Is Princess Wencheng really a concubine? What is the true status of Chizun?

Before answering the question, it must be affirmed that Princess Wencheng is a woman who has made outstanding contributions to the unity and prosperity of the Han and Tibetan nationalities. Whether forced or voluntary, it is not easy to persist, so Princess Wencheng is still respected by the Han and Tibetan people.

But there are always some people who maliciously belittle Princess Wencheng to attract attention and talk about Princess Wencheng and Bhrikuti Devi.

Princess Wencheng was not the daughter of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin. She is the daughter of the imperial clan of the Tang Dynasty, the daughter of Li Daozong, the king of Jiangxia County, and Li Daozong is the nephew of Tang Gaozu, Tang Gaozu. However, this does not affect the status of Princess Wencheng in the hearts of Songzan Gambo and Tubo people.

First of all, Princess Wencheng married far away, not for peace with Tubo, but because of Songzan Gambu's strong desire to marry Princess Datang several times. After Songtsan Gampo unified Tibet, in order to express his admiration for Datang, the special envoy sent Chang 'an to make friends with Datang. The imperial court also attached great importance to this and sent special envoys to pay a return visit with gifts. Songzan Gambu was very happy to meet the envoys of the Tang Dynasty and talked for a long time. After the talk, Songzan Gambu was very lost, because during the conversation, he learned that both Turkic and Tuguhun had married the princess of the Tang Dynasty, so he envied and hated him, hoping that the Tang Dynasty could treat him the same, but Emperor Taizong disagreed. It is recorded in the Book of the Old Tang Dynasty: "It is great to praise virtue. I heard that Turkic and Tuguhun were both princesses, so they sent envoys to North Korea with Germany and presented many treasures to propose marriage, but Emperor Taizong refused. "

Songzan Gambu felt insulted, so he mobilized troops to invade Datang, but Datang was not a vegetarian at this time. Emperor Taizong sent general Hou to defeat the Tubo army in Songzhou (now Songpan County, Sichuan Province). At this time, Songzan Gambu realized that Datang was so powerful. He immediately sent envoys to Chang 'an, admitted his mistake to Emperor Taizong, expressed his willingness to surrender to Datang, and asked Datang to marry the princess. This time, Emperor Taizong agreed. It is recorded in the Book of the Old Tang Dynasty: "Praise and fear, lead troops to retreat, and send envoys to apologize. Because of remarriage, Taizong agreed. "

Therefore, Princess Wencheng's entry into Tibet is not the sum of defeat, but harmony and difference. For the sake of the long-term stability of the Tang Dynasty, Princess Jincheng had the same idea of getting married in Tibet.

Secondly, Princess Wencheng is respected, not as a concubine, but as the queen of Songzan Gampo. Dunhuang's Tubo History Book records: "Princess Zanmeng Wencheng was welcomed into the Tubo land by Guelton Zanyusong." In Tubo, "Zanmeng" means Queen. Songzan Gambu is very happy to marry Princess Wencheng. It is recorded in The Hereditary Mirror of Tubo Dynasty that being praised and bringing the princess back to China is a relative's statement: My father and ancestors didn't marry in China, and now I'm still a princess of Datang, so I'm lucky. Build a city for the princess to show off future generations. After Songzan Gambu married Princess Wencheng as he wished, he happily said to his subordinates, "My family and my father didn't marry in China. Today, I have the honor to marry Princess Datang. I want to build a gorgeous palace and let the princess leave it to future generations. " The "one city" he said is the Potala Palace today, which shows Princess Wencheng's respected position.

After entering Tibet, Songzan Gambu was obedient to Princess Wencheng in life. Princess Wencheng did not like the Tibetan custom of "painting her face with ochre", and Songzan Gambu immediately ordered its abolition. It is recorded in the Book of the New Tang Dynasty: "The princess hates her face and praises the power of her country." In order to imitate the customs of the Tang Dynasty, Songzan Gambu took off his felt wool and replaced it with silk, and sent the children of Tubo nobles to Chang 'an for study. "New Tang Book" records: "It is a Chinese style to start from the carpet and attack Wan Kun. Send heroic children into Chinese studies and learn poetry books. " This shows the influence of Princess Wencheng in Tubo.

Finally, let's talk about Bhrikuti Devi, who is as famous as Princess Wencheng. The love between Songtsan Gambu and Princess Wencheng is wonderful, but as the king of Tubo, Songtsan Gambu has married at least five wives, including Princess Wencheng of Datang, Bhrikuti Devi of Nipolo, Princess Mensa, Princess Xiangxiong and Princess Ruyong of Tubo aristocratic tribe. Except for Princess Mensa, who gave birth to a son, Gongsong Gongzan, other wives have no children.

It is said that Bhrikuti Devi, formerly known as Brikut Ti, was the daughter of Nepalese King Amsu Poxiuma and married Tubo two years earlier than Princess Wencheng. Buddhism has a special position in Tubo. Bhrikuti Devi comes from the hometown of Buddha. When she was 8 years old, she entered Tibet with a statue of Sakyamuni, so Songzan Gambu built Jokhang Temple for her to worship Buddha statues. Princess Wencheng 12 years old entered Tibet with a statue of Sakyamuni, and Songzan Gambu built the Xiaozhao Temple for her to worship the Buddha statue. Many people think that the two princesses also have a big position and a small position, that is, the first wife and the second wife. Actually, it is not. Size only represents the time sequence of construction. After all, the Tang Dynasty was a kingdom, and Nipolo was only a vassal state of Tubo. Songzan Gambu's political wisdom is not so bad that he can't distinguish priorities, and it is impossible to deliberately belittle Princess Wencheng's status.

In fact, Jokhang Temple is a Tibetan temple. It was indeed built under the auspices of Songzan Gambu, but few historical records show that it was built for Bhrikuti Devi. Xiao Zhao Temple was really built for Princess Wencheng, and she also attended the groundbreaking ceremony. The person who presided over the construction of the temple was a Han monk brought by Princess Wencheng, so Xiaozhao Temple is a Sino-Tibetan temple and a symbol of Sino-Tibetan national friendship.

Bhrikuti Devi is not recorded in Dunhuang documents, Central Plains documents or even Nepalese documents. Only a few Tibetan documents are recorded sporadically, and the relationship between Bhrikuti Devi and Jokhang Temple is also discussed. What is even more puzzling is that these historical documents all record the marriage between Songzan Gambu and Princess Wencheng, but they do not record any fragments of Songzan Gambu's marriage with Bhrikuti Devi. Why did Bhrikuti Devi become invisible in such an important event? So much so that the Italian Tibetan scientist Ducci speculated that Bhrikuti Devi was a fiction, which originated from Tubo legends and fantasy novels. In his book The Wife of Songzan Gambu, he said that Bhrikuti Devi's prototype may be just one of those ordinary concubines of Songzan Gambu, and his status is not high.

Although Bhrikuti Devi's life experience is in doubt, it does not affect the Tibetan people's love for her. Bhrikuti Devi and Princess Wencheng were honored as White Tara and Green Mother by the Tibetan people and received the highest worship. They have become an indispensable part of Tibetan culture.