A time-line of TibetWorld News | Politics | History | Editor(Copyright © 1999 Piero Scaruffi) |
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1063BC: Bon religion established 127BC: Tibetan kingdom of Nyatri Tsenpo 600AD: Buddhist texts translated into Tibetan 602: Tibet is unified under Namri Songtsen 629: Tibet expands under Songtsen Gampo 630: Songzen Gampo introduces Buddhism to Bhutan 637: Songtsen Gampo builds the first Potala in Lhasa 760: Indian mystics such as Santarakshita and Padmasambhava visit Tibet 763: Tibetan sack of Chinese capital Xian 779: the first Buddhist monastery is founded in Samye by Guru Rinpoche/ Padmasambhava 821: Peace treaty between Tibet and China 842: the Tibetan emperor Langdarma is assassinated and the empire disintegrates 1042: the Indian mystic Atisha visits Tibet (Kadampa teachings) 1073: Sakya monastery and Sakya domination 1080: the Tibetan poet and mystic Milarepa 1247: the Mongols (known as Yuan dynasty in China) become de facto rulers of Tibet but Sakya monks become their tutors 1253: Kublai Khan declares Buddhism the state religion of his empire 1254: Drogon Chogyal Phagpa is appointed ruler of Tibet (first to exert both religious and secular authority over Tibet, or "lama") 1409: Ganden Monastery founded by Tsongkhapa and Gelugpa domination 1445: Shigatze monastery founded by Gendun Drup (b 1391), later recognized as first dalai lama 1573: The Mongol emperor invites Sonam Gyatso of Tibet to the Mongol capital of Altan Khan and begins conversion of Mongolia to Buddhism, and bestows on Sonam Gyatso the title of "Dalai Lama" ("Ocean of Wisdom") 1601: The Mongol emperor appoints Yonten Gyatso, a grandson of Altan Khan, as Tibet's Dalai Lama, causing a civil war in Tibet 1642: Ngawang Lozang Gyatso (fifth dalai lama) assumes both spiritual and temporal authority over Tibet 1648: Potala built in Lhasa 1650: Choskyi Gyaltsen is recognized as first panchen lama ("great scholar") 1652: Tibet's dalai lama visits the Manchu emperor Shunzhi in Beijing 1684: Tibet is defeated by Ladaq and Bhutan 1697: The dalai lama Tsangyang Gyatso seizes power in Tibet 1706: A Mongol king Lhazang Khan, an ally of the Chinese emperor, deposes Tsangyang and installs a hand-picked dalai lama, Ngwaang Yeshi Gyatso 1716: Mission by Jesuit priest Ippolito Desideri 1717: Another Mongol king defeats Lhazang Khan and liberates Tibet 1720: The Manchus invade Tibet, turn Tibet into a protectorate and install Kelzang Gyatso as the new dalai lama 1728: The Manchus appoint Pho-lha-nas as the real political leader of Tibet 1750: The Manchus invade Tibet again to quell an uprising and install a council presided by the Dalai Lama 1788: Nepal invades Tibet but the Manchus intervene on Tibet's side 1792: China enacts rules on how Tibet should elect its government 1793: Nepal is definitely defeated 1841: An Indian kingdom invades Tibet 1856: Peace treaty with Nepal 1904: British troops invade Tibet but soon withdraw 1905: Chinese troops led by Zhao Erfang invade Tibet and destroy many monasteries 1911: After the fall of the Qing dynasty, the Chinese troops in Tibet mutiny and kill Zhao 1913: Tibet proclaims its independence from China, a popular insurrection expels the Chinese troops, and the Dalai Lama returns to Lhasa 1918: Tibet pushes the Chinese back and reaches the Yiang Tze Kiang 1946: Tibetan representatives attend the Chinese constitutional assembly in Nanjing as observers 1950: China invades eastern Tibet 1951: China annexes the whole of Tibet 1959: Tibetans riot against Chinese occupation (87,000 dead) 1959: the dalai lama escapes from Lhasa to India 1966: During the "cultural revolution" 2,692 Tibetan monasteries are destroyed 1976: China begins a campaign to resettle ethnic Chinese in Tibet 1979: China opens Tibet to foreign tourists 1987: the Chinese government establishes a special school in Beijing to educate the reincarnate Tibetan lamas 1989: The dalai lama is awarded the Nobel Prize for peace 1991: the panchen lama dies, opening a conflict with China over the appointment of the successor 2002: Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and other Tibetan leaders are arrested by the government of mainland China 2006: a railway connection between mainland China and Tibet is inaugurated (the 1,140km Golmud-Lhasa being the world's highest) 2008: 130 Tibetan protesters are killed and hundreds arrested in Lhasa by the troops of mainland China after Tibetans riot and kill 18 Chinese civilians living in Tibet |
| (Copyright © 1999 Piero Scaruffi) |