<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zhangzhung</span>

Zhangzhung

<p><b>Zhangzhung</b> or <b>Shangshung</b> was an ancient kingdom in western and northwestern <a href="/en/Tibet" title="Tibet" class="wl">Tibet</a>, which pre-dates the culture of <a href="/en/Tibetan_Buddhism" title="Tibetan Buddhism" class="wl">Tibetan Buddhism</a> in Tibet. Zhangzhung culture is associated with the <a href="/en/Bon" title="Bon" class="wl">Bon</a> religion, which has influenced the philosophies and practices of Tibetan Buddhism.  Zhangzhung people are mentioned frequently in ancient Tibetan texts as the original rulers of today's western Tibet. Only in the last two decades have archaeologists been given access to do archaeological work in the areas once ruled by the Zhangzhung.</p>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">Ancient kingdom in western Tibet</div>
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.ib-country-fn{text-align:left;margin:0 auto}.mw-parser-output .ib-country-fn-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha;margin-left:1em}.mw-parser-output .ib-country-fn-num{margin-left:1em}</style><div class='mobile-collapse'><header class="mobile-collapse-header mobile-collapse-btn"><b>Quick facts: Zhangzhung.mw-parser-output .uchen{font-famil...</b> <span class='arrow'>▼</span></header> <table class="infobox ib-country vcard mobile-collapse-element"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above adr"><div class="fn org country-name">Zhangzhung</div><div class="ib-country-names"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1106655535" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles">.mw-parser-output .uchen{font-family:"Jomolhari","Uchen","Noto Serif Tibetan Medium","Noto Serif Tibetan","BabelStone Tibetan Slim","Yagpo Tibetan Uni","Noto Sans Tibetan","Microsoft Himalaya","Kailash","DDC Uchen","TCRC Youtso Unicode","Tibetan Machine Uni","Qomolangma-Uchen Sarchen","Qomolangma-Uchen Sarchung","Qomolangma-Uchen Suring","Qomolangma-Uchen Sutung","Qomolangma-Title","Qomolangma-Subtitle","DDC Rinzin","Qomolangma-Woodblock","Qomolangma-Dunhuang"}.mw-parser-output .ume{font-family:"Qomolangma-Betsu","Qomolangma-Chuyig","Qomolangma-Drutsa","Qomolangma-Edict","Qomolangma-Tsumachu","Qomolangma-Tsuring","Qomolangma-Tsutong","TibetanSambhotaYigchung","TibetanTsugRing","TibetanYigchung"}</style><span class=" uchen" style="font-size:1.25em; vertical-align:middle; word-wrap:break-word;">ཞང་ཞུང་</span></div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-subheader"><abbr>c.</abbr> 500 BCE–625 CE<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-Aldenderfer2007_1-0"><a href="#cite_note-Aldenderfer2007-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[1]</span></a></span></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r997900035" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles">.mw-parser-output .locmap .od{position:absolute}.mw-parser-output .locmap .id{position:absolute;line-height:0}.mw-parser-output .locmap .l0{font-size:0;position:absolute}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pv{line-height:110%;position:absolute;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pl{line-height:110%;position:absolute;top:-0.75em;text-align:right}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pr{line-height:110%;position:absolute;top:-0.75em;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pv>div{display:inline;padding:1px}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pl>div{display:inline;padding:1px;float:right}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pr>div{display:inline;padding:1px;float:left}</style><div class="center"><div class="locmap noviewer thumb tnone"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:272px"><div style="position:relative;width:270px;border:1px solid lightgray"><span class="notpageimage"><a href="/en/File:South_Asia_non_political,_with_rivers.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" title="Zhangzhung is located in South Asia" data-hash="File:South_Asia_non_political,_with_rivers.jpg"><img loading="lazy"alt="Zhangzhung is located in South Asia" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/South_Asia_non_political%2C_with_rivers.jpg/270px-South_Asia_non_political%2C_with_rivers.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="2324" data-file-height="2151" data-file-type="bitmap" height="250" width="270" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/South_Asia_non_political%2C_with_rivers.jpg/405px-South_Asia_non_political%2C_with_rivers.