Khri

Khri is a historical term used in Tibetan contexts that functions as an honorific element meaning glory, renown, or auspiciousness. In scholarly transliteration, the syllable khri is often placed at the beginning of royal regnal names and occasionally appears in religious or ceremonial titles. The word is rooted in Tibetan language and appears in historical chronicles and inscriptions from the early Tibetan empire and its successor periods.

In historical usage, Khri is most prominently associated with regnal names of early Tibetan kings. Many monarchs are referred to in sources with names that begin with Khri, where the element serves as an honorific rather than a stand-alone title. This prefix helps identify figures in clan-based lineage records and in the Tibetan annals, and it appears in the standard English renderings of several regnal names.

One of the best-known examples is Khri srong lde brtsan, commonly identified in English-language sources as Trisong Detsen, who is traditionally placed in the 8th century and is noted for supporting the early spread of Buddhism in Tibet. The use of Khri in such names reflects a cultural practice of venerating rulers and associating their names with auspicious attributes.

In modern scholarship, Khri is primarily encountered as part of proper names in historical texts rather than as an independent title. It illustrates how Tibetan regnal naming conventions combined religious or aspirational qualities with dynastic identity. The term remains a point of reference for understanding Tibetan royal titulature and the historical transmission of regnal names. See also: Tibetan names, Trisong Detsen, Songtsen Gampo.