Stories of King Gesar

Biography of King Gesar by Jambian Gyamco and Wu Wei tells the whole life of King Gesar.

Balsang Cering

The epic, King Gesar, was born between the first and sixth centuries, namely between the fall of the clan society to the establishment of slavery society. During the period, battles between clans, tribes and ethnic groups broke out frequently. They serve as the source of King Gesar.

During the heyday of the Tubo Kingdom, i.e. from the 7th to the 9th centuries, the Tibetan society experienced enormous changes featuring development of the productive forces and cultural undertakings, and reinforced national confidence.

The epic gained popularity in the Tibetan-inhabited areas in China as well as also in the Mongolian, Tu and Yugu regions. More than 90 percent of the King Gesar singers are Tibetan scattered in Tibet, and the Tibetan-inhabited areas in Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan. Although there exist geographical difficulties and these areas are landlocked, these epic singers tell about the same stories. The same stories are also told in areas inhabited by people of the Mongolian and Tibetan ethnic groups outside China.

Becoming the King

Traditional editions have the Chapter Heaven, The Birth of the Hero, and Become the King by Winning the Horse Race as the beginning chapters. They tell how Gesar was born and how he grew to be the king of the State of Ling:

Long, long ago, the ancestors of the Tibetan race led a happy life until war broke out in the region all of a sudden.

Part of the tangka painting of King Gesar.

The Tibetans preyed the Goddess of Mercy who sought help from Amitabha in the Paradise. Amitabha sent Tuiba Gawa, son of Deqoi Ongya and the Heavenly Concubine, to life the public out of the abyss of misery. He was what we call Gesar.

In order to make Gesar a hero who subdued demons and supported the weak and the poor, the epic describes him as a hero who is a combination of the deity, dragon and ideas. When he was born, he suffered from persecution. Relying on his own strength and protection from deities, he subdued the demons and ghosts.

When he was five, Gesar was forced to move to the Yellow River area together with his mother.

When he was eight, the Ling tribe migrated there, too. A horse race was held for the winner to be the king and marry Zhubo, the most beautiful girl in the tribe. Gesar took part, and defeated his uncle and many generals of the tribe to be the sweeping winner.

From then on, Gesar became the king of the State of Ling and was officially named the Lion King of the World Gesar Lhobo Zhadui.

Subduing the Demons

When he ascended the throne, King Gesar was confronted with the invasion launched by four vicious enemies. Here lies the major part of the epic in Battle Between Mo and Ling, Battle Between Hor and Ling, Battle Between Jiang and Ling, and Battle Between Moin and Ling.

To the north of the State of Ling was the State of Mo ruled by King Lutsang who ate children. One day, he kidnapped Maisa, the second concubine of Gesar.

To wipe out the demon and rescue his concubine, Gesar left for the north. He managed to get in touch with Maisa and the two worked to wipe out King Lutsang.

Maisa hated to be Gesar s concubine in the State of Ling. She wished to be his wife. She managed to make Gesar take her magic portion. As a result, Gesar stayed in the State of Mo for 12 years. During the period, the State of Ling was invaded by the State of Hor, and Gesar s wife, Zhubmo, was kidnapped by the invaders, too.

The State of Hor lied to the northeast of the State of Ling. It was ruled by three kings who were brothers. Named after tents in which they lived, they were called Yellow Tent King, White Tent King, and Black Tent King. White Tent King was the most powerful. He sent Parrot, Magpie and Crow to look for beauties for him, and Crow flew to the State of Ling and was astonished by zhubmo s beautty.

When White Tent King was informed of the news, he launched a war against the State of Ling. With the help of the traitors of the State of Ling, White Tent King seized Ling and took away zhubmo.

Fresco: Gesar fighting the Shanbala battle.

When Gesar woke up from the magic portion he took, he rushed back to the State of Ling. In a battle, he killed White Tent King and brought back zhubmo.

To the southeast of the State of Ling there was the State of Jiang ruled by King Sadain, a sorcerer who was very greedy. Sadain tried to seize the saltern belonging to the State of Ling. Gesar sent Sinba, a general formerly of the State of Hor, to win over Yulha Toju, son of Sadain, and he himself led his troops to guard the saltern. With help from Yulha Toju, Gesar knew everything about Sadain. When Sadain drank water one day, Gesar incarnated into a tiny gold fish and was swallowed by Sadain without his awareness. Once in the stomach, Gesar incarnated into a large wheel which turned endlessly until Sadain surrendered.

The State of Moin was enemy of the State of Ling. It harassed and looted Ling when Ling was weak. When Ling grew in strength and had subdued three demons, Sinchi, king of the State of Moin, was the only demon left un-subdued. Gesar decided to bring down Sinchi and, taking the advantage, marry his daughter, Meido Zholma who was very pretty. Through fierce fight, both suffered. Gesar went over to fight Sinchi in person, and shot Sinchi to death in the end.

With the four demons killed, the State of Ling and its neighboring states enjoyed peace and happiness.

Returning to the Heaven

As Gesar s uncle stole some horses from the State of Dashi, both states saw red. This forced Gesar to fight the State of Dashi. Gesar won again, and scattered Dashi s wealth among the people before returning to the State of Ling.

Chidain, king of the State of Kachi, had conquered Nepal, Korgas and some other small states, and sent troops to invade the State of Ling. Gesar retaliated and killed Chidain. He distributed Chidain s wealth among the people before returning to the State of Ling.

These were followed by battles waged to defend the homeland or upon invitation of invaded neighboring states. Gesar won all these battles. The State of Ling grew in strength, and became very powerful.

When Gesar had completed his mission on the earth, he returned to the heaven together with his mother and wife Ngada Lhamo. Here lies the end of the epic, King Gesar.