Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Photography and portraiture - The ruins of Guge in the sunset are vigorous and vicissitudes, which is the photographer's favorite scene.

The ruins of Guge in the sunset are vigorous and vicissitudes, which is the photographer's favorite scene.

Brief introduction to the ruins of Guge Kingdom

The site of Guge Dynasty is located on a 300-meter-high loess slope 2 kilometers away from Zaburang Village in Zada County. Houses, pagodas and caves are all over the mountain, forming a huge ancient architectural complex. The site is divided into upper, middle and lower floors, followed by palaces, temples and houses. The Guge Dynasty was founded in the first half of 10 century, and successively inherited 16 kings. Its palaces and castles also expanded continuously from the 10 century, and reached its peak, ending after the collapse of the Tubo dynasty in the 17 century.

There are walls around the ruins of the dynasty and towers at the four corners. The whole site is built on a hill, and there are buildings and caves with the same color as the earth everywhere. The whole building is large in scale, reasonable in layout and magnificent in momentum. From the entrance of the foot of the mountain to the mountain along the path, there are several well-preserved temple buildings halfway up the mountain, namely the Red Hall, the White Hall and the Tara Hall. The walls of the hall are covered with exquisite murals with rough style and heavy colors. Although after many years, their colors are still bright, and the gold lacquer on some murals is still shining. These murals record the lineage of King Guge and reflect the political, economic activities and cultural customs in Guge area. They are unique in Tibet and have high ornamental and archaeological value.

But the doors of these halls are usually locked, and Tibetan translators who call for ticket checking must be opened. Around the temple, there are more than a dozen caves, which contain ancient weapons such as shields, armor and broadswords. There is a mountainside tunnel connection, along which you can directly reach the palace at the top of the mountain. There is a well-preserved building in the palace, which is said to be the parliamentary hall of Guge Dynasty. Most of the murals in the temple are male and female tantric, with rich styles and strong colors. The murals below vividly show the suffering of hell, and all kinds of criminal laws are outrageous. The side decoration is a long row of dozens of naked dakini, charming and elegant, with consistent manners. Out of the station gate, walk a few hundred meters south and go around along the path on the edge of the cliff. There is a cave about 2 meters above the ground, which is the most mysterious corpse cave in Guge site. There are holes in the cave, which are divided into three halls. The cave is full of rotten bones, which are said to be Guge soldiers and monks slaughtered by Ladakh. Strangely, all the bones in the hole are headless. The reason is still a mystery.

There are several wooden ladders spliced with wooden strips at the entrance of the cave. You can climb up to see the scenery in the cave. However, due to the dry climate, the body did not completely rot, emitting a strange smell of mixed ghee. Anxious people, be careful. Visit Guge site for about 2 hours, and then return to Zhada County for accommodation by bus. If you want to photograph the Guge site in the sunset, you can live in Zabulang village, about 2 kilometers away from the Guge site. There are family hotels in the village that can provide accommodation. The telephone number is 13908972893, but you should make an appointment in advance in the peak season.

Tickets and opening hours

Two hundred yuan

traffic survey

Bus route: Ali Kunsha Airport, 0/60km away from the scenic spot/kloc. You can go to the scenic spot by coach.

Self-driving route:

National Highway 2 19 Menmen Township-Qulong Yincheng-Dongpo Temple-Dam Site-Guge Kingdom Site-County.

National Highway 2 19 Balbing Station-Piyang Dongga Site-Zhada County (Tolin Temple)-Guge Kingdom Site

Khun Sa Airport-Namuru, 2 19 National Road-Piyang Dongga Site-Zhada County (Tolin Temple)-Guge Kingdom Site.

(Editor: Jelly)