Thonmi is his clan name, while Sambhota means 'scholar' (sam) from Tibet (bhota). Possibly re-edited by others at later dates, Some sources state that he was sent specifically to the monastery of
Nalanda. Scholar
R. A. Stein states, :"According to Tibetan tradition, Songtsen Gampo sent a young man of the Thönmi or Thumi clan, Sambhoṭa son of Anu (or Drithorek Anu) to India in 632 with other youths, to learn the alphabet. The pattern chosen was the script of Kashmir. At all events, the ancient annals of
Tun-huang record against the year 655 that 'the text of the laws was written'. It is staggering to realize that, in a couple of decades, not only was the Tibetan alphabet invented, but the script had been adapted to the Tibetan language by a highly complicated orthography, and used for the writing of documents. Thönmi is also said to have composed, no doubt later on, a very learned grammar on the Indian pattern." Thonmi Sambhota became the fourth of seven wise ministers of King
Songtsen Gampo. He is said to be the only one of the original 16 students to return to Tibet. The Tibetan script he devised in retreat, after his return to Tibet, was prepared at
Kukarmaru Palace in
Lhasa, King Songtsen Gampo is said to have retired for four years to master the new script and grammar. He then made translations of Buddhist texts, including the twenty-one
Avalokitesvara texts. The
Chronicle of Ba, the keeping by the Ba clan members of royal records of important events during the
Tibetan Empire era, also began c.650. The first Tibetan dictionary followed in the 8th century, and was called the Drajor Bampo Nyipa (
Madhyavyutpatti) that had 600 to 700 words, used by the
panditas that were translating the Buddha Shakyamuni's recorded teachings into Tibetan for the
Kangyur, and the commentaries by great masters into Tibetan for the
Tengyur, which together created the
Tibetan Buddhist Canon. == Historical authenticity ==