Bhrikuti

Tibetan tradition says Bhrikuti was a princess from Nepal’s Licchavi family. Around the year 622 CE, she traveled to Tibet. She became the first wife of King Songtsen Gampo. She brought with her a special Buddha statue and Nepali Buddhist craftsmen.

Along with Chinese princess Wencheng, she is said to have helped bring Buddhism to Tibet. She also helped start the building of Lhasa’s Jokhang Temple. People in Tibetan Buddhism honor her as a form of Green Tara. However, since there are no written records from that time, scholars still debate how much of her story is fact.