Utsang Attractions

Potala Palace

 

The Potala Palace, winter palace of the Dalai Lama since the 7th century, symbolizes Tibetan Buddhism and its central role in the traditional administration of Tibet. The complex, comprising the White and Red Palaces with their ancillary buildings, is built on Red Mountain in the centre of Lhasa Valley, at an altitude of 3,700m. Also founded in the 7th century, the Jokhang Temple Monastery is an exceptional Buddhist religious complex. Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama’s former summer palace, constructed in the 18th century, is a masterpiece of Tibetan art. The beauty and originality of the architecture of these three sites, their rich ornamentation and harmonious integration in a striking landscape, add to their historic and religious interest.

 

The palace is named after Mount Potalaka, the mythical abode of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. The 5th Dalai Lama started its construction in 1645 after one of his spiritual advisers, Konchog Chophel (died 1646), pointed out that the site was ideal as a seat of government, situated as it is between Drepung and Sera monasteries and the old city of Lhasa. It may overlay the remains of an earlier fortress called the White or Red Palace on the site, built by Songtsän Gampo in 637.

 

The building measures 400 metres east-west and 350 metres north-south, with sloping stone walls averaging 3 m. thick, and 5 m. (more than 16 ft) thick at the base, and with copper poured into the foundations to help proof it against earthquakes. Thirteen stories of buildings—containing over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and about 200,000 statues—soar 117 metres (384 ft) on top of Marpo Ri, the “Red Hill”, rising more than 300 m (about 1,000 ft) in total above the valley floor.

 

Tradition has it that the three main hills of Lhasa represent the “Three Protectors of Tibet”. Chokpori, just to the south of the Potala, is the soul-mountain of Vajrapani, Pongwari that of Manjusri, and Marpori, the hill on which the Potala stands, represents Avalokiteśvara.

 

The Potala contains two chapels on its northwest corner that conserve parts of the original building. One is the Phakpa Lhakhang, the other the Chogyel Drupuk, a recessed cavern identified as Songtsän Gampo’s meditation cave. The external structure was built in 3 years, while the interior, together with its furnishings, took 45 years to complete. The Dalai Lama and his government moved into the Potrang Karpo (‘White Palace’) in 1649. Construction lasted until 1694, some twelve years after his death. The Potala was used as a winter palace by the Dalai Lama from that time. The Potrang Marpo (‘Red Palace’) was added between 1690 and 1694.

 

The number of visitors to the palace was restricted to 1,600 a day, with opening hours reduced to six hours daily to avoid over-crowding from 1 May 2003. The palace was receiving an average of 1,500 a day prior to the introduction of the quota, sometimes peaking to over 5,000 in one day. Visits to the structure’s roof was banned after restoration works were completed in 2006 to avoid further structural damage. Visitorship quotas were raised to 2,300 daily to accommodate a 30% increase in visitorship since the opening of the Qingzang railway into Lhasa on 1 July 2006, but the quota is often reached by mid-morning. Opening hours were extended during the peak period in the months of July to September, where over 6,000 visitors would descend on the site.

 

Jokhang Temple

 

The Jokhang, also known as the Jokhang Temple, or Tsuklakang), is a Buddhist temple in Barkhor Square in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. Tibetans, in general, consider this temple as the most sacred and important temple in Tibet.. The temple’s architectural style is a mixture of Indian vihara design, Tibetan and Nepalese design.

 

Tsurphu Monastery

 

Tsurphu Monastery was founded in 1189 by the first  Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa (1110-1193). It was rebuilt in 1263 by the II Karmapa, Karma Pakshi (1204-1283). It is the main monastery of the Kamtsang Kagyu Tradition, which is one of the four major Dagpo Kagyu lineages deriving from direct disciples of Gampopa (1079-1153). Tsurphu has been the traditional seat of the Activity of the Karmapas. It lies to the northwest of Lhasa at Tolung.

 

From the II up to the IV Karmapas, each visited China and Mongolia and taught the Mongol Emperors of China. They founded numerous monasteries in North Tibet and what the Manchus many centuries later called “Inner Mongolia.” The main Kagyu Lineage monastery of Mongolia, Khochiti Khambo, located in the Shilinggol District of Inner Mongolia, was a branch of Tsurphu.

 

The II through the IV Karmapas also established many monasteries in Minyag. Minyag had been the great Buddhist Tangut kingdom. It spanned the region between the northeastern quarters of the Tibetan northeastern province of Amdo to Inner Mongolia. The Mongol ruler Chingis Khan conquered it in 1227. Many of the people migrated to the southeastern Tibetan province of Kham, where they named their area also Minyag. As the date of this migration is uncertain, it is also uncertain whether the monasteries founded by the Karmapas were in the original Minyag homeland, in the Minyag area of Kham, or in both.

 

The III Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje (1284-1339), wrote an extensive commentary to the Kalachakra Tantra. The Tsurphu lineage of astronomy and astrology developed from it. Each year, the monastery prepared and published the Tsurphu calendar and almanac, calculated according to this tradition.

