The author, Tsalpa Kunga Dorjé (Tshal pa Kun dga' rdo rje, 1309–1364), was a member of the Tsalpa (Tshal pa) family, who were powerful in Central Tibet in the early 14th century. Kunga Dorjé spent a considerable amount of time in the Mongols’ Yuan dynasty court, where his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had all served. In his final years he entered monastic life in Tibet and completedThe Red Annals in 1363.
The text concerns the origins of the world, the life and teachings of the Buddha, accounts of royal lineages, the history of the diffusion of Buddhism in Tibet, and its development under the Mongol Yuan dynasty.
