The Tumuli of the Ancient Tibetan Kings
 As
early as prior to 1,300 years ago, when
the tribes of the Yarlung Valley were rising
to prosperity, the ancestors of Songtsan
Gampo lived in the Six Palaces of Chingwar
Taktse situated near Lhamo Hill, from where
they ruled over thousands and thousands
of tribal people and opened up the mild
and fertile Yarlung Valley. There, Tubo
tribes waxed and multiplied, swallowing
up the nearby peoples. Then, Namri Songtsan
crossed the northern mountain range and
defeated the Sumba people who lived in the
river valleys of the Kyichu (Lhasa River)
and Nyangchu. Spreading his power over the
whole of Tibet, he established the Tubo
kingdom. Namri Songtsan's son, Songtsan
Gampo, moved his capital from the Yarlung
Valley to Lhasa, the then political, economic,
military and cultural centre, but Chong-gye
and its environs still remained the home
of the royal line. Even the later Tsanpos
who lived in Lhasa dared not forget that
their ancestors had originated from the
Yarlung Valley, and they frequently came
back to reside so as never to forget their
ancestors' heroic deeds and meritorious
services. The Princesses Wencheng and Jincheng
of the Tang court also often spent time
there after their marriage with the Tubo
Tsanpos. In memory of their origins, the
Tubo Tsanpos were all buried at Chong-gye,
which explains why so many tumuli are gathered
there.
According to historical records
there should be of altogether thirteen tumuli
of Tibetan kings, but only nine can still
be discerned. It is clear that over the
passage of time some tumuli must have sunk
and disappeared. The nine tumuli which still
remain have been reliably identified as
belonging to the following: Songtsan Gampo,
Gungri Gungtsan (son of Songtsan Gampo),
Dusong Mangtsan (grandson of Songtsan Gampo),
Tridu Songtsan (son of Mangsong Mangtsan),
Tride Tsugtan (son of Tridu Songtsan), Trisung
Detsan (son of Tride Tsugtan), Tride Songtsan
(younger brother of Trisung Detsan), Muni
Tsanpo (son of Trisung Detsan), and lastly
Princess Jincheng (wife of Tride Tsugtan).
On the summit of Songtsan Gampo's
tumulus there used to be an ancient temple
called Tongtsan Luakhang (Songtsan's Temple),
which was where the Guardian of the Tombs
resided. Within the temple, images of Songtsan
Gampo, Princess Wencheng, Princess Bhrikuti
Devi, and the Ministers Gar Tongtsan and
Thonmi Sambhota were enshrined. Only the
ruins now remain.
 Beneath
the ancient temple was Songtsan Gampo's
vault. It lay at the mouth of the Chongpo
Stream about one and half kilometres from
Piro Hill, in a group of tumuli located
to the west of the present Chong-gye Dzong.
Massive in size, the subterranean mausoleum
was composed of five chambers, and in all
was the length of an arrow-shot and the
breadth of a call. Statues of Songtsan Gampo,
Sakyamuni and Avaloki-tesvara were placed
inside the mausoleum along with great quantities
of gold, silver, pearls, and agates as funerary
objects, and so it was named "the Mausoleum
with lnner Decorations." The front
gate of Songtsan Gampo's mausoleum faced
the southwest, looking towards the birthplace
of Sakyamuni. On the left of the tomb itself
was buried a suit of golden armour worn
by Songtsan Gampo on expeditions; at the
foot of the tomb was a cache of pearls,
weighing two and half "kals,"
wrapped in satin, which was Songtsan Gampo's
share of wealth, and at the head of the
tomb was buried a coral statue of Lord Loyak
Gyalmo, eight "forearms" (a unit
of length from elbow to fingertip) in height,
which was supposed to give light to the
dead king. Knights and battle-horses made
of pure gold were laid out on the right,
as the retinue of Songtsan Gampo after his
death.
Judging from accounts, the grand
burial given to Songtsan Gampo by the Tubo
dynasty slave society, befitted his unparalled
achievements and prestige. However, mausoleum
containing only funerary objects and without
a single sacrificial human victim does not
quite conform with the general custom of
Tibet at that time, and this probably shows
the influence of the Tang Dynasty which
then was at its height. Generally speaking,
in feudal society human sacrifice was not
practised in royal burials, but Songtsan
Gampo reigned during the latter part of
a slave society which must have been well
advanced judging from the fact that no slaves
were reportedly sacrificed as funerary objects.
As yet the tomb has not been excavated,
and the details given here come solely from
records or oral traditions. This ancient
tomb, undisturbed for over a millenium,
still holds its secret for future discovery.
 The
tumulus of Princess Jincheng's husband,
Tride Tsugtan is another huge one, which
is a six-metre high mound. Forty metres
away a stone tablet erected more than a
thousand years ago stands in a deep shaft
covered by a small shelter. At that time
the Tubo dynasty was still in its golden
age. When the Tsanpo died, a stone tablet
was enacted to his memory, as was done to
his maternal uncles (the Tang emperors).
which shows the influence of Princess Jincheng.
The tomb of Gungri Gungtsan,
Songtsan Gampo's son, was built while his
father was on the throne. It is the biggest
in size and best in location. The site chosen
for Songtsan Gampo's own tumulus was not
as good as his son's.
On the Molari Hill, there are
two tumuli joined together, which at first
appeared to be one single tumulus. About
40 metres high and 170 metres across, the
burial mounds look like a pair of square
hills. Two successive generations were buried
here: Mangsong Mangtsan (Gungri Gungtsan's
son) and Dusong Mangtsan, his son. These
two tumuli are notable because a pair of
carved marble lions stood guard before them
about two hundred metres apart. The two
lions were seated facing the tumuli, tails
curled to the left, and were carved out
of solid stone in clear, untrammelled lines.
Unmarked by the passage of time, their carved
designs were still distinct.
At present apart from
these tumuli no other cemeteries and burial
places have been found in Tibet. Owing to
the widespread practice of celestial and
water burial, the existence of these tumuli
seems very strange. One possible explanation
is that during the Tubo epoch, interment
was considered the noblest form of funeral,
and the idea of "sacrificing one's
body" was not yet upmost in the minds
of the Tubo people.
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