 

The V Karmapa, Dezhin Shegpa (1384-1415), was invited to China and taught the Chinese Ming Emperor, Yunglo. In 1407, the Emperor presented him with a Black Hat, in accordance with an auspicious dream. Although the Mongol emperors of China had presented his predecessors with black hats, the Black Hat Ceremony of the Karmapas based itself on this black hat presented to the V Karmapa. Thereafter, the ceremony was performed regularly at Tsurphu.

 

Tsurphu has upheld the tradition of Gampopa, which combined the two streams of the Mahamudra teachings with the Kadam teachings of the Lam Rim. Thus, the traditional course of study and practice at Tsurphu has included both Sutra and Tantra, with special emphasis on tantric ritual, art, music, and meditation. Five levels of degrees were awarded, with the highest being Dorje Lobpon (Tantric Teacher).

 

Many of the Minyag people who had relocated in Kham later moved further south and settled in Sikkim. The modern day Sikkimese is descendents of the Minyag people who intermarried with the local Lepcha population. Due to this Minyag influence, Sikkim became mostly of the Kagyu Lineage, in association with Tsurphu.

 

The first Chogyel, or Dharma King of Sikkim, Phuntsok Namgyel (b. 1604), of Minyag ancestry, was chosen by the settlers from Tibet as both the temporal and spiritual leader of Sikkim. Ralang Monastery, the first Kamtsang Kagyu monastery in Sikkim, was built by the fourth Chogyel in 1730. The second Kagyu monastery built was Rumtek, in 1740.

 

In the mid twentieth century, the XI Tai Situpa Rinpoche, Pema Wangchug Gyelpo, established an institute for Buddhist textual study at Palpung Monastery in Dergey, Kham. The first Tai Situpa Rinpoche, Chokyi Gyeltsen (1377-1448), had been a disciple of the V Karmapa, and the VIII Tai Situpa Rinpoche, Chokyi Jungney (1700-1774), had founded Palpung in 1727. The XI Tai Situpa Rinpoche then requested the XVI Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpay Dorje  (1924-1981), to establish a similar institute of study at Tsurphu.

 

Subsequent to this request, the Karmapa received a vision of the great Nyingma translator Vimalamitra, who had introduced the Dzogchen Lineage from India to Tibet. In this vision, Vimalamitra also advised the Karmapa to establish a center where the teachings could be properly transmitted and studied. If this could be done, Vimalamitra promised he would emanate among its teachers and students for thirteen lifetimes.

 

The XVI Karmapa was in the process of preparing to found such an institute at Tsurphu when the Chinese invasion occurred. In 1959, he escaped to Sikkim, choosing Rumtek Monastery to be his seat in exile. First, the tantric rituals of Tsurphu were restarted. Then, the monastery was rebuilt in 1969, and Karma Manjushri House was founded for the young monks’ study. Finally, in 1980, the Karma Sri Nalanda Institute for Buddhist Studies was constructed as a branch of Rumtek to fulfill the requests of the previous Tai Situpa and Vimalamitra. In the present times, the Kagyu monasteries in India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim send two monks each to train at this institute in the Sutra teachings through the medium of debate.

 

Reting Monastery

 

Reting Monastery was founded by Atiśa’s chief disciple Dromtön in 1057 in the Reting Tsangpo Valley north of Lhasa as the seat of the Kadam lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He brought some of Atiśa’s relics with him.  It was the first major monastery of the Sarma revival.

 

Je Tsongkhapa (1357–1419) reformed the Kadam, which then became known as the Gelug lineage and Reting became an important Gelug monastery, the seat of the Reting Rinpoche.

 

The Reting Rinpoches were responsible for the successful search and discovery of the 14th Dalai Lama. The Reting Rinpoches were among the candidates for Regent during the minority of a Dalai Lama. Thus, the Reting Rinpoche was Regent between 1845 and 1855 and, again, from 1933-1947. The latter Regent, the Fifth Reting Rinpoche, was involved in the search for the present Dalai Lama and became his Senior Tutor, later abdicated his position and was found guilty of colluding with the Chinese and died in a Tibetan prison in 1947. In fact his Shugdenpa accusers who were in power are generally held responsible for his murder were colluding with the Chinese Ambon. They also destroyed the Gelug Reting Monastery and killed many in Lhasa. The political confusion which followed aided the rapid collapse of Tibet after the Chinese invaded.

 

The Sixth Reting Rinpoche died in 1997. The Chinese announced in January 2001 that a new incarnation had been chosen as the Seventh Reting Rinpoche, just two days after the Karmapa began his flight to India. This incarnation has not been recognised by the Dalai Lama who believes he is a pawn in the attempt by the Chinese to control the Buddhist religion in Tibet.

