1. Songsten Gampo (1st Dharma King)

Songsten Gampo (c. 605–650) was the 33rd Tibetan king and the primary founder of the Tibetan Empire. Credited with introducing Buddhism to Tibet, he strategically married Princess Wencheng of China and Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal, who brought sacred Buddha images to Lhasa. He established the first Tibetan script and a code of laws based on Buddhist principles. His reign transformed a fragmented warrior culture into a centralized, literate state, earning him recognition as an emanation of Avalokiteśvara.