Gandhola Monastery
Encyclopedia
Gandhola Monastery is about 18 km before Keylong
in Lahaul, Himachel Pradesh, India on the road from Manali. It is located on a hill above the Tupchiling village at the sacred junction of the Chandra and Bhaga rivers, which together form the Chandrabhaga
or Chenab River
.
in the 8th century CE. It is now connected with the Drukpa Kargyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism, but its history long precedes the formation of that sect. According to local tradition and also the Tibetan terma
text, the Padma bKai Thang, discovered in 1326 CE, at Yarlung
by Urgyan Lingpa, the site was associated with Padmasambhava
. But the site was a Buddhist establishment even earlier than that:
A chased copper goblet dated to the 1st to 2nd century CE was found here in 1857 by a Major Hay and is considered to be evidence of Buddhist monks' cells being located in a cave monastery at that early time. A damaged marble head of Avalokitesvara
also found here, is kept in the Guru Ghantal Monastery itself, and is claimed to date back to the time of Nagarjuna
in the 2nd century CE. This seems to be the only monastery in the region other than Sani Monastery
in Zanskar
which has a history which is claimed to go back to Kushan times.
There is also a black stone image of the goddess Kali
, called Vajresvari devi (rDo-rje Lha-mo), and a wooden statue of the Buddha said to have been installed by the monk Rinchen Zangpo
(958-1055), a famous lotsawa
or translator of Sanskrit Buddhist texts.
The monastery was originally probably a larger complex of purely Indian style of which nothing now remains. The present structure is two-storied, 17.3 x 11.6 metres facing the northwest. The Assembly Hall or du-khang is on the ground floor. In 1959 the monastery underwent extensive repairs and a small pagoda roof of Kangra
slates was added in a rather haphazard manner, which is surrounded by the mud roof which covers the monks' cells and kitchen on the second floor.
The monastery has distinctive wooden (as opposed to clay) idols of Guru Padma Sambhava, Brijeshwari Devi and several other lamas.
Gandhola, like all the Drukpa monasteries in Ladakh
and Lahaul, owes allegiance to H.H. the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa
, or Drukchen Rinpoche, Abbot of Hemis Monastery
in Ladakh, who, in turn, owes allegiance to the head of the order in Bhutan
.
Gandhola is also famous for its eight story fort with alternating layers of stone and timber, which was once the seat of the local Thakur
or king, but is no longer occupied. It is a 4 km walk from the village of Tupchilling, in which the monastery is set.
Keylong
Keylong is the administrative centre of the Lahaul and Spiti district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, some 120 kilometres from the Indo-Tibetan border....
in Lahaul, Himachel Pradesh, India on the road from Manali. It is located on a hill above the Tupchiling village at the sacred junction of the Chandra and Bhaga rivers, which together form the Chandrabhaga
Chandrabhaga
Chandrabhaga may refer to:* Chenab River in Punjab* Bhima River near Pandharpur, Maharashtra...
or Chenab River
Chenab River
The Chenab River چنRiver' آب) is a major river of Jammu and Kashmir and the Punjab in Pakistan. It forms in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, India, and flows through the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir into the plains of the Punjab, Pakistan...
.
History
The monastery is said to have been founded by Guru Rinpoche or PadmasambhavaPadmasambhava
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...
in the 8th century CE. It is now connected with the Drukpa Kargyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism, but its history long precedes the formation of that sect. According to local tradition and also the Tibetan terma
Terma (religion)
Terma are key Tibetan Buddhist and Bön teachings, which the tradition holds were originally esoterically hidden by various adepts such as Padmasambhava and his consorts in the 8th century for future discovery at auspicious times by other adepts, known as tertöns. As such, they represent a...
text, the Padma bKai Thang, discovered in 1326 CE, at Yarlung
Yarlung
Yarlung can refer to:*Yarlung Kingdom, see also: Tibetan empire*Yarlung Dynasty, see also: List of emperors of Tibet*Yarlung Valley, 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...
by Urgyan Lingpa, the site was associated with 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...
