ÿþ<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /> <TITLE>Tholing Monastery - TibetTravel.Org</TITLE> <meta name="description" content="The Guge Kingdom in Tibet experienced a brief period of ascendancy which lasted for about 700 years. Today two of its remaining glories have been left behind. One is its political center, the Ruins of Guge Kingdom, and the other is its religious center, the sublime Tholing Monastery."> <meta name="keywords" content="Tholing Monastery, ngari, ali"> <link href="http://www.tibettravel.org/tibettravel/css/list_mod.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /> <link href="http://www.tibettravel.org/tibettravel/css/list.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /> </head> <body> <div id="warrper"> <div id="header"> <div id="top"> <div id="left"><strong>Service Call:</strong>(+86)-28-85552138 <strong> Tibet Travel Service and Tibet Tour Operator</strong></div> <div id="right"> <a href="http://www.tibet-travel.net/" target="_blank" class="style63">Francais</a> | <a href="http://www.chinese-tours.com" target="_blank" class="style63">Japanese</a> | <a href="http://www.china-panda.com" target="_blank" class="white">Sichuan</a> | <a href="http://www.6trip.com" target="_blank" class="white">Yuannan</a> | <a href="http://www.57qh.com" target="_blank" class="white">Qinghai</a> </div> </div><!--/ top--> <div id="head_banner"> <div id="logo"></div> <div id="headPic"><a href="http://www.tibettravel.org"><img src="http://www.tibettravel.org/images/pic.jpg" alt="Tibettravel.Org new edition website" border="0" ></a></div> <div id="server"> <p class="STYLE10">24/7 SERVICE</p> <p>Tel: (+86)-28-85552138</p> <p>Email: <a href="mailto:inquiry@tibettravel.org" >inquiry@tibettravel.org</a></p> <p>Online Contact:<a href="skype:china3737?call"><img src="http://www.tibettravel.org/tibettravel/list/image/skype.png" alt="Call me!" width="45" height=20 border=0></a><a href="msnim:chat?contact=china3737@hotmail.com"><img height=20 alt="Call me!" src="http://www.tibettravel.org/tibettravel/list/image/msn.gif" border=0></a> <!--MSN conversation over --></p> </div><!--/ server--> </div><!--/ head_banner--> <div id="nav"> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.tibettravel.org/"><span>Home</span></a></li> <li><a href="/tibet-tour/"><span>Tibet Tours</span></a></li> <li><a href="/tibet-hotel/"><span>Tibet Hotels</span></a></li> <li><a href="/flights-to-tibet/"><span>Flights to Tibet</span></a></li> <li><a href="/tibet-train/"><span>Tibet Train</span></a></li> <li><a href="/tibet-travel-guide/"><span>Tibet Travel Guide</span></a></li> <li><a href="/tibettravel/list/list_2556_1.html" class="nav_red"><span>Group Tours</span></a></li> <li><a href="http://www.tibettravel.org/tibettravel/list/list_2044_1.html"><span>About Tibet</span></a></li> <li><a href="/tibettravel/Html/20063231201-1.html"><span>About Us</span></a></li> <li><a href="/tibettravel/feedback/" class="last"><span>Feedback</span></a></li> </ul> </div><!--/ nav--> </div><!--/ header--> <div id="main"> <div id="leftMaincom"> <div id="addcom"> <p><a href="http://www.tibettravel.org">Home </a> <xoYu_CMS_CODE:NEWS:NEWS_TYPE> > <a href="../list/list_2009_1.Html">tibet landscape</a> > <a href="../list/list_2020_1.Html">Ngari Area</a> > <a href="../list/list_2479_1.Html">Attractions</a> > <a href="../list/list_2704_1.Html">Guge Kingdom</a></xoYu_CMS_CODE:NEWS:NEWS_TYPE></p> </div><!