Tabo, founded in 996 (Wikipedia), is the great early monastery of the western Tibetan school in the Spiti valley, with murals and temples of the eleventh century that survive.
It is a mother-house of Guge-related monasticism; Spiti's chiefs (nono) are its secular protectors. On 1 January 1200 it is an active monastery whose abbot's name we do not have.
Who holds it
- Title
- Abbot of Tabo
- Since
- founded 996
- Born
- not known
- Family
- Founded under the patronage of the kings of Guge by the translator Rinchen Zangpo.
- Confidence
- low
Wikipedia Tabo Monastery.
What it holds
- The monastery and its fields at Tabo (not itemised)
- Patronage of the Spiti chiefs and Guge
Allies and rivals
Patrons: the kings of Guge (earlier), Spiti's chiefs.
How things stand that morning
An active monastery in a mountain district whose secular overlord is not pinned.
Where the sources disagree
- Tabo is on the Indian side of the border and so on our sheet; the Tibet sheet gives Guge anchors.
Evidence: Foundation date and surviving murals; 1200 is unrecorded.
On the map: A point.
Primary sources for Guge and Maryul
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- The River of Kings, with Jonaraja's continuation, Kalhana; continued by Jonaraja (Kalhana 1148 to 1150; Jonaraja about 1459). Kalhana's chronicle stops in 1149, so for 1200 the witness is Jonaraja, writing three centuries later and very briefly. Read online
- History of Buddhism in India and Tibet, Buton Rinchen Drub (Bu ston Rin chen grub) (1322). Optional background. Read online
- The Blue Annals, Go Lotsawa Zhonnu Pal ('Gos lo tsa ba gZhon nu dpal) (1476 to 1478). The fullest Tibetan account of who mattered around 1200, written three centuries later from earlier biographies and lineage records, many now lost. Read online
- The Sakya genealogy, and the works of the Sakya hierarch of 1200, Jetsun Drakpa Gyaltsen (Grags pa rgyal mtshan) and Sakya Pandita; the genealogy by Ngawang Kunga Sonam (the hierarchs' writings about 1170 to 1250; the genealogy 1629). Sakya in 1200 was ruled by Jetsun Drakpa Gyaltsen, the third of the five founders, with his nephew Kunga Gyaltsen (later Sakya Pandita, born 1182) under his teaching. Read online
- Indo-Tibetica (the temples and inscriptions of western Tibet), with the Royal Genealogy of Ngari, Giuseppe Tucci (editor and translator); the genealogy by Ngawang Drakpa (Ngag dbang grags pa) (the inscriptions and temple records of the 11th to 15th centuries; Indo-Tibetica published 1932 to 1941; the genealogy about 1497). Guge, Purang and Ladakh in 1200 are among the least documented kingdoms in the atlas. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.