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The Two Conquests of Zhang zhung and the Many Lig-
Kings of Bon: A Structural Analysis of the
Bon ma nub pa’i gtan tshigs
HENK BLEZER
(Leiden)
Emerging Bon at the Crossroads of Oral and Written Modes of Transmission
Introduction
The conquest and fall of ‘The Great (Bon) Zhang zhung Empire’, understandably,
is a major event in Bon historiography, yet, it comes in surprisingly
many varieties. Even today, its narration does not yet seem to have
become completely stable. In Tibetan sources two main versions are extant:
1. Zhang zhung was subjugated during Khri Srong btsan sgam po’s reign
or
2. it fell during the rule of Khri Srong lde(’u) b(r)tsan.
The conquest during Khri Srong btsan sgam po’s reign, in the 7 th century, is
first recorded in PT1288 and first narrativised, probably much later, in
PT1287, and subsequently also appears in Buddhist historical sources. This
‘Buddhist version’ is widely known and accepted. The other version appears
in Bon texts, reportedly first in the Bon ma nub pa’i gtan tshigs, 1 and subsequently
also in other Bon sources. In the ‘Bon version’, the conquest occurs
during Khri Srong lde btsan’s rule. This scenario is less familiar and may
even be confusing, or appear confused, to Tibet scholars.
In recent Bon-related publications—both popular and academic—references
have started appearing to yet another version: an interesting synthesis
of those two seemingly conflicting stories of ‘the’ conquest of Zhang zhung
and Lig myi rhya (or Lig snya shur). This synthesis attempts to merge the
apparently conflicting narratives into one streamlined diachronic story-line
of two consecutive conquests: basically, Zhang zhung and Lig myi rhya are
finished off later, near Dvangs ra and sTa rgo, during Khri Srong lde btsan’s
reign, after Zhang zhung had already been conquered, weakened, or broken
during Khri Srong btsan sgam po’s reign.
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1
But cf. Bru rGyal ba g-yung drung’s (1242–90) Lo rgyus rnam thar dang bcas, discussed
below.