Nepal-Tibet cultural relations and the Zhva-Dmar-Pa (Shyamarpa) Lamas of Tibet

The cultural relationship between Nepal and Tibet is age-old. The first step in this relation came through Buddhism around the first half of the seventh century A.D. According to the historical sources, Nepal played an important role in the development of Buddhism and the Buddhist heritage in Tibet from the very beginning: from the mahayanist transmission to Tibet, which took place at the time of the Licchavi dynasty in Nepal. According to Chinese and Tibetan chronicles and annals, Nepal and Tibet were also culturally bound together through a royal marriage. The blue, red and white annals (deb-mther-ngon-po, deb-mther-dmar-po, and deb-mther-dkar-po respectively), eleventh, thirteenth and nineteenth century Tibetan texts, and the Tang and Tung-huang annals, seventh-eights centuryChinese texts, both mention that the daughter of the then Nepali King Amsuvarman ('od-gser-go-ca in Tibetan sources) known as Khro-gner-ma (bhrkuti) in Tibetan sources was given in marriage to Tibetan King srong-btsang-sgam-po (618-712). It is known from the same source that the Nepali princess took Buddhist images and few other important religious artifacts as gifts to Tibet from Nepal. At that time, several prominant Buddhist scholars were also sent to Tibet from Nepal to support the mahayanist transmissionary movement. Records show the Buddhists of Licchavi origin were also transmigrated to Tibet and played a prominent role in the movement. Lama rygal-mtshan of cho-gro in Tibet was once of such Licchavi immigrants in Tibet, who was one of the three main Tibetan-Sanskrit translators.