Changzhug
Encyclopedia
Tradruk Temple, also written Changzhug Monastery , in the Yarlung Valley
is the earliest great geomantic temple after the Jokhang
- and some sources say it is even pre-dates the Jokhang.
It is located in Nêdong County
of Lhoka (Shannan) Prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region
of China
, about seven kilometres south of the county seat Tsetang
.
. It is said to have been founded in the 7th century under king Songtsen Gampo
.
According to one legend
, Changzhug was one of twelve geomantic
temple
s, Tadü (མཐའ་འདུལ་ mtha’ ’dul) and Yangdü (ཡང་འདུལ་ yang ’dul), which were built to hold down the huge supine ogre
ss Sinmo (སྲིན་མོ་ srin mo, Sanskrit
राक्षसि rākṣasi) under Tibet: Tradruk was said to stand on her left shoulder, Gazai (ཀ་རྩལ་ ka rtsal / བཀའ་ཚལ་ bka’ tshal / བཀའ་རྩལ bka’ rtsal) bei Gyama (རྒྱ་མ་ rgya ma / Jiǎmǎ 甲马) in Maizhokunggar County
(མལ་གྲོ་གུང་དཀར་རྫོང་ mal gro gung dkar rdzong / Mòzhúgōngkǎ Xiàn 墨竹工卡县) on her right shoulder and the Qokang
in Lhasa
on her heart. According to another legend, at the site of the monastery there was originally a lake inhabited by a dragon
with five heads. Songzain Gambo was able to call a huge falcon
by meditation
, which defeated the dragon and drank all the water of the lake, so that the temple could be built. This legend would explain the name of the temple.
, and some sources even place it arlier. Under the rule of Trisong Detsen
(755–797) and Muné Tsenpo
, Tradruk was one of the three royal monasteries.
During the persecution of Buddhism under Langdarma
(glang dar ma, 841–846) and during the Mongol invasion from Junggaria (northern modern Xinjiang
) in the 16th century, the monastery was heavily damaged.
In 1351, Tradruk was restored and enlarged; during the reign of the 5th Dalai Lama (1642–1682), the monastery got a golden roof and under the 7th Dalai Lama
(1751–1757), it was further expanded. In the late 18th century, Tradruk is said to have had 21 temples. Several buildings were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution
. During the 1980s, the monastery was renovated and in 1988 it was consecrated again. Today, the complex has an area of 4667 square metres and is under national protection
.
, which is said to date back to the original temple built by Songtsen Gampo; according to the legend, it held Buddha statue
s of stone and a Tara
statue. Today, the chapel houses clay
figures which are said to contain fragments of the original statues.
The most important treasure of Tradruk is a Tangka
embroidered with thousands of pearl
s, which is said to have been made by princess Wen Cheng herself. It depicts Wen Cheng as White Tara. The Tangka is kept in the central chapel on the upper floor. It is one of only three Tangkas made by Wen Cheng. The two other ones are in the reliquary
stupa
of the 5th Dalai Lama in the Potala in Lhasa and in Shigatse
. There is a famous "talking" statue of Padmasambhava
at the age of eight years in the same room in Tradruk.
Tradruk used to have a famous bell on the verandah which is not in the monastery any more with an inscription containing the name of Khri-song-lde-btsan (Trisong Detsen), who probably enlarged and embellished the original buildings.
The inscription on the bell read:
The main building is surrounded by several smaller shrine
s.
dance
s are staged at Tradruk, known as Mêdog Qoiba (me tog mchod pa, “flower offering”).
Yarlung Valley
The Yarlung Valley is formed by the Yarlung River and refers especially to the district where it joins with the Chongye River, and broadens out into a large plain about 2 km wide, before they flow north into the Yarlung Zangbo River or Brahmaputra. It is situated in Nedong County of Lhokha...
is the earliest great geomantic temple after the Jokhang
Jokhang
The Jokhang, , also called the Qokang Monastery, Jokang, Jokhang Temple, Jokhang Monastery or Zuglagkang , is located on Barkhor Square in Lhasa. For most Tibetans it is the most sacred and important temple in Tibet. It is in some regards pan-sectarian, but is presently controlled by the Gelug school...
- and some sources say it is even pre-dates the Jokhang.
