Although the Gonggar Chode Monastery belongs to the Zung branch of the Sakyapa school, Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk, the founder of the Khyenri school, decorated the monastery with beautiful wall paintings in the 16th century. He painted many wall paintings himself, many of which remain today. Those paintings also serve as unique art historical documents to allow people to find the identification of this school, which is very durable and influential on later Tibetan paintings as long as to the 20th century. As many as one hundred and 60 monks used to live here, but the number shrinks to about 30 now. For the condition of the monastery, the main building is in good shape. And after the restoration, the exterior is fine now.

Among all the paintings, there are 3 groups of paintings that are remarkable. One is the wall paintings in the circumambulatory; one is the series of portraits on the back wall of the assembly hall; and finally, ten large panels depicting tantric deities in the Yidam chapel on the first floor of the monastery. The 3 were completed in different period of time, but they are common in delicacy and excellent quality.

Because of the destruction in turbulence, some paintings more or less lost their original beauty. Fortunately, the restoration in recent times enables us to see some of the paintings again. Many organizations are devoted to contributing to the rebirth of those paintings. For instance, the Shalu Association aims to reinforce the structure of the Yidam chapel. And it's quite convenient to find materials for the main beams because a forest is just nearby.

Tips of Gonggar Chode Monastery

Please don’t touch these paintings with your hands, which could do harm to them, because they are really rare and valuable.