--/ add--> <div id="leftMainContentcom"> <h1 class="topTitle">Tholing Monastery</h1> <div class="lineok"></div> <div class="lineok2"></div> <div style="width:635px; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; line-height:20px;"><div style="width:620px; margin:0 auto ! important!; margin-left:20px; line-height:20px; text-align:left;"><p><img height="350" alt="The Full View of the monastery" width="450" src="/images/Ngari/Tholing1.jpg" /></p> <p>The Guge Kingdom in Tibet experienced a brief period of ascendancy which lasted for about 700 years. Today two of its remaining glories have been left behind. One is its political center, the Ruins of Guge Kingdom, and the other is its religious center, the sublime Tholing Monastery.</p> <p><strong>History</strong><br /> Tholing means 'hovering in the sky forever' in Tibetan, and this indicates the imposing position occupied by the monastery. The Tholing Monastery is located in Zanda County, in the Ngari Region of western Tibet. Built by the second king of the Guge Kingdom in 996, it was the oldest Buddhist temple in the region. During its heyday, it was the main centre for the translation of Buddhist scriptures and the holding of religious ceremonies. The kingdom's dominant 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 sermons there. Then in the year 1076 a religious ceremony to memorize the nirvana of this master was held there during the peak period of this glorious monastery. In subsequent years, the monastery weathered several vicissitudes and was finally recognized as a cultural relic of national importance under the protection of the state at its 1000th anniversary.</p> <p><strong>Constructions </strong><br /> The Tholing Monastery incorporates the craftwork of the architecture and Buddhist statues of neighboring India, Nepal and Ladakh (the present area of Kashmir), imitating the style of the archetypal Tibetan temple - the Samye Monastery. The groups of buildings here include halls, monks' residences and pagodas, among which the most worth seeing are the Jiasha Hall, Red Hall, White Hall and the 108 Pagodas.</p> <p>The Jiasha Hall is the main building and serves as the symbol of the monastery. From above , it looks like the Chinese character ya 'ÑÇ'. The central hall symbolizes the highest mountain in Buddhism - Mount Meru. The surrounding small halls represent the four continents while the pagodas in the four corners stand for the Heavenly Kings guarding the sutras. The statue of Tathagata Buddha is enshrined in the central hall, and the murals remaining in the other small halls are extremely beautiful. Their style and taste echo the artistry of the Ruins of Guge Kingdom.</p> <p>The Red Hall was the assembly place for the monks. The most impressive remains here are also the murals which depict many stories. The mural of the Sixteen Vajra Dancers on the porticos is especially lovely.</p> <p>The White Hall is where the statue of Sakyamuni stands. There used to be 14 other sculptures, however only their pedestals remain now. In the murals here, you can find pictures of the king, Atisha and other high lamas.</p> <p>Another sight worth visiting is the group of pagodas beside the Xiangquan River. They are all made of earth and arranged in an orderly line hundreds of meters long. There are 108 pagodas in all, hence the name '108 Pagodas'. At sunset the reflection of the sun's rays from the yellow pagodas makes for a beautiful and breathtaking scene.</p> <p><img height="350" alt="Some corner of the monastery" width="450" src="/images/Ngari/Tholing2.jpg" /></p> <p><strong>Travel tips</strong><br /> The Tholing Monastery lies not far from Zanda County. The Art Department Guesthouse there is about 300 m. (0.2 mi.) away. You can walk north from there. It is a bit dark in the halls, so please take along a flashlight.</p> <p align="left"><span class="STYLE5"><em>The word files of this webpage and some images are original works of Tibettravel.Org. Any unauthorized use and duplication is prohibited.