It is located in Nêdong County
Nêdong County
Nêdong County, is a county of the Shannan Prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region....
of Lhoka (Shannan) Prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region
Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region , Tibet or Xizang for short, also called the Xizang Autonomous Region is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China , created in 1965....
of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, about seven kilometres south of the county seat Tsetang
Tsetang
Zêtang is one of the largest cities in Tibet and is located in the Yarlung Valley, 183 km southeast of Lhasa in Nedong County of Lhoka Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China...
.
Founding legends
Changzhug Monastery is the largest and most important of the surviving royal foundations in the Yarlung ValleyYarlung Valley
The Yarlung Valley is formed by the Yarlung River and refers especially to the district where it joins with the Chongye River, and broadens out into a large plain about 2 km wide, before they flow north into the Yarlung Zangbo River or Brahmaputra. It is situated in Nedong County of Lhokha...
. It is said to have been founded in the 7th century under king Songtsen Gampo
Songtsen Gampo
Songtsän Gampo Songtsän Gampo Songtsän Gampo (Tibetan: སྲོང་བཙན་སྒམ་པོ་, Wylie: Srong-btsan sGam-po, 569–649?/605–649? was the founder of the Tibetan Empire (Tibetan: Bod; ), by tradition held to be the thirty-third ruler in his dynasty. In the Chinese records, his name is given as 'Sōngzàngānbù'...
.
According to one legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
, Changzhug was one of twelve geomantic
Geomancy
Geomancy is a method of divination that interprets markings on the ground or the patterns formed by tossed handfuls of soil, rocks, or sand...
temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
s, Tadü (མཐའ་འདུལ་ mtha’ ’dul) and Yangdü (ཡང་འདུལ་ yang ’dul), which were built to hold down the huge supine ogre
Ogre
An ogre is a large, cruel, monstrous, and hideous humanoid monster, featured in mythology, folklore, and fiction. Ogres are often depicted in fairy tales and folklore as feeding on human beings, and have appeared in many classic works of literature...
ss Sinmo (སྲིན་མོ་ srin mo, Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
राक्षसि rākṣasi) under Tibet: Tradruk was said to stand on her left shoulder, Gazai (ཀ་རྩལ་ ka rtsal / བཀའ་ཚལ་ bka’ tshal / བཀའ་རྩལ bka’ rtsal) bei Gyama (རྒྱ་མ་ rgya ma / Jiǎmǎ 甲马) in Maizhokunggar County
Maizhokunggar County
Maizhokunggar is a county east of the main centre of Lhasa, Tibet.The country is especially noted for its pottery, particularly Kunggar Township. The pottery is non-corrodible, heat retaining and in an ethnic style...
(མལ་གྲོ་གུང་དཀར་རྫོང་ mal gro gung dkar rdzong / Mòzhúgōngkǎ Xiàn 墨竹工卡县) on her right shoulder and the Qokang
Jokhang
The Jokhang, , also called the Qokang Monastery, Jokang, Jokhang Temple, Jokhang Monastery or Zuglagkang , is located on Barkhor Square in Lhasa. For most Tibetans it is the most sacred and important temple in Tibet. It is in some regards pan-sectarian, but is presently controlled by the Gelug school...
in Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
on her heart. According to another legend, at the site of the monastery there was originally a lake inhabited by a dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
with five heads. Songzain Gambo was able to call a huge falcon
Falcon
A falcon is any species of raptor in the genus Falco. The genus contains 37 species, widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America....
by meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
, which defeated the dragon and drank all the water of the lake, so that the temple could be built. This legend would explain the name of the temple.
History
Tradruk is said to have been the second of Tibet's earliest great geomantric temples after the JokhangJokhang
The Jokhang, , also called the Qokang Monastery, Jokang, Jokhang Temple, Jokhang Monastery or Zuglagkang , is located on Barkhor Square in Lhasa. For most Tibetans it is the most sacred and important temple in Tibet. It is in some regards pan-sectarian, but is presently controlled by the Gelug school...
, and some sources even place it arlier. Under the rule of Trisong Detsen
Trisong Detsen
Trisong Detsän or Trisong Detsen ཁྲི་སྲོང་ལྡེ་བཙན , was the son of Me Agtsom and one of the emperors of Tibet and ruled...