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/South_Asia_non_political%2C_with_rivers.jpg/540px-South_Asia_non_political%2C_with_rivers.jpg 2x"></a></span><div class="od" style="top:30.769%;left:31.25%"><div class="id" title="N" style="left:-0px;top:-0px"></div><div class="pr" style="font-size:80%;width:6em;left:1px"><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="/en/Alchon_Huns" title="Alchon Huns" class="wl">Alchon<br>Huns</a></div></div></div></div><div class="od" style="top:4.615%;left:0%"><div class="id" title="N" style="left:-0px;top:-0px"></div><div class="pr" style="font-size:80%;width:6em;left:1px"><div><a href="/en/Hephthalites" title="Hephthalites" class="wl">Hephthalites</a></div></div></div><div class="od" style="top:23.077%;left:0%"><div class="id" title="N" style="left:-0px;top:-0px"></div><div class="pr" style="font-size:80%;width:6em;left:1px"><div><a href="/en/Sassanian_Empire" title="Sassanian Empire" class="mw-redirect wl"><div style="text-align: center;">Sassanian<br>Empire</div></a></div></div></div><div class="od" style="top:41.538%;left:75%"><div class="id" title="N" style="left:-0px;top:-0px"></div><div class="pl" style="font-size:80%;width:6em;right:1px"><div><a href="/en/Gupta_Empire" title="Gupta Empire" class="wl">Guptas</a></div></div></div><div class="od" style="top:60%;left:34.375%"><div class="id" title="N" style="left:-0px;top:-0px"></div><div class="pr" style="font-size:80%;width:6em;left:1px"><div><a href="/en/Vakataka_dynasty" title="Vakataka dynasty" class="wl">Vakatakas</a></div></div></div><div class="od" style="top:19.785%;left:44.727%"><div class="id" title="N" style="left:-0px;top:-0px"></div><div class="pr" style="font-size:85%;width:6em;left:1px"><div><div style="text-align: center;">Zhangzhung</div></div></div></div></div><div class="thumbcaption">General location of Zhangzhung, with contemporary neighbouring polities <abbr>c.</abbr> 500 CE</div></div></div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Capital</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Kyunglung" title="Kyunglung" class="wl">Kyunglung</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Common<span>&nbsp;</span>languages</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Zhangzhung_language" title="Zhangzhung language" class="mw-redirect wl">Zhangzhung</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Religion <div class="ib-country-religion"></div></th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Bön" title="Bön" class="mw-redirect wl">Bön</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Government</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Monarchy" title="Monarchy" class="wl">Monarchy</a></td></tr><tr class="mergedrow"><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Brtsanpo</th><td class="infobox-data"><span>&nbsp;</span></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Historical era</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Iron_Age" title="Iron Age" class="wl">Iron Age</a>? to <a href="/en/Classical_Antiquity" title="Classical Antiquity" class="mw-redirect wl">Classical Antiquity</a></td></tr><tr class="mergedrow"><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"></td></tr><tr class="mergedrow"><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><div style="text-indent:-0.9em;margin-left:1.2em;font-weight:normal;">•<span>&nbsp;</span>Established </div></th><td class="infobox-data"><abbr>c.</abbr> 500 BCE</td></tr><tr class="mergedrow"><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><div style="text-indent:-0.9em;margin-left:1.2em;font-weight:normal;">•<span>&nbsp;</span>Conquest of <a href="/en/Songtsen_Gampo" title="Songtsen Gampo" class="wl">Songtsen Gampo</a> </div></th><td class="infobox-data">625 CE<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-Aldenderfer2007_1-1"><a href="#cite_note-Aldenderfer2007-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[1]</span></a></span></td></tr><tr style="display:none"><td colspan="2">
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<td style="text-align:center; border:0; padding-bottom:0"><div id="before-after"></div> <b>Preceded by</b></td><td style="text-align:center;border:0; padding-bottom:0;"><b>Succeeded by</b></td></tr>
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<td style="border:0; padding:0; vertical-align:middle;"><span><span><img loading="lazy" alt="Blank.png" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d2/Blank.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="3" data-file-height="2" data-file-type="bitmap" height="15" width="22"></span></span></td>
<td style="border:0; padding:0; vertical-align:middle; text-align:left;"><a href="/en/Neolithic_Tibet" title="Neolithic Tibet" class="wl">Neolithic Tibet</a></td></tr>








