 

Nyêmo Chekar monastery

 

Nyêmo Chekar monastery is a small Buddhist monastery of the Bodongpa tradition in Nyêmo County, Lhasa, Tibet. It is known for its mural paintings of reincarnations of the Samding Dorje Phagmo. Nyemo Chekar lies near Uyuk in Nyêmo County. It is the birthplace of 8th century “translator” Vairotsana. The name comes from an area of chekar, or white sand, that surrounds the monastery. The monastery was established in the 16th century by Tashi Ombar, protector of the Bodongpa tradition, and Chime Palsang, spiritual master of the tradition.

 

The old wall paintings in the porch of the temple had been repainted by 1996. In a dark altar room on the ground floor the walls are completely decorated with much older portraits that included Bodong Chogle Namgyal (1376–1451), the deity Dorje Phagmo and Tashi Ombar, the blue horseman who protects the Bodongpa tradition. One of the better-preserved upper rooms also has fully decorated walls, including formal portraits of Bodong Chogle Namgyal, Chokyi Dronma (the first incarnation of Dorje Phagmo) and Chime Palsang. It has various other pictures of women, some remarkably realistic. One depicts the princess Chokyi Dronma in a nun’s garb, with a yogini’s long hair hanging loose, wearing gold and turquoise earrings. Although unnamed, most of the female portraits appear to represent different reincarnations of the Dorje Phagmo. They probably date from the late 16th or early 17th century.

 

Nyethang Drolma Temple

 

The Nyethang Drolma Temple is a temple dedicated to Tara. It is associated with Atiśa (980–1054), who founded the Kadam school of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery survived the Cultural Revolution relatively undamaged. It is dedicated to Tara, a female bodhisattva, and contains many statues and paintings of Tara.

 

Atiśa taught the Four Tantras to physicians in the monastery, and later died there. Some sources say that Atiśa built the monastery, which was expanded after his death by his pupil Dromtön. Another version says that Dromtön raised funds to build the temple to commemorate his old friend. In 1057 Dromtön brought Atisha’s body from Nyethang to Reting Monastery, and placed his remains in a stupa built by an Indian artist.

 

The monastery survived the Cultural Revolution without much damage, and was able to preserve most of its valuable artifacts,

 

Gaden Monastery

 

Ganden Monastery was founded by Je Tsongkhapa Lozang-dragpa (1357–1419) in 1409. Tsongkhapa built Ganden’s main temple, with large statues and three-dimensional mandalas. He often stayed at Ganden, and died there in 1419. Tsongkhapa’s preserved body was entombed at Ganden by his disciples in a silver and gold encrusted tomb.

 

The name “Gelug” is an abbreviation of “Ganden Lug”, meaning “Ganden Tradition”. The Ganden Tripa or “throne-holder of Ganden” is the head of the Gelug school. Before dying Tsongkhapa gave his robe and staff to the first Ganden Tripa, Gyeltsabjey (1364-1432), who was succeeded by Kaydrubjey. The term of office is seven years, and by 2003 there had been 99 Ganden Tripas. The monastery was divided into four colleges at the time of the 2nd Ganden Tripa. Later these were consolidated in two, Jangtsey and Shartsey, located respectively to the north and east of the main temple. Both combine the study of sutra and tantra. Study methods include memorization, logic and debate. The colleges grant degrees for different levels of achievement, evaluated by examination and formal public debate.

 

In the 1860s a meeting called “the great Ganden Monastery, Drepung Monastery, and the government officials” was organized by Shatra, a lay aristocrat. The existing regent was deposed by this assembly and replaced by Shatra. From then on the assembly, or Tsondu, chose the regents and played a significant political role as a consultative body. The monasteries of Ganden, Sera and Drepung was so great that they could in effect veto government decisions with which they disagreed. These three monasteries had 20,000 monks in total, supported by large estates of fertile land worked by serfs. At one time the Genden monastery could support over 5,000 monks. Laurence Waddell reports an estimate of about 3,300 in the 1890s. There were apparently only 2,000 monks in 1959.

 

Drak Yerpa

 

Drak Yerpa is located around 30 km to the North – East of Lhasa, Drak Yerpa is one of the holiest cave retreats ever. At one time the hill at the base of the Cave dotted cliffs was home to Yerpa Monastery. The Monastery, however, was effectively laid to waste in the Cultural Revolution and there is very little to see nowadays.

 

There are a number of small temples shrines and hermitages and the cliffs contain some of the earliest known meditation sites in Tibet, some dating back to pre-Buddhist times. Among the more famous are those traditionally connected with Songtsen Gampo (604–650 CE), His Tibetan queen, Monza Triucham, founded the Dra Yerpa temple here.

