Ruins of Guge Kingdom

The Guge Kingdom was founded in about the tenth century by a descendant of King Lang Darma, who fled from Lhasa after the collapse of the Tubo Kingdom. The kingdom played an important role in the second renascence in Tibet and survived for about 700 years before disappearing mysteriously in the 17th century.

The ruins lie on a hilltop near a river and cover 180,000 square meters. Houses, cave dwellings, monasteries and stupas were found on the hill and surrounding area. Palaces sat at the summit, while monasteries were on the mountainside and cave dwellings for the common people were at the foot of the hill. The kingdom was enclosed by tunnels and walls which acted as fortifications. Some structures survive time and remain in good condition in this isolated region, though many structures have been reduced to dust. A two-kilometer (1.2mile) long tunnel was built of stones, but is now in ruin, dives the summit to the river below and was used as a water supply for the Guge people.

The Guge Kingdom is famous for its murals, sculptures and stone inscriptions, which are attached to the surviving structures. Among them, murals from White Palace, Red Palace, Yamantaka Chapel, Tara Chapel and Mandala Chapel are preserved in good condition, although they are hundreds of years old. The themes of the murals include mainly stories of Buddha, Sakyamuni, Songtsen Gampo, kings of Guge and their ministers. A chapel on the summit of the hill houses a mural depicting male and female Buddhas bringing the Tantric cultivation (civilization) together, while the lower part displays purgatory with naked, enchanting Dakins flanking each side. The artistic and aesthetic value of Guge murals is deemed comparable with that of Mogao Caves.

The wall of Guge is actually a library of stone inscriptions, which are equally impressive as its murals. Mani stones are scattered around. Most sculptures of the Guge style are gold and silver Buddha.

Around the ruins are weapons of the Guge people and mummies, which are probably Guge soliders, the only traces of the once glorious kingdom.

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Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarova

Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarova lies in the region of Burang. They are symbolized as the "Sacred Mountain and Holy Lake" of the Buddhism, Hinduism and the indigenous religion-Bon.

Mt. Kailash, named Gang Rimpoche in Tibetan, is the highest peak of Gangdise Mountain, with an altitude of 6638 meters (2177 feet). Like a huge diamond, the peak is centered among peaks that resemble an eight-petal lotus. From 100 kilometers (62 miles) away, the crystal snow clad peak can be gazed upon from the peaks of Mt. Gurla Mandata, which is deemed by Tibetan people as the Mountain of Goddess. Between the two sacred peaks are Lake Manasarova and Lake Rakshastal (La'nga Tso), which are called Holy Lake and Ghost Lake respectively. The neighboring lakes are linked by a natural underground tunnel although the water body is separate, simply like a pair of connected vessels. However, the Holy Lake is a freshwater lake whereas Ghost Lake is a saltwater lake.

The sacred mountain of Kailash is a spiritual center for Buddhists, Hindus and Bonists; who believe circumambulation around it can scour away ones sin. Circumambulation around Kailash consists of inner circumambulation and outer circumambulation. The outer circumambulation usually takes 3 days on foot and 15-20 days by prostrate body length. Generally circumambulators start inner circumambulation after 13 outer ones. According to the Tibetan calendar, since the year of the horse, many more pilgrims have come because people contend that one round equals 13 rounds in normal years.

In front of the Kailash lies the crystal Holy Lake, Manasarova (Mapam Tso). As one of the highest fresh water lakes in the world, the lake covers 412square kilometers (159 square miles) and its altitude is 4588 meters (15049 feet). Rippling blue water and reflections of snow capped peaks and white clouds present beautiful scenery that is almost indescribable. Nine monasteries were once set up around the holy lake to facilitate religious cultivation.

The lake is a holy lake to Buddhism, Hinduism and the local Bon faith. Countless of Buddhist, Hindus and Bonists pilgrims trek thousands of miles to pay their pilgrimage to the holy lake. Its Tibetan name means "perpetually invincible". It was said that in the 11th century, Milarepa, a great adepter in Tibetan Buddhism, fought a contest of magical power with a Bonist and defeated him. There are many other beautiful stories about the sacred, holy lake. Buddhists believes the lake was amrita bestowed upon Tibetan people by Chakrasamvara. People believe that the water from the holy lake can remove one's physical and spiritual discomfort. Even plants and fish that are somehow related to the lake are deemed as magical medicines. Pilgrims turning prayer wheels, circumambulate the lake to show their piety. Every summer, pilgrims from Tibet, India and Nepal cluster to make circumambulation and bathe in the lake. After, they will return home and bring samples of the holy water to family and friends as precious gifts.

The neighboring Lake Rakshastal (La'nga Tso) is in fact beautiful too. However, with it being branded as Ghost Lake, one will always carry a sense of weirdness when standing beside the lake.

Tholing Monastery

Mt. Meaning "to fly and never fall", the Tholing Monastery is renowned throughout the Ngari region. Yeshi-O, the outstanding king of the Guge Kingdom, established the monastery around the beginning of the 10th century to expand and develop Buddhism in Tibet. Yeshi-O was a devout Buddhist who sent 21 youths to learn Tantric Buddhism in Kashmir, India. Only Rinchen Zangpo and another made it back alive. After his return, Rinchen Zangpo, the greatest Buddhist adapter and interpreter, began translating Buddhist sutras and developed Buddhism at Tholing. Later, Yeshi-O was defeated and captured in an ambitious campaign launched in an attempt to plunder and gather enough gold to bribe Atisa, a famous Indian monk, to leave India and join his Guge Kingdom. Yeshi-O's captors demanded a hefty ransom of gold. Yeshi-O's nephew collected the desired amount, but Yeshi-O refused to have the money used for his release and instead ordered him to bring the gold to Atisa in India. Thus, Yeshi-O sacrificed his life in order to lure Atisa to Tibet. After Atisa's arrival, the monastery gained a higher reputation and at once became a religious center in Tibet under the royal patron of the Guge Kingdom. Although it faded after the collapse of the Guge Kingdom, Tholing still maintains an important place in Tibet, even after 900 years, in consideration of its significance in the second transmission of Buddhism into Tibet.