Tibetpedia

Tag: Horse Festival

  • Yulshul (Yushu)

    Yulshul (Yushu)

    Mostly inhabited by Tibetans, Yushu (ཡུལ་ཤུལ།)  is located in the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the southern Qinghai province of China. The town, also referred to as Jyekundo (སྐྱེ་དགུ་མདོ།), Gyêgu, Gyêgudo or Jiegu is a multi-ethnic town with Tibetan nomadic residents and Han Chinese traders. Yushu lies at an elevation of 4,000 meters and has the fountainheads of Asia’s three great rivers – the Yellow River, the Yangtze River, and the Mekong River. The rivers are part of the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve in the region.  Besides the Tongtian River Bridge, a stone column inscribed with the reserve’s name was given by the former president, Jiang Zemin.

    Jyekundo Dondrubling Monastery

    The Jyekundo Monastery is found on a hill overlooking Yushu Town and belongs to the Sakya sect of Tibetan Buddhism. In the past, a Bon Temple was present on the site, but later in 1398, Jyekundo Temple was constructed in its place. It consisted of 16 temples and was home to around 500 monks before the earthquake of 2010 hit the area.

    Gyanak Mani Temple

    About 6 kilometers east of Jyekundo Town is the Gyanak (Jiana) Mani Stone Field which has an enormous collection of carved prayer stones depicting Buddha sculptures ad mantras. There are over 2 million prayer stones stacked on top of each other spread across a square kilometer and reaching a height of 3 meters. Pilgrims from across the region pay a visit to the temple and make koras of the stone pile.

    Temple of Princess Wencheng

    Located 20 kilometers south outside of Yushu Town, the temple honors  Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty when she was on her way to Lhasa in the 7th century. Every Tibetan New Year, devotees visit the temple and perform a kora. The area surrounding the temple consists of thousands of prayer flags and offers picturesque views of the grasslands below and snowy mountains far away.

    Yushu Tibet - Small
    Row of stupas in Yushu

    Qinghai Yushu Horse Racing Festival

    Every year on 25th July, a Horse Racing Festival is held in the grasslands of the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the Qinghai Province for sturdy Khampas to display their sportsmanship. The Yushu Horse Racing Festival is attended by Tibetan nomads across the Kham region, who set up tents for the week-long festivities. The warm weather transforms the valley into lush green spaces ideal for camping and horse racing. Apart from the traditional horse races, there is also folk singing and dancing, Buddhist ceremonies and various other sports and activities as part of the festival. Tibetan herbs and handicrafts are also widely sold during the event. Women dress in their best traditional gowns and ornaments, while monks are seen clad in red robes. The tribal men wear robes with tiger stripes or panther skins.

  • Lhagang (Tagong)

    Lhagang (Tagong)

    A small, picturesque town located in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of western Sichuan Province, Lhagang (ལྷ་སྒང་།) is home to scenic grasslands, devoted monks and Tibetan nomads with their thousands of thick-coated yaks. Lhagang, also known as Tagong (塔公) in Chinese, is situated in the ancient Kham region in southwest China at an altitude of 3,700m. This treasured place in the foothills of the Tibetan plateau is around 110 kilometers from Kangding city. The town of Tagong features traditional Tibetan-style houses built from stone.

    As a tourist attraction, Tagong is a Wild West town offering an insight into the local Tibetan Buddhist culture with its monasteries, as well as horse riding, hiking, and Tibetan homestays.

    Historical Temples

    Tagong, meaning ‘favorite place of bodhisattva’ in the local language, is home to Tagong Monastery and Lhagang Monastery. The historic Tagong Monastery (Lhagang Gompa) is right in the town center while the Lhagang Monastery is at a ten minute walk south of the town center.

    Tagong Monastery (Small Jokhang Temple)

    The famous Tagong Monastery was built during the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1911) to honor the journey of Princess Wencheng on her way to Lhasa for her wedding to Tibetan King, Songtsen Gampo. It houses the replica of the sacred statue of Jowo Sakya-muni Buddha at Jokhang Temple in Lhasa along with scriptures of the Sakya Buddhist sect and other cultural relics more than 10,000 years old. A major three-day Buddha event is held at the end of June every year at the Monastery.

    Lhagang Monastery

    At the foothills of the sacred snowcapped mountain lies the Lhagang Monastery. The Lhagang Monastery consists of the Muya Golden Pagoda, which was built in 1997. The Muya Golden Pagoda was gifted by a Living Buddha of Zhuqing Monastery. It has a 100-kilogram pure gold roof in the center of the monastery’s four towers and honors the Living Buddha 10th Panchan.

