Epic of King Gesar

The Gesar epic centres on the Tibetan tribal hero King Gesar of the eleventh century, recounting his miraculous birth, unification of rival clans, campaigns across the known world and propagation of Buddhism; transmitted orally among Tibetan and Mongol peoples for over a millennium, the compiled text now exceeds ten million lines—the world's longest living epic.

The epic is performed by specialist bards (drungkhen) who typically claim to have received their gift in dreams or meditative trance, capable of improvising for dozens of hours without a written text; dressed in Tibetan robes with symbolic props, they deliver the tales in the soaring Tibetan vocal style, weaving singing, dance and recitation.

Inscribed on China's first national ICH list in 2006 and on UNESCO's representative list in 2009, the Gesar epic is an encyclopaedic source for Tibetan history, religion, customs and language, and the primary key to understanding Tibetan cosmology and heroic values.

The storytelling tradition extends across Tibet and all Tibetan-inhabited areas; in Lhasa it is performed at cultural centres, folk-art showcases and festival events, while institutions such as Tibet University host dedicated Gesar research bodies.