The Mythology of Tibetan Mountain Gods: An Overview

There are countless high mountains in Tibet, and ancient Tibetans believed that gods resided on every one of them. The worship of mountain gods was one of the most important forms of nature worship among ancient Tibetans; it was fundamental to their entire belief system. Each mountain god possessed his own territory and was in charge of particular affairs. Around each god sprang up myths, legends, sacrificial rites and procedures. Analysis of Tibetan mountain god worship should lead to a fuller understanding of Tibetan mythology, and to a vision of the larger structures of that mythology. As ancient Tibetan society grew ever more complex, individual, autonomous Tibetan mountain gods became associated in a complex hierarchy. Classification and stratification heralded the emergence of a single, supreme deity. Different geographical circumstances, and complex social developments and contradictions in the religion, however, brought about similarities, differences, and contradictions in characteristics and functions among the deities in the upper echelons of the system. According to traditional, pre-Buddhist Tibetan belief, there are four great mountain gods in the Tibetan region; each one is identified with a specific sacred mountain: yar-lha-sham-po in central Tibet; gnyan-chenthang-lha, in Byang-thang in the north; sku-lha-ri-rgya in the south; vod-degung-rgyal in the south. These four gods, together with five other famous mountain gods—rma-chen-spon-ra (or Anyesrmachen), shyogs-chen-ldongra, sgan-po-lha-rje, zhogs-lha-rgyug-po, and shevu-kha-rag—form the core