 

He and his two foreign-born queens are said to have meditated in the ‘Peu Marsergyi Temple’ and in the ‘Chogyel Puk’, and to have discovered ‘self-originated’ symbols of the Buddha-body, speech and mind. Padmasambhava, or Guru Rinpoche, meditated and practiced tantric yoga with his yogini Yeshe Tsogyal here, and to have spent 7 months in meditation in the ‘Dawa Puk’, which is considered to be one of his three most important places of attainment. After Lhalung Pelgyi Dorje assassinated the anti-Buddhist Bon Emperor Langdarma in 842 CE he is said to have hidden himself in a cave and meditated for 22 years. His hat was kept there until 1959.

 

Yerpa became one of the three most important centres of meditation and retreat in Central Tibet. Several of Guru Rinpoche’s disciples are also said to have meditated here. Atisha (982 – 1054 CE) preached extensively in the valley. Atisha’s hermitage is in ruins but had 300 monks in the 19th century and was the summer quarters for the Ramoche Monastery (the Upper Tantric College).

 

Later histories record that both Songtsen Gampo and Trisong Detsen (756–797) founded temples at Yerpa, and Klu-mes Tshul-khrims did some refurbishing in the 11th century. Tradition says that after Songtsen Gampo’s only son, Gungri Gungsten, was born to Mangza Tricham, Princess of Mang, one of his wives: “A shrine and a stupa dedicated to the tutelary deity of mother and son were built upon the lap of a rocky mountain that resembled a seated image of the Holy Tara in the region of Yerpa.”

Drikung Thil Ogmin Jangchubling

 

Drikung Thil Ogmin Jangchubling was established in 1179 by Kyobpa Jigten Sumgon ( 1143-1217), the founder of the Drikung Kagyu tradition. It was actually built at the place of a hermitage erected in 1167 by Minyak Gomring, an illiterate ascetic and like Jigten Sumgon a pupil of Phagmodrupa ( 1110-1170).

 

Drikung Thil is the main seat of the Drikung tradition. It is located on the brow of a long mountain ridge some 120 kilometers to the north-east of Lhasa overlooking the Shorong valley. Legend has it that Jigten Sumgon had selected this place for the monastery while following a dri (a female yak), who lay down at that place. The horns of the dri are still shown today at Drikung. Because of this the whole area supposedly was called Drikung. According to the historical chronicles of Dampa Sonam Gyaltsen (1312-1375) Mirror of the Royal Genealogies in reality the land was a fiefdom of Dri Seru Gungton, a minister of King Songtsen Gampo, and the district was named after him.

 

It is interesting to note that from its founding days Drikung had a very well organized administrative structure. While the abbot was the supreme spiritual authority, the secular administration including civil and military powers were in the hands of a Gompa or Gomchen. Like the throne holders, most of the secular rulers came from the Kyura clan, the paternal lineage of Kyobpa Jigten Sumgon. The Kyura clan claimed its descent from king Ralpachen (ruled 815-838). Until the 16th century the throne of Drikung was hereditary among the clan with only very few exceptions.

 

During the 13th century Drikung Thil rose to an important center of political power. It became one of the major rivals to the Sakya rule in the period of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. The power struggle on the background of opposing Mongol groups exerting their influence in Tibet culminated in a military attack on Drikung Thil. This conflict would later go down in history as the war between Drikung and Sakya. It was not a feud between two schools of Tibetan Buddhism, as is often claimed, but rather an attempt on the part of a few provinces of central Tibet to revolt against the overlordship forced on them by Khubilai Khan (1215-1294) with support from rival Mongol groups. The actual local conflict centered on disputes concerning the succession in Phagmodrupa’s monastery of Densa Thil. At Densa Thil branches of the familial lines of the Lang clan were pursuing interests that were at variance with each other. One branch was supported by the Sakyapa and the other by the Drikungpa. The war broke out under the 7th lineage holder of Drikung, Tsamche Drakpa Sonam (1238-1286), and in 1290, under his successor Nub Chogo Dorje Yeshe (1223-1293), Drikung Thil Monastery was devastated by Mongolian troops. This disaster did not come unexpected for the local population. As Dorje Yeshe was not a member of the Kyura clan, but of the Nub clan, he lacked support in difficult times, since Jigten Sumgon had prophesied that choosing a throne holder outside the Kyura clan would bring misfortune to Drikung.

 

Sky Burial Ground or Drikung Durto

 

On the shoulder of the mountain west of Drikung Thil lies Drikung Durto, the renowned sky burial ground, compared in fame to Sitavana near Bodh Gaya, one of the eight Indian charnel grounds. Still today bodies are brought from far away places in Tibet for being dismembered and fed to the vultures at Drikung Durto. According to legend a rainbow joins Sitavana with the sky burial ground of Drikung. A vulture’s footprint in stone still to be seen here is said to belong to Sitavana’s protector. Part of the boundary around the place with stupas and lhakhangs is also a circle of boulders representing the mandala of Chakrasamvara. There is also a self-arisen mani-stone and a stupa that marks the place of Jigten Sumgon’s throne with his footprint in rock.