(755–797) and Muné Tsenpo
Muné Tsenpo
Muné Tsenpo was the 39th Emperor of Tibet . This period of Tibetan history, towards the end, and after the reign of Trisong Detsen is very murky and the sources give conflicting stories and dates....
, Tradruk was one of the three royal monasteries.
During the persecution of Buddhism under Langdarma
Langdarma
Langdarma was the last emperor of the unified Tibetan empire, who most likely reigned from 838 to 841 CE. Early sources named him Tri Darma meaning "King Darma"; "Lang" is a nickname meaning "ox". He was also called tsenpo or lhase Au Dunten...
(glang dar ma, 841–846) and during the Mongol invasion from Junggaria (northern modern Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
) in the 16th century, the monastery was heavily damaged.
In 1351, Tradruk was restored and enlarged; during the reign of the 5th Dalai Lama (1642–1682), the monastery got a golden roof and under the 7th Dalai Lama
Kelzang Gyatso, 7th Dalai Lama
Kelzang Gyatso , also spelled Kalzang Gyatso, Kelsang Gyatso and Kezang Gyatso, was the 7th Dalai Lama of Tibet.-Early life:...
(1751–1757), it was further expanded. In the late 18th century, Tradruk is said to have had 21 temples. Several buildings were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
. During the 1980s, the monastery was renovated and in 1988 it was consecrated again. Today, the complex has an area of 4667 square metres and is under national protection
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
.
Architecture and craftwork
The centre of the temple is the innermost chapelChapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
, which is said to date back to the original temple built by Songtsen Gampo; according to the legend, it held Buddha statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
s of stone and a Tara
Tara (Buddhism)
Tara or Ārya Tārā, also known as Jetsun Dolma in Tibetan Buddhism, is a female Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism who appears as a female Buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. She is known as the "mother of liberation", and represents the virtues of success in work and achievements...
statue. Today, the chapel houses clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
figures which are said to contain fragments of the original statues.
The most important treasure of Tradruk is a Tangka
Thangka
A "Thangka," also known as "Tangka", "Thanka" or "Tanka" is a Tibetan silk painting with embroidery, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, famous scene, or mandala of some sort. The thankga is not a flat creation like an oil painting or acrylic painting...
embroidered with thousands of pearl
Pearl
A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other...
s, which is said to have been made by princess Wen Cheng herself. It depicts Wen Cheng as White Tara. The Tangka is kept in the central chapel on the upper floor. It is one of only three Tangkas made by Wen Cheng. The two other ones are in the reliquary
Reliquary
A reliquary is a container for relics. These may be the physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures...
stupa
Stupa
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
of the 5th Dalai Lama in the Potala in Lhasa and in Shigatse
Shigatse
Shigatse is a county-level city and the second largest city in Tibet Autonomous Region , People's Republic of China, with a population of 92000, about southwest of Lhasa and northwest of Gyantse...
. There is a famous "talking" statue of Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava ; Mongolian ловон Бадмажунай, lovon Badmajunai, , Means The Lotus-Born, was a sage guru from Oddiyāna who is said to have transmitted Vajrayana Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet and neighbouring countries in the 8th century...
at the age of eight years in the same room in Tradruk.
Tradruk used to have a famous bell on the verandah which is not in the monastery any more with an inscription containing the name of Khri-song-lde-btsan (Trisong Detsen), who probably enlarged and embellished the original buildings.
The inscription on the bell read:
"This great bell was installed here to tell the increase of the life-time of the divine btsan-po Khri Lde-srong-brtsan. The donor Queen Byang-chub had it made to sound like the sound of the drum roll of the gods in the heavens and it was cast by the abbot, the Chinese monk Rin-cen as a religious offering from Tshal and to call all creatures to virtue."
The main building is surrounded by several smaller shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
s.
Rituals
Each year in June, ritualRitual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
s are staged at Tradruk, known as Mêdog Qoiba (me tog mchod pa, “flower offering”).
External links
- Tradrug (British Photography in Central Tibet, 1920–1950; Pitt Rivers Museum, University of OxfordUniversity of OxfordThe University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
/ British MuseumBritish MuseumThe British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
) - 昌珠寺 (China Tibet Information Center; in Chinese)