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Tibet

Chinese ancient architecture and grottoes in Tibet: 6 entries, including Tradruk Temple, Dazhao Temple (Jokhang), Ganden Monastery, and more.

001 Architecture Tradruk Temple Changzhu Temple (Tradrug) is located in Naidong District, Shannan, Tibet, and is traditionally attributed to the Tubo king Songtsen Gampo. The Weizang Tongzhi records it under “Chamuzhu Temple,” relating the legend of subduing a five-headed serpent demon in the Yarlung Valley and building the temple with sacred images. Photographs taken by Hugh E. Richardson in 1949 preserve the full view of the monastery before the fields, the compound walls with golden roofs, the ancient bell in the portico, and the stupa banners in front of the courtyard. Tubo · Tibet · Nedong District, Shannan, Tibet Autonomous Region
002 Architecture Dazhao Temple (Jokhang) Dazhao Temple (the Jokhang) stands in Lhasa, Tibet. Chinese gazetteers write its name variously as Dazhao, Dazhao, Dazhao, and Dazhao (大昭/大招/大召/大诏); its Tibetan name is “Laomu.” The Weizang Tongzhi records that the temple rises four stories with five golden halls on top, the central hall enshrining Shakyamuni Buddha. Outside the gate stands the Tang–Tubo Alliance Stele, 1.5 zhang tall, a relic of the Changqing Treaty of 821 under Emperor Muzong; beside it grows an old willow said to date from the Tang dynasty. Tubo · Tibet · Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region
003 Architecture Sakya Monastery Sakya Monastery, in Sakya County, Shigatse, is the ancestral monastery of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. Its North Monastery was founded in 1073. In the 13th century, Phagspa entered the Yuan court, created a new Mongol script by imperial command, and transmitted an ordination ritual that was translated into Chinese; in 1268 he commissioned the South Monastery. The Yuan Shi, Kangyou Jixing, and Qinding Kuo'erka Jilüe trace centuries of contact between the monastery, Tibet, and successive central governments. Northern Song · Tibet · Sakya County, Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region
005 Architecture Tashilhunpo Monastery Tashilhunpo Monastery, also written Zhaxilunbu Monastery, is located in Samzhubzê District, Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region. Founded in the Ming dynasty, it is a Gelug monastery of Tibetan Buddhism and has served as the seat of successive Panchen Lamas. Drawing on sources including the General Gazetteer of Ü-Tsang, Illustrated Study of Tibet, Travel Notes from Kham, and Imperially Commissioned Brief Account of the Gurkha Campaign, this article traces the monastery’s founding history, layout, Panchen Lama stupas, damage and repairs during the Gurkha war, and includes twentieth-century historical photographs. Ming dynasty · Tibet · Samzhubzê District, Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region
006 Architecture Drepung Monastery Drepung Monastery stands on the southern slope of Mount Gephel Utse, west of Lhasa. Founded in 1416 by Tsongkhapa’s disciple Jamyang Chöjé Tashi Palden, it contains a former villa renamed Ganden Podrang in 1518 and made an office of the Tibetan local government in 1642. The surviving complex centers on Tsokchen Hall, Ganden Podrang, and four colleges; this entry presents Qing-to-Republican records and photographs from 1920 to 1936. Ming dynasty · Tibet · Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region

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