Nechung
| Nechung Monastery | |
|---|---|
| Country | China |
  Location within Tibet | |
| Geographic coordinates | 29°40′17″N 91°3′21″E / 29.67139°N 91.05583°E |
| Part of a series on |
| Tibetan Buddhism |
|---|
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Nechung Monastery, Nechung Gompa (Tibetan: གནས་ཆུང་དགོན་པ།, Wylie: gnas-chung lcog, ZYPY: Naiqung Gönba) or Nechung Chok (Tibetan: གནས་ཆུང་ལྕོག, ZYPY: Naiqung Jog "the small dwelling", Chinese: 乃琼寺), is the seat of the State Oracle of Tibet. It is also referred to as Sungi Gyelpoi Tsenkar, the "Demon Fortress of the Oracle King."[1]
It is about 10 minutes walk down from
History and functions
It was the seat of State Oracle until 1959 when he fled with the Dalai Lama to India who now lives in exile in
It was the residence of the Protector
-
The main temple of Nechung monastery, with pillar or doring (rdo ring), 2 incense burners and 2 stone lions behind, before 1950 -
Main temple in 2006 -
Main temple in 2010 -
Nechung, 2013 -
Nechung in art from 1850s
During the time of
Although the State Oracle is a
According to belief, when the State Oracle is possessed by Pehar, he becomes very agitated, with tongue lolling, bloodshot eyes and displays superhuman strength, lifting heavy weights, twisting swords, etc. He mumbles words which are recorded and then interpreted by monks and also blesses grain which is thrown to the crowd.[7][8]
Unlike most Central Asian
Nechung was almost completely destroyed during the
A new Nechung Monastery has been built in Dharamsala, India.[10]
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Retreat of the 13th Dalai Lama, Nechung, Tibet -
Throne awaiting Dalai Lama's return. Retreat of the 13th Dalai Lama, Nechung, Tibet. -
Nechung in Dharamsala, India -
Prayer wheels at Nechung Chok, Lhasa
Footnotes
- ^ Dowman (1988), pp. 66–67.
- ^ a b c Mayhew & Kohn (2005), p. 22.
- ^ Chapman (1940), p. 201.
- ^ Peter (1979), pp. 51–56.
- ^ a b c Dowman (1988), p. 67.
- ^ Stein (1972), pp. 68, 189.
- ^ Stein (1972), pp. 187–188.
- ^ Chapman (1940), p. 317.
- ^ Peter (1979), p. 52.
- ^ Osada, Allwright & Kanamaru (2004), p. 83.
References
- Chapman, F. Spencer (1940). Lhasa: The Holy City. London: Readers Union Ltd.
- Dowman, Keith (1988). The Power-places of Central Tibet: The Pilgrim's Guide. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. ISBN 0-7102-1370-0.
- Mayhew, Bradley; Kohn, Michael (2005). Tibet. Lonely Planet Publications. ISBN 1-74059-523-8.
- Peter, Prince of Greece and Denmark (Summer 1979). "Tibetan Oracles". The Tibet Journal. 4 (2): 51–56.
- Osada, Yukiyasu; Allwright, Gavin; Kanamaru, Atsushi (2004) [2000]. Mapping the Tibetan World (Reprint ed.). Tokyo: Kotan Publishing. ISBN 0-9701716-0-9.
- Stein, R. A. (1972). Tibetan Civilization. Stanford University Press.
Further reading
- Bell, Christopher Paul (2013). Nechung: The Ritual History and Institutionalization of a Tibetan Buddhist Protector Deity (dissertation). Retrieved 12 July 2021 – via Academia.edu.
External links
- Nechung the State Oracle of Tibet by David Cherniack
- CD Recording of the Nechung Monks Traditional Chants of Tibet
Nechung travel guide from Wikivoyage
Media related to Nechung at Wikimedia Commons