 

Gyama Palace

 

Gyama Palace or Gyama Mingyur Ling in Meldro Gungkar County, Lhasa, Tibet, now ruined, was built by Namri Songtsen in the 6th century as the new capital of the expanding Tibet kingdom. His son, Songtsän Gampo, was born there but later moved the capital to Lhasa. The palace is now in ruins.

 

The ruined Gyama Palace lies in the Gyama Valley in the south of Meldro Gungkar County, Lhasa. It was built by Namri Songtsen in the 6th century after he had gained control of the area from Supi. Songtsän Gampo, his son, was born in the palace. Songtsän Gampo unified the Tibetan plateau and established the Tibetan Empire (629–846). He moved the capital of the kingdom to Lhasa, where he built the Potala Palace. The transfer took place in 633 AD.

 

Tradruk Monastery

 

Tradruk monastery was built during Tibet King Songtsen Gampo period in the 7th century, the Tradruk Monastery is situated at the east bank of the Yalong River in the south of the Lhoka. It is Tibet’s oldest Buddha worship hall, with a history of over 1,300 years.

 

Tibetan legend goes that, once upon a time, the site of the monastery was an extremely deep lake. In the lake there is a five-head dragon. After Songtsen Gampo got control of Tibet, he wanted to drain the lake and build a castle there. So he invited two Buddhist masters to lure a big rock bird to attack the dragon.

 

The two masters first imitated the sound of the bird and lured the dragon out; then they imitated the sound of the dragon to lure the bird out. Next, the dragon and the bird began to fight. The bird at last chopped off two of the dragon’s heads with its wings. Seven days later, the lake disappeared. That is how the monastery got its name.

 

Its main constructions include the assembly Hall enshrining the statues of Songtsen Gampo, Sakyamuni, and Guanyin Bodhisattva, and a winding corridor with many scriptures carved on the wall. The hall on the second floor of the assembly Hall enshrines the statue of Indian Master Padmasambhava.

 

Yumbu Lakhang

 

Yumbulagang or Yumbu Lakhang is an ancient structure in the Yarlung Valley, Nêdong County, in the southern Tibet. According to legend, it was the first building in Tibet and the palace of the first Tibetan king, Nyatri Tsenpo. Yumbulagang stands on a hill on the eastern bank of the Yarlung River in the Yarlung Valley of southeast Naidong County, about 192 km southeast of Lhasa, and 9 km south of Tsetang.

 

According to the Bön religious tradition, Yumbulagang was erected in the second century BCE for the first Tibetan king, Nyatri Tsenpo, who descended from the sky. During the reign of the 28th king, Lha Thothori Nyantsen, in the fifth century CE, a golden Stupa, a jewel (and/or a form to the manufacture of dough-Stupas) and a Sutra that no one could read fell from the sky onto the roof of the Yumbulagang; a voice from the sky announced: “in five generations one shall come that understands its meaning!” Later, Yumbulagang became the summer palace of the 33rd Tibetan king, Songtsen Gampo and his Chinese princess, Wencheng. After Songtsen Gampo had transferred the seat of his temporal and spiritual authority to Lhasa, Yumbulagang became a shrine and under the reign of the 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, a monastery of the Gelugpa school.

 

The Yumbulagang was heavily damaged and reduced to a single storey during the Cultural revolution but was reconstructed in 1983.

 

The castle is divided into front and rear precincts. The front is a three-storey building while the rear is dominated by a tall tower, like a castle. Enshrined at the palace are the statues of Thiesung Sangjie Buddha, King Niechi, the first King of Tibet, Songsten Gampo and other Tibet kings.

Traditionally, it is said that the first cultivated field in Tibet, called Zortang, is located to the northwest, below Yumbulagang. Even today, farmers sprinkle soil from Zortang on their own fields to ensure a good harvest. There used to be a temple, Lharu Menlha, containing images of the Eight Medicine Buddhas near the field.

 

Dorje Drak Gompa

 

Dorjidak Gompa or Tupten Dorjé Drak Éwam Chokgar was one of the Six “Mother” Nyingma Monasteries in Tibet. It is located in the Lhoka. Dorje Drak is also the name of the monastery built to replace it in Shimla, India after the original was destroyed during the Battle of Chamdo. It is now the seat of the throne-holder of the monastery and the tradition. Along with Mindrolling Monastery it is one of the two most important Nyingma monasteries in the region of Ü.

 

Rebuilding began in 1720, under patronage of the 7th Dalai Lama, Kelzang Gyatso. However, when Kelzang Pema Wangchuk, The Fifth Dorje Drak Rigdzin was enthroned as the monastery’s third throne holder, its buildings were still lying mostly in ruins.

The Sixth Dorje Drak Rigdzin, Kunzang Gyurme Lhundrub is remembered for “building and maintaining the monastery.” He “gave teachings, commissioned numerous objects of faith, sponsored the printing of scriptures, and emphasized the study of the Jangter and other traditions’ texts.”

“The monastery specialized in the Northern Treasures tradition of Rigdzin Gödem”. It had approximately 200 monks.

