팍빠의 사람들 - 쿠빌라이 조정의 티베트인 집단

‘Phags pa’s Circle : Tibetan Group in the Court of Qubilai Khan

When Qubilai dispatched ’Phags pa to Tibet in an effort to reorganize the empire’s administration, ’Phags pa advanced slowly through the regions of Qinghai and Gansu, that is, Amdo(Tib. a mdo). This area, part of the greater Tibetan cultural sphere since the time of the Tibetan Empire and still referred to as Tufan (吐蕃) through the Song dynasty, was where ’Phags pa encountered various Tibetans, including figures such as Sangga and Dampa. Upon arriving in Tibet, he met the Nepali artisan Anige (Aniko), who had earlier been commissioned — under Qubilai’s patronage — to build a stupa for Sa skya pandita. Though not ethnically Tibetan, Anige was one of ’Phags pa’s disciples and a master craftsman who brilliantly embodied the artistic heritage of the Himalayas. The Tibetans whom ’Phags pa brought to Dadu played key roles not only in the religious sphere of the Mongol court but also in political and military matters. ’Phags pa tasked Anige and the artisans under his leadership with filling the capital of the Great Khan with various Buddhist temples, grand stupas, and large-scale Tibetan Buddhist rituals. Particularly during the conquest of the Southern Song — a pinnacle of Qubilai’s reign — these “’Phags pa’s people” each played their own roles and made major contributions. During this campaign, Dampa, at ’Phags pa’s instruction, invoked the protective deity Mahākāla through ritual prayer, and this deity would later become one of the most important legacies of the Mongol Empire, spreading across Central Eurasia. Another Tibetan brought to Mongolia by ’Phags pa, Sangge (桑哥), tried to solve the empire’s fiscal difficulties under Qubilai, but was eventually executed after drawing the ire of the Mongol aristocracy. Anige, Dampa, and Sangga sometimes cooperated toward grand goals, while at other times they quarreled with one another. Nevertheless, it is clear that these individuals, appointed through ’Phags pa’s recommendation and accepted by Qubilai, served as indispensable partners in the governance of Qubilai’s empire.