Bran ka Yon tan

00199 

Other names / Alternative spellings 

ban de Yon tan (ms. PT 1290 l. r2) 

dge slong Bran ka Yon tan (inscr. lDan ma brag II l. 7) 

ban de chen po dPal chen po yon tan (inscr. Peace treaty l. n9) 

ban 'de chen po Yon tan (ms. PT 1588 verso) 

Social groups (status, family, lineage...) 

Bran ka

ban de (monk) 

Period of activity 

IXth century

Reign of Khri lDe srong brtsan 

 

Reign of Khri gTsug lde brtsan 

Biographical data 

When the name Khri gTsug lde brtsan was given to [the prince] Mu tsu brtan, the ban de Yon tan sang a song (rol mo glu tshigs bgyis pa, ms. PT 1290 l. r2). 

Ban de Yon tan possibly became a member of the "High council of Religion and State Affairs" (chos dang chab srid kyi bka' chen po) as early as Monkey year [804] (inscr. lDan ma brag II l. 1-3, see Imaeda 2012 p. 115-118). 

The ban de chen po dPal chen po Yon tan was one of the three highest officials of Khri gTsug lde brtsan's government [c. 822] (inscr. Peace treaty stele l. n9). 

Titles 

ban de (ms. PT 1290 l. r2) 

dge slong (inscr. lDan ma brag II l. 7) 

ban de chen po (inscr. Peace treaty l. n9) 

ban 'de chen po (ms. PT 1588 verso) 

Notes 

Other possible mentions of the ban de chen po dPal chen po yon tan in Old Tibetan documentation :

- ban de chen po Yon tan (ms. PT 1588 verso) ?

- ban de chen po (ms. PT 1653 verso) ? Also a letter adressed to dPal gyi yon than by Chos kyi go cha (ms. PT 1653)

- dpal chen po (ms. PT 2076 ) ? 

- ban de dpal ced po, a contemporary of the ban de dPal gyi go ca' (ms. PT 1962 verso) ?

- (another ?) Yon tan, reviser of Buddhist texts, and contemporary of the copyist An sTag chung and the revisers Zhi mchog, Dze cin, and lHa la rton (ms. PT 1425, PT 1444).

See Lalou 1939-1961 doc. n° 1290, 1425, 1444, 1588, 1653, 1962, 2076

According to Nyang Nyi ma 'od zer (XIIth c., 2010ed. p. 385-386), in the time of Khri gtsug lde brtsan Ral pa can, sBas Mang rje lha 'od (i.e. dBa' Mang rje lha lod) was minister (blon po) and the  ban chen po dPal gyi yon tan was "religious minister" (chos kyi blon po).

According to mKhas pa lDe'u (XIIIth c.) Khri gtsug lde brtsan Ral pa can's ministers were sBas Mang rje lha lod, 'Bring Khri sum rje stag snang (i. e. 'Bro Khri sum rje stag snang) and Bran ka dPal gyi yon tan (mKhas pa lDe'u 2010 ed. p. 340).

According to later Tibetan historians, Bran ka dPal gyi yon tan was killed after being slandered by dBa's rGyal to re stag snya, who spread the word that he had an affair with Cog ro za dpal gyi ngang tshul, a queen of the btsan po Khri gTsug lde brtsan (see among others mKhas pa lDe'u 2010ed. p. 340-342, Nyang Nyi ma 'od zer 2010ed. p. 395-396, Klong chen 1991ed. p. 383, rGyal rabs gsal ba'i me long 2005ed. p. 233 ; transl. in Sørensen 1999 p. 425-426).