa lama on his second visit to Beijing. There is also preserved in this temple a conch shell with whorls turning from left to right [in Tibetan, Ya chyü dungkar ], a present from Kublai to Phagpa. It is only blown by

1947-486: The fortunes of Phagmodru. The estate of Yazang was a bone of contention as it had previously slipped away from Phagmodru rule. The ambition to regain Yazang irritated the Sakya regime, which resorted to trickery. A Sakya official called Wangtson captured Changchub Gyaltsen at a banquet in 1336 and demanded that he cede the lordship of Phagmudru to a spurious "cousin". The prisoner refused to yield in spite of harsh treatment and

2006-562: The glories of the ancient Tibetan kingdom, and many supposedly ancient texts were "rediscovered" by learned clerics. The monasteries gained increasing influence on the life of the Tibetans. This period included the work of the Buddhist reformer Je Tsongkhapa , founder of the Gelug sect, and that of his younger kinsman Gedun Drub , posthumously counted as the first Dalai Lama . The rulers in

2065-709: The heaviest in the world. The collection also includes many volumes of palm-leaf manuscripts , which are well-preserved due to the region's arid climate. In 2003, the library was examined by the Tibetan Academy of Social Sciences . The monastery started to digitize the library in 2011. As of 2022 , all books have been indexed, and more than 20% have been fully digitized. Monks now maintain a digital library for all scanned books and documents. More than 3,000 murals in Sakya Monastery depict religious, historical and cultural themes, including valuable records of historical scenes such as Phagpa 's meeting with Kublai Khan and

2124-521: The lamas when the request is accompanied by a present of seven ounces of silver; but to blow it, or have it blown, is held to be an act of great merit." Sakya Monastery houses a huge library of as many as 84,000 books on traditional stacks 60 metres (200 ft) long and 10 metres (33 ft) high. Most of them are Buddhist scriptures, although they also include works of literature, history, philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, agriculture, and art. One scripture weighs more than 500 kilograms (1,100 lb),

2183-550: The lord of Phagmodru, was deposed due to incompetence. Changchub Gyaltsen was appointed to the post, receiving a seal with a tiger's head by the great khan Sidibala . The new tripon extended the Nêdong palace and surrounded it with a big wall. A bridge was constructed over the nearby Sham River. The tripon took care to rule according to Buddhist principles and enjoined his retainers to avoid alcohol and afternoon meals. He surrounded himself with young talented men and began to restore

2242-529: The monastery's founding. The main library hall contains a 66-meter-long mural showing the life of Gautama Buddha . There are also more than 1,100 pieces of porcelain in the hall, dating from the Yuan dynasty to early 14th century. Claims that the library contains records dating back 10,000 years have circulated on the Internet, but are untrue. The 41st Sakya Trizin , Ngawang Kunga , the then-throne-holder of

2301-453: The noblemen belonging to his clientele, appointing them as dzongpon , district leaders. He abolished Mongol law in favour of a legal framework drawn from the old Tibetan legal code. A law code was promulgated in 15 chapters and was supposedly so effective that an old woman carrying a load of gold could travel securely through Tibet. The laws were much milder than the Mongol ones, but stipulated

2360-532: The old Mongol-Sakya administration by sharing up the territory in divisions ( de or dzongchen ), under which were dzong ( rdzong ), districts. These were headed by dzongpons who governed from fortified cities (also called dzong ) and combined civil and military functions; these were chosen from among Changchub Gyaltsen's close followers and initially were not hereditary. He abolished Mongol laws and customs in favour of traditional Tibetan ones, which were much less harsh. Three centuries later his laws were revised by