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<td style="border:0; padding:0; vertical-align:middle; text-align:right;"><a href="/en/Tibetan_Empire" title="Tibetan Empire" class="wl">Tibetan Empire</a></td>
<td style="border:0; padding:0; vertical-align:middle;"><span class="mw-image-border"><span><img loading="lazy" alt="Tibetan_snow_leopard.svg" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Tibetan_snow_leopard.svg/20px-Tibetan_snow_leopard.svg.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="600" data-file-height="400" data-file-type="drawing" height="13" width="20" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Tibetan_snow_leopard.svg/30px-Tibetan_snow_leopard.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Tibetan_snow_leopard.svg/40px-Tibetan_snow_leopard.svg.png 2x"></span></span></td></tr>








































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<div class='mobile-collapse'><header class="mobile-collapse-header mobile-collapse-btn"><b>Quick facts: Tibetan name, Tibetan, Transcriptions, Lhasa ...</b> <span class='arrow'>▼</span></header> <table class="infobox mobile-collapse-element" style="width: 22em"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1066479718" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles"></style><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-subheader notheme" style="font-size: 125%; background-color: #b0c4de;">Zhangzhung</td></tr><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1066479718" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles"></style><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header notheme" style="background-color: #b0c4de;"><a href="/en/Standard_Tibetan" title="Standard Tibetan" class="mw-redirect wl">Tibetan</a> name</th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="font-weight:normal;"><a href="/en/Tibetan_script" title="Tibetan script" class="wl">Tibetan</a></th><td class="infobox-data"><span class=" uchen" style="font-size:1.25em; vertical-align:middle; word-wrap:break-word;"> <span class=" uchen" style="font-size:1.25em; vertical-align:middle; word-wrap:break-word;">ཞང་ཞུང་</span> </span></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><table class="infobox-subbox mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above notheme" style="font-size: 100%; text-align: left; background-color: #f9ffbc;">Transcriptions</th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="font-weight:normal;"><a href="/en/Standard_Tibetan" title="Standard Tibetan" class="mw-redirect wl">Lhasa</a> <a href="/en/Help:IPA/Tibetan" title="Help:IPA/Tibetan" class="wl">IPA</a></th><td class="infobox-data">ɕaŋɕuŋ</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1066479718" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles"></style><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header notheme" style="background-color: #b0c4de;"><a href="/en/Chinese_language" title="Chinese language" class="wl">Chinese</a> name</th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="font-weight:normal;"><a href="/en/Chinese_language" title="Chinese language" class="wl">Chinese</a></th><td class="infobox-data"><span style="font-size: 1rem"><span><span>象雄</span></span></span></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><table class="infobox-subbox mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above notheme" style="font-size: 100%; text-align: left; background-color: #f9ffbc;">Transcriptions</th></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header notheme" style="background-color: #dcffc9;"><a href="/en/Standard_Chinese" title="Standard Chinese" class="wl">Standard Mandarin</a></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="font-weight:normal;"><a href="/en/Hanyu_Pinyin" title="Hanyu Pinyin" class="mw-redirect wl">Hanyu Pinyin</a></th><td class="infobox-data">Xiàngxióng</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1066479718" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles"></style></tbody></table> <footer class='mobile-collapse-footer mobile-collapse-btn'><b>Close</b> <span class='arrow'>▲</span></footer></div>



Zhangzhung or Shangshung was an ancient kingdom in western and northwestern Tibet, which pre-dates the culture of Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet. Zhangzhung culture is associated with the Bon religion, which has influenced the philosophies and practices of Tibetan Buddhism.  Zhangzhung people are mentioned frequently in ancient Tibetan texts as the original rulers of today's western Tibet. Only in the last two decades have archaeologists been given access to do archaeological work in the areas once ruled by the Zhangzhung. 