Tibetan diplomats travelled on documents issued by the Tibetan government. In the 20th Century, Tibet had diplomatic relations with Mongolia, Nepal etc. In all practical matters, the Tibetans were independent” There was no Chinese participation whatsoever in such matters and no reference to them, nor were they informed. The last British Consul General in Lhasa, Hugh Richardson (1936-1949) wrote about Tibet’s status as “The Government of Lhasa with which I dealt was beyond question in complete control of its own affairs dealing directly with the Government of India in such matters as frontier disputes, trade questions, supply of arms and ammunition and so on. However, they are completely silent on the visits of any Indian monk to Tibet thereby lending credence to the theory that Tibet was an independent region.Īfter the fall of the Qing dynasty, the 13th Dalai Lama declared Tibet to be independent and defined the relationship between China and Tibet as “the existing relationship between Tibet and China had been that of patron and priest and had not been based on the subordination of one to the other.” The Chinese chronicles of Gaoseng Zhuan written in 6th Century and of Yuzhi Shenseng Zhuan written in 16th Century capture details of the Indian monks who went to China. The Qing occupation of Tibet lasted till 1912 when it fell due to the Xinhai revolution. In 1720 a Qing expeditionary force defeated Dzungars and gained control over Tibet. The Qing dynasty came to power in 1644 and ruled till 1912. The Ming dynasty which ruled China from 1368-1644 maintained friendly ties with Tibet however, they had little influence over it. Tibet was de facto independent from the mid-14th century on, for nearly 400 years. No historical evidence exists that the Mongols had integrated Tibet and China. From 1642 until 1705 and from 1750 to the 1950s, the Dalai Lamas or their regents headed the Tibetan government (or Ganden Phodrang) in Lhasa. In 1578, Altan Khan of the Tümed Mongols gave Sonam Gyatso, a high lama of the Gelugpa School, the name Dalai Lama. Some of the most notable amongst them were the Phagmodrupa, Rinpungpa and Tsangpa Dynasties. The Sakya Lama became the first temporal ruler of Tibet.īetween 13th Century and 17th Century, Tibet witnessed a power struggle between various monasteries and sects. In the 12th Century, as Genghis Khan expanded his empire, Tibet was incorporated into the Mongol Empire, retaining nominal power over religious and regional political affairs, while the Mongols managed a structural and administrative rule over the region. Tibet continued to be an independent empire till the middle of 9th Century when Imperial Tibet collapsed in the Era of Fragmentation and small warlords took over. From either side of that frontier, there shall be no warfare, no hostile invasions and no seizure of territory” The whole region to the east of that being the country of Great China and the whole region to the west being assuredly the country of Great Tibet. In 821, the Chinese Emperor Hwang Te signed a peace treaty with the Tibetan ruler Tsenpo which stated “Both Tibet and China shall keep the country and frontiers of which they are now in possession. During this time the Tibetan Empire ruled and controlled a territory stretching from modern-day parts of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan. It was at its greatest extent between the 780s and the 790s. Around 7th Century the country was unified under King Songtsen Gampo and his successors who founded the Tibetan Empire.
The earliest known account of Tibet is of Nyatri Tsenpo establishing his rule in 127 B.C with the establishment of the Yarlung Dynasty. Sandwiched between towering Himalayan Mountains, it is nicknamed “the roof of the world” or “the land of snows”. Tibet lies between the ancient civilizations of India and China. Self Determination or Autonomy of 6 million Tibetans is central to any such agreement.
It is imperative that the two oldest civilizations and nuclear powers maintain a relationship which is based on mutual respect, equality and justice.