'O lde spu rgyal

00066

Other names / Alternative spellings

'Ol lde spu rgyal (ms. PT 1285 l. r189)

'O lde spu rgyal (ms. PT 1285, PT 1286, ITJ 0734, ITJ 0751)


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

sPu rgyal dynasty


Period of activity

Mythical times


Biographical data

'O lde spu rgyal came from the gods of the sky to rule over men (Phyong rgyas rdo ring inscr. l. 1, ms. ITJ 0751 l. 35v2)

'O lde spu rgyal resided in Yar lung sogs dkar or Yar khyim sogs kar, the god of his land was Yar lha sham po (ms. PT 1285 l. r27-28, ITJ 0734 l. 8r321-322) and was linked with lDe gshen rmun bu (ms. ITJ 0734 l. 8r322-323, ms. PT 1285 l. r189). 

Yar srin pa sna ring po threatened 'O lde spu rgyal, and lDe gshen rmun bu was invited [to perform the ransom rites], Yar lha sham po was invoked... (ms. ITJ 734 l. 8r321-324). 

'O lde spu rgyal's helmet could not be defeated, he submitted the "twelve petty kings" (ms. PT 1286 l. 28-29)


Titles

yul rje (ms. ITJ 0734 l.8r322)

btsan po lha sras (inscr. Phyong rgyas rdo ring l. 1)

'phrul gyi lha btsan po (inscr. Peace treaty rdo ring l. e5)

myi'i rje (inscr. Phyong rgyas rdo ring l. 2 )


Notes

Ms. ITJ 734 transl. in Thomas 1957 p. 77-95, see also Samten G. Karmay's article "Concepts of Territorial Organisation and their Transformation into Buddhist Sacred Sites" p. 38-39 (in Karmay 2005).  

Whether 'O lde spu rgyal is the same as 'O de gung rgyal or not seems a bit unclear from Old Tibetan documentation.

It is also unclear whether 'O lde spu rgyal has to be identified to Nya khri btsan po since both shares a similar function as divine ancestor of the sPu rgyal btsan po. 

See "'O de spur rgyal" in rGyal po bka' thang II (bKa' thang sde lnga 2011ed. p. 87): 

"...bod kyi btsan po 'o de spur rgyal de / gnam gyi lha las mi yi rje ru gshegs / tshangs pa phyag nas gnam lha than dgur brgyud / gnam than sprin than char than than dgur byon / rtags chags wal wal sras po mched bzhi la / rje gcig yab la brdal drug bya ba byon / de la sras mchog spun 'dun 'khrungs pa las / bar lha tshigs bdun yab yum mched la gnod / yab yum skor bon zhang po'i yul du spyugs / dmu bza' lde me btsun dang bshos pa'i sras / gnya' khri yan 'khrungs srid pa'i lha rabs yin / rje gcig gnya' khri btsan po bya ba de / mgo nag mi dang srog chags rkyen du byon /..."

According to Ne'u Pandita (XIIIth century), 'O ste spu rgyal reigned between Khri gum btsan po and Tho legs btsan po, thus identifying him to sPu de gung rgyal (Ne'u Pandita, sNgon gi gtam me tog 'phreng ba zhes bya ba, p. 5).