</em></span> </div></div> <div class="topblue"> More Information Related to Tholing Monastery</div> <div class="topblue2"> <xoYu_CMS_CODE:NEWS:NEWS_TOP><a title="Dungkar and Piyang" href="../Html/201042823532-1.Html">Dungkar and Piyang</a><p><a title="Tsaparang" href="../Html/2010428233942-1.Html">Tsaparang</a><p><a title="Guge Kingdom" href="../Html/2010428232720-1.Html">Guge Kingdom</a><p><a title="Guge Civilization: Still Mysterious and Unknown " href="../Html/2006523134335-1.Html">Guge Civilization: Still Mysterious and Unknown </a><p><a title="Zanda Clay Forests " href="../Html/2006324141717-1.Html">Zanda Clay Forests </a><p><a title="Donggar Frescos and Rutog Rock Paintings" href="../Html/2006324141515-1.Html">Donggar Frescos and Rutog Rock Paintings</a><p><a title="Tholing Monastery" href="../Html/20063241447-1.Html">Tholing Monastery</a><p></xoYu_CMS_CODE:NEWS:NEWS_TOP> </div> <!--end next--> </div><!--leftMainContent--> </div><!--/ leftMain--> <div id="rightMain"> <div class="comBox2"> <h2 class="comTitle">Attractions Search</h2><!--/ comTitle--> <div class="searchdiv"><form method="post" action="http://www.tibettravel.org/tibettravel/search.asp" target="_blank"> <input name="k" size="14" style="border: 1px solid #809DB9; margin:3px; height:19px; margin-bottom:0px; width:155px ! important; width:145px; "> <input name="Submit" src="http://www.tibettravel.org/images/serokjp.png" type="image" value="Submit" align="absmiddle" border="0" width="52" height="22" style="margin:3px; margin-bottom:0px;"> </form></div> <div style="width:90%; height:10px; float:left;"></div> </div> <div class="comBox2"> <h2 class="comTitle">Attractions Guide</h2> <div class="searchdiv"> <xoYu_CMS_CODE:NEWS:NEWS_LIST><xoYu_CMS_CODE:NEWS:NEWS_LIST></xoYu_CMS_CODE:NEWS:NEWS_LIST><img src="../images/discover.gif" align="absmiddle"> <a href="../list/list_2575_1.Html"><font color="#000000">Mount Kailash</font></a><img src="../images/discover.gif" align="absmiddle"> <a href="../list/list_2576_1.Html"><font color="#000000">Manasarovar Lake</font></a><img src="../images/discover.gif" align="absmiddle"> <a href="../list/list_2689_1.Html"><font color="#000000">Chiu Monastery</font></a><img src="../images/discover.gif" align="absmiddle"> <a href="../list/list_2690_1.Html"><font color="#000000">Tirthapuri Hot Spring & Kora</font></a><img src="../images/discover.gif" align="absmiddle"> <a href="../list/list_2695_1.Html"><font color="#000000">Khojak Monastery</font></a><img src="../images/discover.gif" align="absmiddle"> <a href="../list/list_2696_1.Html"><font color="#000000">King Tiger Hot Srpings</font></a><img src="../images/discover.gif" align="absmiddle"> <a href="../list/list_2697_1.Html"><font color="#000000">Tagyel-tso</font></a><img src="../images/discover.gif" align="absmiddle"> <a href="../list/list_2698_1.Html"><font color="#000000">Pangong-tso</font></a><img src="../images/discover.gif" align="absmiddle"> <a href="../list/list_2699_1.Html"><font color="#000000">Mentong Monastery</font></a><img src="../images/discover.gif" align="absmiddle"> <a href="../list/list_2700_1.Html"><font color="#000000">Tsari Nam-tso</font></a><img src="../images/discover.gif" align="absmiddle"> <a href="../list/list_2701_1.Html"><font color="#000000">Dawa-tso</font></a><img src="../images/discover.gif" align="absmiddle"> <a href="../list/list_2702_1.Html"><font color="#000000">Dung-tso</font></a><img src="../images/discover.gif" align="absmiddle"> <a href="../list/list_2704_1.Html"><font color="#000000">Guge Kingdom</font></a></xoYu_CMS_CODE:NEWS:NEWS_LIST></div> </div> <div id="thisformdiv"> <form action=" http://www.tibettravel.org/tibettravel/order/order_save.asp" method="post" id="thisform" name="myform" onSubmit="return check()"> <fieldset> <legend>Want a Quick Answer?