2419-652: The peace of the country, yet on the whole, the dynasty was beneficial to Tibet". The last eight rulers were: Tai Situ Changchub Gyaltsen Tai Situ Changchub Gyaltsen ( Tibetan : ཏའི་སི་ཏུ་བྱང་ཆུབ་རྒྱལ་མཚན , Wylie : ta'i si tu byang chub rgyal mtshan ; Chinese : 大司徒絳曲堅贊 ) (1302 – 21 November 1364 ) was the founder of the Phagmodrupa dynasty that replaced the Mongol -backed Sakya dynasty, ending Yuan rule in Tibet . He ruled most of Tibet as desi (regent) from 1354 to 1364 (alt. 1371, 1373 or 1374). As

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2478-475: The period 1354–1358, thereby recreating an autonomous Tibetan state. Mongol ruler Toghon Temür was beset by inner troubles, and so preferred to confirm the acquisitions of Changchub Gyaltsen, and conferred the titles darakache and tai situ (grand tutor) on him. The Ming dynasty made no attempt to reinstate the tight grip on Tibet once exercised by the Mongols. In 1372 the Hongwu Emperor conferred

2537-441: The place, and the prisoner was tortured and brought back to Sakya. When Changchub Gyaltsen entered Sakya the people pelted him with mud, and a clod hit his mouth. He then reportedly commented: "Now I eat the mud of Sakya – soon I will be eating Sakya itself". After several months of imprisonment an unexpected event caused a twist of alliances. Gyalwa Zangpo heard that the great khan Toghon Temür would replace him as ponchen with

2596-420: The royal titles gongma (the high one, superior) and chogyal . From 1354 to 1435 the rulers managed to uphold a balance between the various fiefs. In particular the 47-years reign of Drakpa Gyaltsen (1385–1432) was remembered as generally peaceful and prosperous. The early Phagmodrupa era is famous for being culturally productive, and has even been termed a "golden age". There was an intense interest in reviving

2655-477: The son of Rinchen Kyab and his second wife Tramon Bumkyi. At the age of nine he was ordained as a monk and was introduced to the Buddhist teachings by the lama Lhakangpa. Changchub Gyaltsen was in particular devoted to the worship of the deity Hayagriva . At fourteen years of age he went to the Sakya monastery. While he initially wished to pursue a clerical career, his tutor persuaded him that he would make an excellent administrator. In 1322 his uncle Gyaltsen Kyab,

2714-438: The thirteen myriarchies of the previous Yuan-Sakya rulers into thirteen grand prefectures ( dzongchen ) which in turn were divided in districts (dzong) . The centers of the districts were castles, also called dzong , which had military, economic and fiscal functions. The dzongchen were headed by civil and military administrators which retained the honorary title tripon and were appointed for three years. Changchub Gyaltsen used

2773-491: The title Guanding Guoshi on Changchub Gyaltsen's successor Jamyang Shakya Gyaltsen (r. 1364–1373) together with a jade seal. The new regime governed from their palace in Nêdong in the Yarlung Valley . Changchub Gyaltsen did not take royal titles but preferred the title desi (sde srid) that means regent, namely for the ancient kings of Tibet (600-842) whose glory he wished to revive. The new regent reorganized

2832-407: The title Tai Situ (Great Tutor) from the great khan in 1357. An embassy was dispatched for Dadu ( Beijing ) in 1360 and returned two years later. Emperor Toghon Temür well understood the strong position of Changchub Gyaltsen and readily issued an edict confirming his position. Personally he declined to take royal titles, but was content with the Tibetan title desi (sde-srid, regent). He re-organized

2891-604: The various noble and clerical factions of East Central Tibet balanced. At the same time a new powerful dynasty arose in Tsang. This was the Tsangpa (1565–1642) who overthrew the Rinpungpa and increased their territory in various parts of Tibet. Like the Rinpungpa they allied with the Karmapa sect . The history of the Phagmodrupa after the death of Ngawang Drakpa Gyaltsen in 1603/04 is very obscure since they were by now entirely eclipsed by other political factions. They were defeated by

