Nepal Now / My stories / Archive 2020
Princess Bhrikuti Devi – Nepal’s Regional Ambassador
Published· My stories
Many trips to Nepal is combined with Tibet or Bhutan. The familiarity of the people and culture make the journey smooth and easy for tourists. Ever wonder where this familiarity springs from?
Licchavi Princess Bhrikuti Devi (7th century AD) a big role to play in exporting the essence of Nepal to its nearby neighbours.
In those days, Nepal was much appreciated regionally for its a rich and colorful culture and heritage. Buddhism flourished and its arts and architecture was more advanced. Chinese travelers were amazed to see the refined beauty of Nepali culture.
The marriage of Princess Bhrikuti was an important landmark in the political and cultural history between Nepal, Tibet and China. King Srong San Gampo helped King Narendradeva to regain his throne by vanquishing his enemy Vishnugupta. In lieu of his military support, the Tibetan king asked for his daughter’s hand in marriage. He is believed to have sought for the Nepali princess as he was enchanted with the development of Buddhism in Nepal and he wanted to introduce similar civilized culture, arts, and architecture to Tibet.
Princess Bhrikuti was a major force in bringing the second wave of Buddhism to Tibet and China with the Vajrayana sect influences from Nepal. She took along 80 Nepali artisans with her and built the first 13-storey building of the 999-room Potala Palace. Today, there are still two rooms inside the Palace that date back to the 7th century.
In the Jokhang Temple there is a definite evidence of the influence of Nepali architecture in the struts, pillars, carvings and arches. The princess even traveled to Bhutan and propagated Buddhism and is believed to have built some of the ancient temples there too.
At an innocent age of 16 she was married to an unknown land, she managed to make a strong place for herself in the court and had the vision and courage to propagate the ideals of her birth country. A glorious daughter of Nepal who originally built the two biggest tourist attractions of Tibet – Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple.