Table of Contents

Chapter I Ancestral Lineage and Feats 1
e rise of Yalong Spu-rgyal tribe 1
Unifying the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin 7
Chapter II Young Age 17
Enriched life in early age 17
Taking throne in crisis 19
Chapter III Founding a Capital and Building
the Potala Palace 25
e capital Lhasa 25
Building the Potala Palace 28
Chapter IV Unifying of the Plateau 31
Alliance with mGar Stong-btsan-yul-srung 31
Expanding territory 36
Chapter V Marriages and Alliance 49
Marriage with Nepal 49
Marry Princess Wencheng of Tang 53
Marriage with neighboring tribes 68 Chapter VI Establishing Institutions and Systems 71
Bureaucratic institution 73
Establishing administrative divisions 76
Reinforcing military system 80
Creating legal system 81
Strengthening social management 83
Promoting economic system 87
Chapter VII Cultural Prosperity 93
Creating and unifying written language 94
Endorsing Buddhism 98
Learning from foreign cultures 103
Chapter VIII Historical Status 107

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Preface
Originated from the Rje Ma G.yang Vdzoms glacier, the Yarlung Zangbo River, like a silver dragon, runs through the valleys between the Himalaya, the Gangdise and the Nyenching Tangula ranges. The mighty river cuts through the south part of Tibet from west to east, turns southward when bypassing the Namjagbarwa Mountain at the eastmost of the Himalaya, and flows out of China in Pasighat of Lhoka City.
Given its length, it is understandable that the Yarlung Zangbo River has various names for different sections. It is called Rta-mchogkha-vbab in the west of Lha-rtse, Yarlung Zangbo in Chu-shul, and Yar-klungs-gtsang-po when the Yar-klung-chu River joins it in Lhoka.
Coming to Assam of Rgya-gar-yul, the river is called Brahmaputra. And it has another name Jamuna in Bangladesh, in which it meets up with the Ganges River and eventually flows into the Bay of Bengal.
The great river nurtures Tibet and its people. In the upper reach, there are habitats for wild life such as Tibetan antelope, rock sheep, wild donkeys, yaks, bears, wolves, foxes; and the lower reach in Chinese territory is home to a wide profusion of plants and forests. The middle section converges several tributaries including Lhaka Zangbo River, Nyangchu River, Lhasa river, and Nyang River. These rivers not only bring in abundant water, but also form flood plains and fertile field that produce the majority of the food to feed the plateau.
The Yarlung Zangbo Basin nourishes the major cities like Lhasa, Shigatse, Lhoka, and Nyingchi. Among them, Lhoka is one of the cradles of ancient Tibetan culture, and the place where ancestors of Srong-btsan Sgam-po once lived.