 

Tombs of Tibetan Kings

 

Kings, ministers and princess consorts of the 29th to 40th Tibet Empire (700 – 900 AD) were buried here. Tombs of Tibetan Kings are the most well-preserved large-scale king’s graveyard according to the historic documents. It is seated on the Mure Mountain in Chonggye County of Lhoka which constantly reminds you that the soul and cultural origin of Tibet hide here, with the spreading alcazars and temples between sacred mountains and lakes, as well as the ancient images such as Songtsen Gampo, Nyatri Tsenpo and Princess Wencheng. Tombs of Tibet Kings shows the ancient burial system of Tibet one thousand years ago, and also means a lot to the research work of Tibet’s development, decline, and the communication between ancient Tibet. Tibet Kings of 7th to 9th century AD were buried here in the middle of Mure Mountain and Yalung River, The whole graveyard covers around 10,000 thousand square meters. Nowadays, nine of them are visible, but only those of Songtsan Gampo and Trisong Detsen can be completely verified. Others are still under verification.

 

Chongggye County was the center of politics, economy and culture in ancient Tibet. For the fertile land and relatively good geographical position, from the ninth king to the fourteenth, they successfully developed economy and built many palaces here. after Songtsan Gampo united the whole Tibet Plateau, he moved the capital from Lhoka to Lhasa. But the imperial kinsmen still stayed around Chonggye and the kings in Lhasa were buried here respecting their ancestors.

 

 

Lhamo Lhatso

 

Lhamo Latso or Lhamo Lhatso is a small oval oracle lake where senior Tibetan monks of the Gelug sect go for visions to assist in the discovery of reincarnations of the Dalai Lamas. Other pilgrims also come to seek visions. It is considered to be the most sacred lake in Tibet.

 

It is also known as “The Life-Spirit-Lake of the Goddess”, the goddess being Palden Lhamo, the principal Protectress of Tibet.

 

It is said that Palden Lhamo, as the female guardian spirit of the Lhamo La-tso promised the 1st Dalai Lama in one of his visions “that she would protect the reincarnation lineage of the Dalai Lamas.” Ever since the time of the 2nd Dalai Lama, who formalised the system, the regents and other monks have gone to the lake to seek guidance on choosing the next reincarnation through visions while meditating there.

 

The particular form of Palden Lhamo at Lhamo La-tso is Jemo Maksoma “The Victorious Queen who Turns Back Enemies”. The lake is sometimes referred to as “Palden Lhamo Kalideva”, which indicates that she is the (Buddhist) emanation of Kali, shakti of Shiva. Jemo Maksoma, also called Machik Pellha Shiwé Nyamchen, this is an unusually peaceful form of Palden Lhamo.

 

The mountain to the south of Chokorgyel Monastery, Shridevi, is the “blue” residence of Palden Lhamo on which a sky burial site is located. The monastery was originally built in a triangular form to reflect the symbolism of its position at the confluence of three rivers and surrounded by three mountains and also represents the conjunction of the three elements of water, earth and fire, as well as the female principle of Palden Lhamo in the form of an inverted triangle.

 

Lhamo Latso is a brilliant azure jewel set in a ring of grey mountains. The elevation and the surrounding peaks combine to give it a highly changeable climate, and the continuous passage of cloud and wind creates a constantly moving pattern on the surface of the waters. On that surface visions appear to those who seek them in the right frame of mind.

 

It was here that in 1935, the Regent, Reting Rinpoche, received a clear vision of three Tibetan letters and of a monastery with a jade-green and gold roof, and a house with turquoise roof tiles, which led to the discovery of Tenzin Gyatso, the present 14th Dalai Lama.

 

Tashi Lhunpo Monastery

 

Tashi Lhunpo Monastery founded in 1447 by the 1st Dalai Lama, is a historic and culturally important monastery in Shigatse.

 

The monastery is the traditional seat of successive Panchen Lamas, the second highest ranking tulku lineage in the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. The “Tashi” or Panchen Lama had temporal power over three small districts, though not over the town of Shigatse itself, which was administered by a dzongpön (prefect) appointed from Lhasa.

 

Located on a hill in the center of the city, the full name in Tibetan of the monastery means “all fortune and happiness gathered here” or “heap of glory”. Captain Samuel Turner, a British officer with the East India Company who visited the monastery in the late 18th century,

 

In 1791 the monastery was attacked and looted by an army of Nepalese Gurkha warriors but were driven out by the Chinese who simultaneously strengthened their control over the temple and Tibet.

 

Choekyi Gyalpo, the 11th Panchen Lama according to the government of the People’s Republic of China, has been enthroned there, while Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama recognised by the Dalai Lama, has been held under “protective custody” by Chinese authorities since 1995.

 

Tashi Lhunpo in its heyday housed over 4,000 monks and had four Tantric colleges, each with its own Abbot. After the death of a Panchen Lama, these four abbots led the search for his infant reincarnation and one of them always acted as a prime minister of Tsang under the control of the Dalai Lama in Lhasa.