2950-584: Was Phagmodru with the palace of Nêdong as its center; it was headed by a lord of the Lang Family who bore the title tripon (myriarch). Phagmodru was allied to the Ilkhanate (1256 – 1335/1353) in Persia for a while, but its position was severely weakened by intervention by Kublai Khan , the Great Khan who founded the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). Changchub Gyaltsen was born into the Lang lineage in 1302 as

3009-407: Was confirmed. Still it is clear from Changchub Gyaltsen's own autobiography that he encountered some opposition up to at least 1361, and that Sakya was still considered superior de jure , if not in fact. At any rate Changchub Gyaltsen stood out as the de facto ruler of Central Tibet towards the end of his life – several years before the Ming dynasty was established in China in 1368. Central China

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3068-463: Was divided into three branches or rather functionaries: the ruling desi , the spiritual masters ( chen-nga ) of the Dansa Thil and Tsethang monasteries, and the preserver of the family ( dunggyu dsinpa ) who sired children to continue the Lang lineage. While the first four rulers declined to take royal titles, being content with the dignity of desi , the fifth ruler Drakpa Gyaltsen appropriated

3127-547: Was hard pressed by the troops of Nangpa and in his desperation asked Changchub Gyaltsen "to uphold the law". In other words, Phagmodru was now seen as responsible for law and order even in Tsang. Changchub Gyaltsen dispatched a large army under Rinchen Zangpo. The Phagmodru troops defeated the Nangpa while fording the Shabchu River, then marched on Sakya. Before more had been done hostilities were halted. However, from now on

3186-477: Was in fact a long process that would take several more years of negotiations and petty fighting. Two years after these events ponchen Gyalwa Zangpo was arrested by the chief abbot Lotro Gyaltsen . Once again Changchub Gyaltsen intervened in Sakya affairs, this time by peaceful means. He summoned a peace conference attended by Lama Dampa Sonam Gyaltsen , a well-respected lama of Sakya. The outcome

3245-407: Was in the hands of Changchub Gyaltsen, including Lhasa . Four years later, in 1353, a last major attempt was made to stop the progress of Phagmodru. A coalition of Sakya, Drigung , Yazang and Nangpa attacked Changchub Gyaltsen's positions but had to retreat. The next year 1354 was decisive. By now the Sakya regime had become badly divided. Gyalwa Zangpo, who had regained the ponchen -ship in c. 1350,

3304-489: Was keen to revive the glories of the Tibetan Empire of Songtsen Gampo . In effect, the new regent asserted Tibetan independence from the Mongol Yuan dynasty , and did not pay much attention to the crumbling Mongol court. Thus he revived the dress codes of the old Tibetan court, while the old Mongol court dress was rejected. In practice Mongols and mongolized Tibetans were deprived of positions of political authority. However, he never repudiated Mongol nominal rule, and accepted

3363-426: Was set free after three months. 1346 saw fresh fighting between Phagmodru and Yazang, and the latter was eventually beaten back. Now the ponchen Gyalwa Zangpo arranged a meeting at a bridge but proceeded to capture Changchub Gyaltsen in the middle of the deliberations. The Sakya troops then led their prisoner before the Nêdong palace and demanded its surrender. However, Changchub Gyaltsen's retainers refused to give up

3422-433: Was that the Sakya elite was forced to release Gyalwa Zangpo. Gyalwa Zangpo lost his prestige and formally submitted to Changchub Gyaltsen. In 1357 further internal strife wrecked the Sakya. The prominent lama Kunpangpa was murdered under obscure circumstances, and the ponchen Gyalwa Zangpo died as well, presumably murdered by the ex- ponchen Wangtson. This gave Changchub Gyaltsen an excellent excuse to intervene. He convened

3481-422: Was wrecked by rebellions after 1354, so that the great khan of the Yuan dynasty had little time to spare for Tibetan affairs. The new ruler and his successors would govern Tibet independently for over eighty years until being replaced by the Rinpungpa . It was something of a golden age in the history of medieval Tibet due to the relative inner peace and the great cultural achievements. As ruler Changchub Gyaltsen

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