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Tibet Guge Kingdom Photo Gallery - Best Photos

We traveled to the Guge Kingdom in Western Tibet in 2006.

Tibet Guge 01 To 07 Lake and Hills Just 13km after leaving the main road at Sangsha on the way to Tholing, we crested a pass (5150m) and had a fantastic view of a colourful lake and surrounding hills.

Tibet Guge 01 To 07 Lake and Hills

Tibet Guge 01 To 13 Jerome Ryan, Peter Ryan, Charlotte Ryan, Lhaktse, Sadim, Konjo, Gyan Tamang, Palden, Pemba Rinji Jerome Ryan, Peter Ryan, and Charlotte Ryan with our crew: Tibetan truck driver Lhaktse, Tibetan Land cruiser driver Sadim, Tibetan guide Konjo, Nepalese guide Gyan Tamang, Nepalese cook Palden, and Nepalese porter Pemba Rinji.

Tibet Guge 01 To 13 Jerome Ryan, Peter Ryan, Charlotte Ryan, Lhaktse, Sadim, Konjo, Gyan Tamang, Palden, Pemba Rinji

Tibet Guge 01 To 16 Sutlej Canyon As we got closer to Tholing, a broad view opened across the Sutlej canyon, a wild jumble of eroded sandstone hills, with the mountains of India in the distance. Kamet (7756m) is the tallest mountain, with its snowy rounded dome. This mountain has often been mistaken for Nanda Devi.

Tibet Guge 01 To 16 Sutlej Canyon

Tibet Guge 03 Tholing 08 White Temple 03 Padmapani On the left wall is a painting of Padmapani (

Tibet Guge 03 Tholing 08 White Temple 03 Padmapani

Tibet Guge 03 Tholing 16 Yeshe O Temple Outside Side The two structures ... which composed the main temple (i.e. the inner cruciform building, conceived as four wings departing in the four directions from a central core … and the surrounding enclosure ...) in the shape of the citadel of the mandala were joined together by means of a roofed area, the internal of walls of which were covered with murals. Roberto Vitali: Records of Tho.ling.

Tibet Guge 03 Tholing 16 Yeshe O Temple Outside Side

Tibet Guge 04 Tholing 12 Chorten 1 Rainbow Bathed in an evening rainbow is the Serkhang chorten.

Tibet Guge 04 Tholing 12 Chorten 1 Rainbow

Tibet Guge 05 Tsaparang 02 Entrance Tsaparang is 21km west of Tholing (Zanda). From left to right are the Chapel of the Prefect, the Yamantaka Temple, the Red Temple, and the White Temple. The trail then climbs to the former residential quarters, where monks' cells were tunneled into the clay hillside. Finally, the route goes into the hillside and through tunnels before emerging in the ruins of the palace citadel at the very top of the hill, with the Demchog Temple just visible to the left. Photographing inside the buildings was strictly forbidden.

Tibet Guge 05 Tsaparang 02 Entrance

Tibet Guge 06 Tsaparang White Temple 05 23 Vajrapani Immediately to the right of the door is a 5m-high guardian figure, blue Vajrapani (Tib. Chana Dorje). The significantly elongated torsos, a typical Guge trademark, have been broken open, exposing the straw. This has since been closed with what looks like white plaster. To the left of Vajrapani is an empty pedestal that used to contain a statue of Tara. Photo - Weyer/Aschoff: Tsaparang, Tibets Grosses Geheimnis.

Tibet Guge 06 Tsaparang White Temple 05 23 Vajrapani

Tibet Guge 06 Tsaparang White Temple 07 03 Avalokiteshvara Beyond Hayagriva is an empty pedestal and then a pedestal containing an especially beautiful four-armed Avalokiteshvara (Tib. Chenrezig). Here is a photo showing both its original form and the partially destroyed image, still looking serene. Photos from Li Gotami Govinda: Tibet in Pictures (1979) and Nomachi: Tibet (1997).

Tibet Guge 06 Tsaparang White Temple 07 03 Avalokiteshvara

Tibet Guge 08 Tsaparang 10 View From Citadel Back Towards Entrance From the Citadel at the top of Tsaparang, we had a wonderful view back towards the entrance, across the marvelously eroded valleys around the site. In the middle, just to the right of centre is the Temple of Lotsava Rinchen Zangpo.

Tibet Guge 08 Tsaparang 10 View From Citadel Back Towards Entrance

Tibet Guge 09 Tsaparang Demchog Temple 05 Ratnasambhava Along the back wall is the cycle of Akshobhya (Guhyasamaja), the five Tathagatas each with three heads and six arms, garbed in rich bodhisattva ornaments and crowns. On the far left of the wall is my favourite, a beautiful Ratnasambhava, painted in Kashmiri style with the faces and bodies elongated, the waists are very narrow, and the abdomens slightly bulging. They have well-developed, almost breast-like pectoral muscles, although their multiple arms are thin and spidery. Photo - Weyer/Aschoff: Tsaparang, Tibets Grosses Geheimnis,

Tibet Guge 09 Tsaparang Demchog Temple 05 Ratnasambhava


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