Gongkar Chö Monastery

Gongkar Chö Monastery Gonkar Dorjé Monastery
Religion
Lhoka Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region
Country	Tibet Autonomous Region, China
Location within Tibet Autonomous Region
Geographic coordinates	29°17′52″N 90°59′4″E / 29.29778°N 90.98444°E / 29.29778; 90.98444
Architecture
Style	Tibetan
Founder	Dorje Chang Kunga Namgyal (1432–1496).
Date established	1464

The Gongkar Chö Monastery or Gongkar Dorjé Monastery (

In the 16th century, the monastery was beautified with wall paintings of the Khyenri school of Tibetan paintings done by the well-known artist of the times, Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk (b.1524).^[2][6]

The book, Tibet Overland says, "... the murals on the ground floor were whitewashed during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. They were subsequently restored in the 1980s."^[7]

Geography

The Gongkar Dorjden or the Gongkar Monastery is located on a hill top cliff in the Gongkar valley on the southern side of the

It is mentioned that between Gongkar and Tsetang there are seven gompas of the Sakyapa sect, including the Gongkar Dorjeden, the pillar of Sakyapa power, to the south of the Tsongpo valley. These monasteries survived destruction during the Cultural Revolution, mainly because they were converted into grain storage silos (to keep grains dry) and offices of the Chinese army. This was a kind of blessing in disguise as the rare paintings and other art objects only suffered minor problems of soot cover which could be later retrieved by art restorers.^[8]

The Gongkar Monastery also became famous because it was here that the artistic Central Tibetan painting of Kyenri originated.^[8]

Structure

The monastery, situated on the southern side of the Tsangpo River, has in its precincts the main shrine as well as the

While circumambulating the monastery in a clockwise direction, the Shedra or the monastic college is seen to the left in the northern direction of the complex. The monastic college holds painting classes in the morning session and debating classes in the afternoon, for the monks.[4]

Other religious building close to the monastery is the Dechen Chakor Monastery, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) away on a side valley, and 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) away is the Gonggar Dzong.^[4]

The monastery was ransacked during the Cultural Revolution; the main hall was used as a barley silo and murals were defaced with Mao Zedong slogans. Despite the destruction, the surviving mural work at the monastery is aesthetically done.^[4][6]

The monastery used to house one hundred and sixty monks, but now has only thirty monks. The main building is in a good condition, and the exterior has been restored.^[6]

Festivals

The monastic community (there were 260 lamas in the past, now only 30) perform an annual festival of

On the first day of the ritual, 45 dancers perform a dance known as the 'sun disk' and prepare the ground for depicting the Mandalas. The second day is devoted to preparing the Mandalas. The following seven days, 60 odd dancers perform a hundredfold offering services every day, and a thousandfold offering on the 15th day of the month (full moon) day. The large scroll painting of Shakyamuni is unveiled when white silk scarves are offered by devotees to it. Several types of ritualistic dances are performed by the devotees. Much fanfare follows in the form of golden procession, similar to the one held in Lhasa, with offering ceremonies, comprising banners, canopies, streamers, blowing of horns, offering of incense, variety of auspicious symbols and materials, the seven emblems of royalty, the eight auspicious symbols, and the eight substances. In the main assembly hall, "May I become the protector of all sentient beings without exception ..." is chanted. In the afternoon, fire rituals based on the Hevajra tantra are performed, which includes the fire dance by a retinue of the eight goddesses of Hevajra. In the evening, offerings are made to the protectors, followed by a three-day re-consecration ceremony.^[5]

References