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About
Tholing Gompa |
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Tholing Monastery is located in Zanda County, near the Indian
border of Ladakh, in the Nagari Region of western Tibet. It was
the oldest Buddhist temple in the region, it was founded by
the second king of the Guge Kingdom Yeshe-Ö, in 996. During
its heyday, it was the main centre for the translation of
Buddhist scriptures and the holding of religious ceremonies.
The kingdom's most prominent function in introducing Buddhism
to the heart of Tibet also contributed much to this temple. In
the middle of the 11th century, the high lama from India
Atisha lived and gave lectures there. Then in the year 1076 a
religious ceremony to remember the fantasy of this master was
held there during the peak period of this wonderful monastery.
In subsequent years, the monastery wrinkled several
vicissitudes and was finally recognized as a cultural relic of
national importance under the protection of the state at its
1000th anniversary.
In Tibetan language 'Tholing' means "floating in the sky
forever" and is reflected by the location of the monastery at
an altitude of 3,800 m (12,400 feet). The complex includes
three temples, the Yeshe-O Temple, the Lhakhang Karpo and the
Dukhang. There are many ancient, precious, and well preserved
frescoes. |
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History of Tholing Gompa |
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The
monastery is one of the first temples built at the start of the
"second diffusion" of Buddhism in Tibet. It was built in 997 AD
by King Yeshe-Ö, when Tholing was the capital of Guge. The king
sponsored lay young men who would become noviciates of the
monastery. For this purpose, he sponsored a fellowship for
Rinchen Zangpo to travel to Kashmir and India to study and
translate. He was one of 21 young monks who traveled to
Vikramshila Mahavihara, a specialist institution in tantra, for
training. Only two monks, Lekpai Sherap and Richen Zangpo,
survived the harsh climatic conditions, snake bites and
diseases, and were able to return to Tibet. Rinchen Zangpo built
three of the major temples at the monastery.
The king invited the Indian master Atiśa (982-1054) to Guge in
1042 AD. He spent three years in this monastery and with his
immense knowledge of Buddhism, revitalized Buddhism in Tibet. He
founded the Kadampa sect here, which adopted very strict
methods. As a result, Buddhism spread from here to the whole of
Tibet. Later, Atiśa’s follower was responsible for establishing
the Kagyu sect with emphasis on physical and mental meditation
techniques. They became the basis for Yellow Hat Sect, now the
dominant Geluk sect in Tibet. In the later part of the 11th
century, a Buddhist conference was arranged at Gyatsa Jhakhang
(also known as Yeshe-Ö Temple) a 10th-century temple which was
in ruins and has since been restored.
Tholing became a portal to Tibet for Indian scholars to visit
and spread religious-cultural ideas of Buddhism. Patronized by
the king of Guge, this Buddhist monastery marked the evolution
of ascetic Buddhism in Tibet, influenced by the Indian Buddhist
scholars. Two chapels, dated to the fifteenth century, were used
to store grains during the Cultural Revolution. Both have
prominent murals but those at Lakkhang Karpo are more important.
In its time, the monastery was the most prominent in the region.
The influence of the Guge Kingdom, and the monastic center of
Tholing came to be known in India from Kashmir to Assam.
The monastery became better known internationally, after Lama
Govinda, a German Buddhist monk who was accompanied by his wife,
visited the monastery in 1948. He presented pictures of the
monastery's decorations, statues and paintings to the outside
world. During the years of the Cultural Revolution, the temples
were destroyed or left to weather in the elements. In present
day, the monastery is mostly in ruins. However, it still
preserves many images and scores of well-preserved murals which
are made in the west Tibetan style.
In a recent report presented at the Seminar held in Vienna, from
6–8 April 2011, on the subject of "Art and History of the
Cultural History of Western Tibet 8th to 15 th century and
Cultural Preservation", it is recorded that the Inner Asian Art
Style has been identified in the paintings discovered from the
cave temples in Zanda of Nagarri.
In the Lotsava Lhakhang in Riba, in Ngari, field research has
revealed a painting of eight monks including Rinchen Zangpo of
the group of monks sent to Kashmir by Yeshe O, to bring texts of
scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism from there to West Tibet. |
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Geography of Tholing Gompa |
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The
monastery is located in remote badlands of far western Tibet in
Zanda County. It perches on an escarpment in the Grand Canyon
along the Langchen Tsangpo (designated as Sutlej River, meaning
"elephant river", in Tibet). It has a well laid out street, post
office and telecommunication facilities. The isolated military
installation of Zanda is nearby. Tholing is 19 km east of
Tsaparang, which is 262 km from Darchen. |
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Architecture and Fittings |
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The Tholing Monastery complex has many rectangular
buildings. It is a walled complex facing east. Built of
mud bricks, the style became the forerunner for similar
temples built in the kingdom. Before the Cultural
Revolution the monastery had six chapels. There are
portrait paintings of Tsong Khappa, Sakya Panchen and many
Buddhist monks dated to 15th and 16th centuries.
The most prominent among the existing temples, the Yeshe-Ö
Temple is built of mud-brick with red mud-brick towers.
Colourful chortens are outside at each corner of this
temple. Once a Vairochana image was sacred here. The
temple is reported to have been reconstructed after it had
been demolished by the Chinese, in a mandala style. Yeshe-Ö
Temple has elaborate-looking towers and its doors are
painted red. During the Revolution, the images inside this
temple were considerably damaged. The temple in the shape
of a mandala contains several chapels. The murals in the
two chapels, which are beautiful, survived demolition
during the revolution as they were used as store houses
for grains. There is also a museum hall in the entrance
chapel. The Tongy Chapel and the Neten Lakhang, which were
considered beautiful, were totally destroyed.
The Dukhang (Assembly Hall) is single-storied and has
paintings of Yeshe-Ö and other important personages. These
are painted with considerable detail, showing the clothing
of those times. Deities sanctified in the walls of the
hall, in a seated posture, are peaceful in appearance, and
are clothed with jewelry and textiles. There are images of
Gelukpa monks and a Lama. The paintings on the walls are
considered to be “superb mural art.” They are traced to
the 15th and 16th centuries, and are a fusion of styles
from Tibet, Kashmir and Newari art of Nepal
Himalayas. The Dukhang is where Rinchen Zangpo is
said to have lived. Kashmiri art is seen here, as are the
Maitreya, Sakyamuni and Dipankar, the Buddha images of the
past, present and future. These have been rebuilt in the
back chamber.
The Lhakhang Karpo (White Chapel) has a high ceiling with
thin wooden pillars made of Deodar wood and is painted
red. The floor is of cobblestones while the ceiling is
decorated in geometric designs. The Lakhang Karpo's
murals, dating to the 15th and 16th centuries, are well
preserved, including those of male figures on the right,
and female figures on the left. The building now serves as
storage for wood and stones. |
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