Songtsen Gampo

Songtsen Gampo was the thirty-third king, or tsenpo, of Tibet, reigning from 618 or 629 until his death in 650, and is regarded as the founder of the Tibetan Empire. He is the first of the three Dharma Kings of Tibet, remembered for formally introducing Buddhism to the country and for building the Jokhang temple, a project tied to the influence of his Nepalese queen Bhrikuti. Under his rule the Tibetan Plateau was unified, neighbouring lands were conquered, and the capital was moved to the Potala Palace in Lhasa. His mother is named as Driza Thokar, and the sources admit that the dates of his birth and enthronement are uncertain: Tibetan tradition places his birth in an Ox year, and suggested birth years include 569, 593 and 605, while one historian says he took the throne at thirteen in 614. Tradition credits his minister Thonmi Sambhota with creating the Tibetan script, though that figure is hard to verify and the script is now usually seen as a later development.