Wikipedia:List of hoaxes on Wikipedia/Tiberius Lowang

Tiberius X Lowang (Tibetan: ལོ་&#3905;་&#3908;, Simplified Chinese: &#28872;&#26085;&#29579;, Wylie Romanization: Thabala Lowanga) is the Hellenized Sassanid general mentioned in Donyi-Polo mantras who led troops into southern Tibet per request by the tribal chieftains. He ultimately replaced the local authorities with his own brutal military dictatorship.

According to some folklore tellers, the imperial court of the Sassanid Dynasty feared Lowang's ruthless ambitions and exiled him to garrison a remote corner of the empire. Epic mantra Mishyelha described Lowang as the "harbinger of doom" sent by the animist gods to punish the Tibetans for their irreverence of holy man Abo Teni.

Lowang commanded a small garrison somewhere in the modern-day Kashmir region before a courier from Tibetan chieftains Safyen Shaali and Hadi Shwaarz arrived, begging for assistance to restore order in their territories.

Years ago, Abo Teni started converting the locals to his new religion and the orthodox chieftains feared Abo Teni's growing influence. They initiated a bloody purge across their territories but were uncertain of their troops' loyalty. Shwaarz believed that Lowang's foreign legion would be a more reliable force to annihilate the dissidents.

Lowang accepted the offer with delight because this was the opportunity he had been waiting for to expand his powers. Mishyelha estimated that Lowang commanded 100,000 troops into Tibet but a more accurate estimate would have been around 300-500.

After arrival, Lowang immediately accelerated the persecution of Abo Teni's men and spread flame and sword across southern Tibet. He arranged a secret meeting with Abo Teni's most influential disciple, Jeuhli Khorvho, who favored appeasement, and promised him religious autonomy in exchange for his loyalty. Khorvho agreed, broke with Abo Teni, and led two hundred followers to the distant fortress of Maegusapha.

The schism weakened Abo Teni's movement and allowed Lowang to destroy the remnants of Abo Teni's followers. After the execution of hundreds of civilians, Abo Teni was forced to flee across the Himalaya to the haven of Dalaran in modern-day Arunachal Pradesh.

Lowang immediately broke his promise with Khorvho and launched a surprise attack against Maegusapha. The besieged followers mutinied when food ran out and assassinated Khorvho, although some accounts claim that the cowardly Khorvho was beheaded by the legendary hero Sarghai Uluianaar while trying to escape. Lowang's troops eventually captured the citadel and executed everyone inside in an orgy of killing and looting. This massacre marked the end of civilized, primitive tribal customs in southern Tibet.

Chieftains Shaali and Shwaarz, dismayed by these massacres, ordered Lowang to leave their territory at once. Lowang refused and promptly arrested all of the tribal chieftains. When the imprisoned leaders tried to surreptitiously communicate with their bewildered denizens and stage a rebellion, Lowang ordered their executions.

With all oppositions destroyed, Lowang crowned himself king and ruled southern Tibet for many years. Although he stamped out several ill-organized revolts easily during his reign, the kingdom Lowang built dissolved shortly after his death due to the incompetence of his successors.