 

Since the early 1980s parts of the Tashi Lhunpo monastery have been open to the public and it is an important tourist attraction in Tibet today.

 

The Maitreya Temple known as (Jambu Chyenmu) on the west side is the tallest building of the monastery. It was erected in 1914 by the Ninth Panchen Lama to house a gigantic statue of the Maitreya Buddha and is 26.2 metres (86 feet) in height. The statue sits on a splendid lotus throne in the ‘European’ posture with its hands in the symbolic teaching pose. A single finger of the giant figure is almost 4 feet in length. The statue contains 279 kg (614 lbs) of gold and 150,000 kg (330,000 lb) of copper and brass moulded on a solid wooden frame by Tibetan and Nepalese craftsmen. Small versions of the Maitreya are positioned in all four corners of the chamber and the murals on either side of the door show a more active, antic style than any to be seen in Lhasa.

 

On the east side of the monastery is the old living quarters of the Panchen Lama, the Panchen Lama’s Palace known as Gudong. Inside, a narrow courtyard gives access to the temple containing the Fourth Panchen Lama’s tomb. The temple vestibule has very large inscriptions at either end praising his holiness. Inside, the silver and gold stupa tomb rivals any in the Potala Palace in Lhasa for the splendour of its craftsmanship and jewels. Measuring 11 metres (36 ft) in height it contains 85 kg (187 lb) of gold and countless semi-precious stones. On the left is three statues representing Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light, whom the Panchen Lams are thought to embody. An upper level has a number of long chapels embroidered in silk thangka’s that relate the lives and events surrounded the Panchen Lamas. Most were made in Hangzhou as indeed many throughout Tibet were during the 1920s. The old living quarters of the Panchen Lama are no longer open to the public, but the rooms are more modest and humble than any of the rooms at the Potala.[citation needed]

Main Chanting Hall

 

The main chanting hall contains the throne of the Panchen Lama and two connected chapels. The left is devoted to an elaborately ensconced Sakyamuni with eight Bodhisattvas robed in silk brocade. The right is dedicated to Tara, the goddess who sanctifies the mountain above and whose image is depicted throughout the temple. A White Tara goddess occupies the centre of the altar with a Jade Green Tara on either side.

 

The Sutra Hall is the repository chamber of the monastery, containing some 10,000 hand-carved wooden blocks used for printing the Buddhist scriptures. These are all Tibetan translations of original Sanskrit texts. Visitors to the temple can buy coloured prayer flags and Tibetan lunar calendars as souvenirs which are printed in the chamber.

 

The Gyeni Chanting Hall is a chanting chamber on the southeast side of the monastery where Tibetan Buddhism is practised. It has a debating garden in its courtyard with many fine trees. The roof of the chanting hall has a chapel on the north side where two very tall guardians are formed from its structural columns by the use of masks and ancient armour. Outside it are some extraordinary colourful Buddha murals and animal murals which have emerged from folklore and animism.

 

Ngang College is focused on a smaller chanting chamber on the west side of the main path upstairs of the Deyangshar courtyard. A Ngang morning chanting ceremony accompanied by sacred musical instruments is usually led by the few remaining monks of the temple. Pilgrims may circumambulate the hall but tourists, particularly photographers, are asked to be extremely sensitive to the sacred atmosphere.

 

The great flag-stoned courtyard of Tashi Lhunpo, known as (Chuajing Duogang), has walls which are covered by over 1000 repeated images of Sakyamuni, with their hands gesturing the five symbolic poses (mudras).

 

The gallery of the monastery surrounds the Deyangshar courtyard and leads to chapels on the east side housing many hundreds of tiny Buddha statues.

 

The roof of Tashi Lhunpo has several bronze-gated chapels located on two-tiered levels. On the north side, above the chapels of the chanting hall, is the funerary stupa of the First Dalai Lama, the only one not entombed in Lhasa. On the east side is a small ‘chamber of horrors’ chapel. Painted demons, considered now to be defenders of Buddhism betray their origins as the terrifying gods of the ancient pre-Buddhist, animist Bön faith who were only later absorbed into mainstream Buddhism. On the south side is a Tara chapel with blue and gold murals depicting Tibetan history.

 

Shalu Monastery

 

The monastery of Shalu was founded by Chetsun Sherab Jungnay in the region of Nyangro near the present day town of Shigatse. In the early fourteenth century it became the most important centre of learning under Butön Rinpoche (1290-1364 ), one of Tibet’s greatest scholars. There he brought together the one hundred and eight volumes of the fundamental texts of Buddhism, the Kanjur, and the two hundred volumes of “treaties and commentaries”, the Tenjur. At the same time he supervised the execution of 499 tantric mandalas, a few of which can be still seen in two chapels on the first floor. In 1305, Butön Rinpoche advised Prince Drakpa Gyaltsen to extend the monastery, following which Shalu was decorated by Tibetan and Nepalese artists who had been trained in the Mongol imperial workshops under the famous Newari master, Arniko (1245-1306). Due to Butön’s activity, the monastery became one of the most important centres of study in Tibet, continuing on as an influential, non-sectarian monastry for centuries to come. The association has adopted the name of Shalu, as an exceptional repositary of Tibetan religious art, and in memory of this great Buddhist teacher.