</legend> <p><label for="name" accesskey="9">Name:&nbsp;</label> <input type="text" id="name" name="Fullname" tabindex="1"></p> <p> <label for="email">Email:&nbsp;</label> <input type="text" id="email" name="Email"tabindex="2"></p> <p> <label for="request">Your Request</label> <input type="text" value="3" name="type1" style="display:none" /> <input type="text" value="Quick Book" name="title" style="display:none" /> <label> <textarea name="content" id="text1" rows="3" onBlur="if (value ==''){value='Question not answered? Ask here!'}" onFocus="if (value =='Question not answered? Ask here!'){value =''}" value="Question not answered? Ask here!"></textarea> </label> <br /> </p> <p><input type="submit" value="submit" id="subbot"/></p> </fieldset> </form> </div> <div class="comBox2"> <h3 class="comTitle">Tibet Update</h3><!--/ comTitle--> <div class="tour282 make_list"> <xoYu_CMS_CODE:NEWS:NEWS_TOP>9-12-2011<a title="Tibet reports a record of high number of tourists this year " href="../Html/2011912185512-1.Html">Tibet reports a record of high number of tourists this year </a>9-6-2011<a title="Intangible Tibetan culture heritage exhibitions during Lhasa Shoton Festival " href="../Html/20119618519-1.Html">Intangible Tibetan culture heritage exhibitions during Lhasa Shoton Festival </a>9-5-2011<a title="Lhasa-Shigatse railway is under construction " href="../Html/20119518475-1.Html">Lhasa-Shigatse railway is under construction </a>9-4-2011<a title="Lhasa Shoton Festival 2011 Attracted Over 900 Thousand Tourists" href="../Html/20119421726-1.Html">Lhasa Shoton Festival 2011 Attracted Over 900 Thousand Tourists</a></xoYu_CMS_CODE:NEWS:NEWS_TOP> </div> </div> </div><!--/ rightMain--> </div><!--/ main--> <div id="footnav"> <a href="/tibettravel/list/List_2005_1.Html">About Tibet</a><a href="/tibettravel/list/list_2009_1.Html">Tibet Travel Guide</a><a href="/tibet-tour/">Tibet Tour</a> <a href="/tibettravel/list/List_2014_1.Html">Tibet Photo</a><a href="/tibettravel/list/list_2267_1.Html">Nepal</a><a href="/tibettravel/Html/20063231201-1.html">About Us</a><a href="/tibettravel/html/2007414152212-1.Html">Contact Us</a> <a href="/tibettravel/html/200741414380-1.Html">How to Pay</a> <a href="http://www.tibettravel.org/links/links.html">Links</a></div> <!--/ footnav--> <div id="footer"> <img src="/images/visacard_88x31.gif" alt="we accept credit card payment" height="31" width="88"> <img src="/images/mastercard_88x31.gif" alt="we accept credit card payment" height="31" width="88"> <img src="/images/AE_88x31.gif" alt="we accept credit card payment" height="31" width="88"> <img src="/images/Diners_88x31.gif" alt="we accept credit card payment" height="31" width="88"> <img src="/images/JCB_88x31.gif" alt="we accept credit card payment" height="31" width="88"> <img src="/images/paypal_logo1.gif" alt="we accept PayPal payment" height="31" width="114"> <img src="/images/iata.gif" height="37" width="43" alt="we accept PayPal payment"> <img src="/images/cits-logo.gif" height="37" width="37" alt=""> <img src="/images/fit-logo.gif" height="37" width="37" alt=""> <p>Tibet Department of Sichuan China International Travel Service Co. Ltd ( L-SC-GJooool)</p> <p>Tel: (+86)-28-85552138 Fax: (+86)-28-85544588</p> <p>Copyright 2000-2009 All rights reserved ICP: 06013423 Tibet travel</p> </div><!--/ footer--> <script type="text/javascript"> var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-23623607-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); </script> <script type="text/javascript"> var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-19982865-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); </script> </div><!--/ warrper--> </body> </html><!--tibettravel.org --> <!--2002^ÿ2007 Copyright by www.tibettravel.org All Rights Reserved-->