. But the site was a Buddhist establishment even earlier than that:
A chased copper goblet dated to the 1st to 2nd century CE was found here in 1857 by a Major Hay and is considered to be evidence of Buddhist monks' cells being located in a cave monastery at that early time. A damaged marble head of Avalokitesvara
Avalokitesvara
Avalokiteśvara is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He is one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism....
also found here, is kept in the Guru Ghantal Monastery itself, and is claimed to date back to the time of Nagarjuna
Nagarjuna
Nāgārjuna was an important Buddhist teacher and philosopher. Along with his disciple Āryadeva, he is credited with founding the Mādhyamaka school of Mahāyāna Buddhism...
in the 2nd century CE. This seems to be the only monastery in the region other than Sani Monastery
Sani Monastery
Sani Monastery , Sa-ni-[tshog], is located next to the village of Sani where the Stod Valley broadens into the central plain of Zanskar in Jammu and Kashmir in northern India. It is about 6 km to the northwest of the regional centre of Padum, a gentle two hour walk...
in Zanskar
Zanskar
Zanskar is a subdistrict or tehsil of the Kargil district, which lies in the eastern half of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The administrative centre is Padum...
which has a history which is claimed to go back to Kushan times.
There is also a black stone image of the goddess Kali
Kali
' , also known as ' , is the Hindu goddess associated with power, shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death" . Hence, Kāli is...
, called Vajresvari devi (rDo-rje Lha-mo), and a wooden statue of the Buddha said to have been installed by the monk Rinchen Zangpo
Rinchen Zangpo
Rinchen Zangpo , also known as Lha Lama Yeshe O'd or Mahaguru, was a principal lotsawa or translator of Sanskrit Buddhist texts into Tibetan during the second diffusion of Buddhism in Tibet . He was a student of the famous Indian master, Atisha. His associates included Legpai Sherab...
(958-1055), a famous lotsawa
Lotsawa
Lotsawa is a Tibetan word used as a title to refer to the native Tibetan translators, such as Vairotsana, Rinchen Zangpo, Marpa and others, who worked alongside Indian scholars or panditas to translate the texts of the buddhist canon into Tibetan from Sanskrit, Chinese and other Asian languages...
or translator of Sanskrit Buddhist texts.
The monastery was originally probably a larger complex of purely Indian style of which nothing now remains. The present structure is two-storied, 17.3 x 11.6 metres facing the northwest. The Assembly Hall or du-khang is on the ground floor. In 1959 the monastery underwent extensive repairs and a small pagoda roof of Kangra
Kangra district
Kangra is the most populous district of the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. Dharamsala is the administrative headquarters of the district.-Geography:Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh is situated in Western Himalayas between 31°2 to...
slates was added in a rather haphazard manner, which is surrounded by the mud roof which covers the monks' cells and kitchen on the second floor.
The monastery has distinctive wooden (as opposed to clay) idols of Guru Padma Sambhava, Brijeshwari Devi and several other lamas.
About 800 years have elapsed [by 1885 when the account was recorded] since Rānā Nīl Chand came from Kolong in the district of Bangāl to settle in Lāhul. At the same time Ţhākur Ratan Pāl of the Pāl family, a resident of Gond in Bangāl, came to Lāhul and settled in Tīnan, and named Tīnan Gondala after his first place of residence; and of his family at the present time Ţhākur Hīrā Chand is alive and the holder of the jāgīr of Gondala."
Gandhola, like all the Drukpa monasteries in Ladakh
Ladakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
and Lahaul, owes allegiance to H.H. the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa
12th Gyalwang Drukpa
The Twelfth Gyalwang Drukpa, Jigme Pema Wangchen , is the head of the Drukpa Lineage school, which is one of the independent Sarma schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Some consider it the Northern The Twelfth Gyalwang Drukpa, Jigme Pema Wangchen (b. 1963), is the head of the Drukpa Lineage school, which...
, or Drukchen Rinpoche, Abbot of Hemis Monastery
Hemis Monastery
Hemis Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Drukpa Lineage, located in Hemis, Ladakh . Situated 45 km from Leh, the monastery was re-established in 1672 by the Ladakhi king Sengge Namgyal...
in Ladakh, who, in turn, owes allegiance to the head of the order in Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
.
Gandhola is also famous for its eight story fort with alternating layers of stone and timber, which was once the seat of the local Thakur
Thakur (Indian title)
Thakur is an Indian feudal title in several Indian languages, literally meaning "lord". A Thikana is the state or estate of a Thakur. A Thakurani is the wife of a Thakur...
or king, but is no longer occupied. It is a 4 km walk from the village of Tupchilling, in which the monastery is set.