 

Situated approximately 40 kilometers south of Shigatse. the blue tiled rooves can be seen far across the valley. One of the rare religious sites to escape complete destruction during the Cultural Revolution, the outer structure of the main Serkhang Temple was restored in the mid-1980s, since it was in danger of imminent collapse. However the interiors remain exactly as they were following the Cultural Revolution, with numerous exceptionally beautiful wall paintings in various stages of degradation. The large Gonkhang on the ground floor dates to the 11th c., where rare and precious examples of Pala art are combined with influences coming from Central Asia. The ancient stucco images that were probably part of the original decor remain in heaps of rubble on the floor, and furthermore, this chapel has suffered new damage over the last few years, because the monks, unknowingly, have kept their firewood stacked immediately against the precious 11th c. wall paintings, scratching them as they take the wood in and out. This situation improved due to the intervention of Western concerned individuals, who repeatedly told the monks of the importance of their temple. The remaining paintings, dating to the 14th c., are also in a style eclipsed in the place of origin, ie. that, mentioned above, of the Newari-Tibetan-Mongol school, founded and developed by Arniko at the court of Kublai Khan in Beijing during the latter half of the 13th c. This style continued to influence art in Northern and Eastern Asia for centuries to come.

 

In the North and South chapels on the first floor, remains of the mandalas executed under the supervision of Butön, are badly defaced. Below, in the circumambulatory surrounding the main temple, Serkhang, one hundred scenes from the life of the Buddha cover three sides of the outer wall. These suffer considerable damage from water infiltration. Some attempts at restoration with modern chemical paint at the back of the Serkhang show how disastrous the situation may be if international aid is not brought in. Numerous paintings of great beauty adorn the walls and galleries in other parts of the monastery.

 

Narthang Monastery

 

Narthang Monastery is a monastery located 15 km (9.3 mi) west of Shigatse in Tibet. Founded in 1153 by one of the disciples of Atisha, Nathang was the fourth great monastery of Tsang with Shalu Monastery, Sakya and Tashilhunpo. Narthang was first famous for its scriptual teaching and monastic discipline. After the fourteenth century it gained great eminence as the oldest of Tibet’s three great printing centres (the other being the Potala and the Derge).

 

The Fifth Panchen Lama took control of the monastery and it continued printing the Buddhist scriptures the Kangyur and the Tengyur until 1959. Narrthang’s five main buildings and large chanting hall were razed to the ground by the Chinese in 1966. They had contained priceless 14th century murals possibly painted by the artist scholars of nearby Shalu Monastery. Today, only the mud-brick foundations can be discerned although parts of the Mongolian styled high-fortress walls are still standing.

 

Yungdrungling Monastery

 

In 1836, Nangton Dawa-gyeltsen founded Yungdrungling Monastery just below Menri. This became the major debate monastery for the Bon tradition, although in the twentieth century nine more were established in Kham and Amdo.

 

Monks studied only sutra in the debate style, while they studied tantra and dzogchen privately with their teachers. Yungdrungling, as well as the debate college that was started at Menri in 1947, awarded its own Geshe degree. Monks with this degree could go on for further studies at Losel-ling College of Drepung Monastery of the Gelug tradition and take examinations for becoming Geshe Lharampa. A few monks carried out their entire debate education at Drepung Losel-ling.

 

Yungdrungling Monastery had four colleges: Yungdrungling, Kunseling, Kunkyabling  and Kundragling, with eight divisions. In 1959, the monk population was approximately 400. In addition to the study of sutra dialectics, the monastery also maintained the major tantric rituals of the Bon tradition.

 

The sutra debate tradition at Yungdrungling, and later at Menri, is very similar to that found in the Buddhist monasteries. The great texts and subjects studied are very similar. First, the monks learn collected topics of set theory, ways of knowing, ways of logical proof, and systems of tenets. Then they study the Bon equivalents of prajnaparamita concerning the insights along the stages and paths, madhyamaka philosophy, pramana logic, abhidharma metaphysics, and vinaya rules of discipline. For tantra and dzogchen practice, monks undertake preliminaries, as among the Buddhists, such as taking refuge, developing bodhichitta, mandala offering, openly admitting to previously committed negative acts, and purification.

 

Yungdrungling Monastery had an abbot, disciplinarians, chant-leaders, and other monk officials, much as any Buddhist monastery. The Bon monk’s rules of discipline are very strict. In addition to vows very similar to those of the Buddhists, Bon monks have vows not to eat meat or garlic, and to wash regularly.