Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Commissioned by a Gyantse prince in 1427 and sitting inside the Pelkor Chöde complex,
the Gyantse Kumbum is the town's foremost attraction. The 32m-high chörten, with its
white layers trimmed with decorative stripes and its crown-like golden dome, is awe-in-
spiring. But the inside is no less impressive, and in what seems an endless series of tiny
chapels you'll find painting after exquisite painting (
kumbum
means '100,000 images').
The Gyantse Kumbum has been described as the most important of its kind in Tibet.
There are only two contemporaries, ruined and remote, in the Buddhist world: Jonang
Kumbum, 60km northeast of Lhatse, and the even more remote Chung Riwoche, in the
west of Tsang. However, it is commonly held that neither could ever compare with the
style and grandeur of the Gyantse Kumbum.
You can enter the
kumbum
and follow a clockwise route that leads murmuring pilgrims
up through the six floors, taking in the dozens of rather tiny chapels that recede into the
walls along the way. Much of the statuary in the chapels was damaged during the Cultural
Revolution but the murals have weathered well. They date back to the 14th century, and if
they were not created by Newari (Nepali) artisans then they were obviously influenced by
Newari forms. Experts also see evidence of Chinese influence and, in the fusion of these
Newari and Chinese forms with Tibetan sensibilities, the emergence of a syncretic but dis-
tinctly Tibetan style of painting.
There is a charge of ¥10 for interior photography, which is worth it. Bring a torch (flash-
light).
First Floor
This floor has four main chapels, two storeys high, oriented according to the cardinal
points. The four chapels are dedicated to: Sakyamuni (Sakya Thukpa; along with two dis-
ciples, medicine buddhas and Guru Rinpoche) in the south; Sukhavati, the 'pure land of
the west' and home of red Öpagme (Amitabha) in the west; Marmedze (Dipamkara, the
Past Buddha) in the north; and Tushita, another 'pure land' and home of Jampa (Maitreya),
in the east. In between are some excellent murals depicting minor Tantric and protector
deities. Statues of the Four Guardian Kings in the east mark the way to the upper floors.
Second Floor
The first four chapels in clockwise order from the stairs are dedicated to Jampelyang
(known in Sanskrit as Manjushri), Chenresig (Avalokiteshvara), Tsepame (Amitayus) and
Drölma (Tara). Most of the other chapels are devoted to wrathful protector deities, includ-
