On Zhang-Zhung

The country of Zhang-zhung, the stronghold of the ancient Bon religion, is generally believed to have been situated at the western end of Tibet, in the region around Mound Kailasa. Religious Bone texts handed down to us in Tibetan translations mention the fact that these texts were originally written in the language of Zhang-zhung, but due to the scarcity of material in this language, many scholars tended to dismiss this as a fabrication of the Bonpos. In this Professor Hummel revisits the whole issue of Zhang-zhung, concentrating particularly on its language, but also on the actual size and geographical position of this kingdom. The studies presented here bring a host of new, almost provocative ideas, suggesting that Zhang-zhung was a vast confederacy of states stretching all the way from western to north-eastern Tibet, and that its language was in fact no artificial product, tracing its origins to the eastern Tibetan regions of Si-hia and Mi-nyag. With the help of Zhang-zhung, the author even sheds new light on the meaning of the old Tibetan kings’ names. Without any pretentions to have fully resolved the issue of understanding the Zhang-zhung language, the author opens up new perspectives for future research.