Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chongye Valley
The Chongye Valley (Qióngjié Shāngǔ) holds a special place in the heart of every Tibetan,
for it was here that the first great Tibetan monarchs forged an empire on the world's
highest plateau. The capital eventually moved to Lhasa but the valley remained hallowed
ground and the favoured place of burial for Tibetan kings. Rugged cliffs surround the
scenic burial ground on all sides.
Chongye town (population 3000) is a small and slow-paced spot where you'll see as
many yaks as people. The burial mounds, fort and Riwo Dechen Monastery are all with
2km of town.
Most visitors to the Chongye Valley go as a day trip from Tsetang and combine it with
attractions in the Yarlung Valley.
Chongye Burial Mounds TOMBS
(, , Zāngwáng Mùqún admission ¥30)
The tombs of the Tibetan kings at Chongye represent one of the few historical sites in the
country that give any evidence of a pre-Buddhist culture in Tibet. Accounts of the location
and number of the heavily eroded mounds differ. All said and done, the faint mounds of
earth are somewhat underwhelming, but the views back towards Chongye are impressive.
Most of the kings interred here are now firmly associated with the rise of Buddhism on
the high plateau, but the methods of their interment point to the Bön faith. It is thought that
the burials were probably officiated by Bön priests and accompanied by sacrificial offer-
ings. Archaeological evidence suggests that earth burial, not sky burial, might have been
widespread in the time of the Yarlung kings, and may not have been limited to royalty.
The most revered of the 10 burial mounds, and the closest to the main road, is the
130m-long Tomb of Songtsen Gampo . It has a small Nyingmapa temple atop its 13m-
high summit, which isn't worth the entry fee. The furthest of the group of mounds, high on
the slopes of Mt Mura, is the Tomb of Trisong Detsen .
Riwo Dechen Monastery MONASTERY
(, Rìwū Déqìng Sì )
 
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