    Tagong People of Tibet
    Meeting at the monastery to learn and pray.

    Tagong Grasslands

    Tagong Grasslands are a vast expanse of meadow covering an area of 712.37 square kilometers. These beautiful grasslands are home to Tibetan nomads grazing their herds of yaks and living in traditional black yak wool tents. A Horse Race Festival is held in the grasslands every year at the beginning of the eight month of the lunar calendar. Local Tibetan herdsmen in great numbers get together to watch the sport and attend the Tibetan opera. These festivities are witness to the authentic Kham Tibetan culture.

    Yaks near Tagong
    Yaks travelling across the grasslands of Tagong

    Mount Yala

    Mount Yala is located at an altitude of 5,820m in the midst of Danba, Kangding and Daofu and is covered with snow all year round. With the magnificent Golden Padoga and captivating grasslands, Mount Yala presents spectacular views and hiking opportunities. Mount Yala is worshiped by Tibetan people as the area’s patron saint. The Yala river sprouts from the Yala Mountain and merges with the Dadu river up ahead.

     

  • Sershul (Shiqu)

    Sershul (Shiqu)

    Shiqu Town (石渠), also known as Sershul (སེར་ཤུལ།), Serxu, Dzachuka, or Shiquis, is a town in Shiqu County in the Garze Autonomous Prefecture in the northern part of the Chinese Sichuan Province. Shiqu County is spread over 25,000 square kilometers and lies approximately 4,200 meters above sea level on average. Mostly covered by green pastures and grazing yaks, Shiqu is home to a majority of ethnic Tibetans with most of them being nomadic herdsmen.

    Shiqu has become an important center for trade for nomads who regularly arrive in town to buy and sell goods. The town now also has restaurants serving local food and decent hotels for visitors.

    Sershul Tekchen Dargyeling Monastery

    The Sershul Monastery is large monastery in Shiqu which belongs to the Gelukpa sect of Tibetan Buddism. The monastery, housing the Buddhist Monastic University, has authorization to teach the highest Tibetan Buddhist Geshe Degree. The monastery consists of six main temples, several halls and a residential building housing hundreds of monks. Two huge chanting halls with artifacts dedicated to the founder, Je Tsongkhapa, are present in the largest temple. There are also other rare and sacred Buddhist pieces in the monastery, some of which date back to 2,000 years. Every year, a Molam Festival or Prayer Festival is held in the monastery in October which is heavily attended by nomads from Dege, Yushu and Nagchu.

    Shiqu Horse Festival

    Every summer in July, a Horse Festival is held in Shiqu where nomads from across the region gather to show their sportsmanship and engage in several different sporting events. The Shiqu Horse Festival creates a festive atmosphere for Tibetans who dance, drink and enjoy horse races. During the festival, Tibetan women are seen wearing colorful robes and decorative waist bands, huge necklaces, amber hair decorations and fancy embroidered hats.

    Shiqu Statue Tibet - Copy
    Shiqu statue showing King Gesar.

    The Legend of Sershul

    According to legend, when King Gesar defeated one of King Hal’s brothers i.e. the King of Yellow Tent, he let some of his previous followers stay in the region. Although they lived peacefully, they felt the need of a place of worship. A man named Sershul suggested them to build a monastery after seeking permission from the descendant of King Gesar, the Derge King. The former followers of Hal Kingdom sent Kagyu Lohrong Dondeng to convince the King of Derge to allow a religious site to be set up. The local people named the monastery as Sershul Monastery once it was built to laud the person who proposed this idea.

     

  • Lithang (Litang)

    Lithang (Litang)

    Lying at the edge of a vast grassland valley, Lithang (ལི་ཐང་།) is the administrative hub of Litang County. Also known in Chinese as Litang town (理塘) , the town is situated in the southwest of Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province. Litang is a historic town at an altitude of around 4,000 meters above sea level, even higher than Lhasa, which is why it is even known as a ‘town up in the air’.

    This town in the midst of grassy hills is a major center of Tibetan culture in Kham and bustles with trading activities of Tibetan people and nomadic shepherds. The population of Litang town is around 60,000 with the majority being ethnically Tibetan. Litang town is a blend of tradition and modernity with fortress-like brown stone houses, satellite dishes and power lines.

    Litang collection of Tibetan Language in stone
    A stupa is seen surrounded by thousands of inscribed stones in a mani pile.

    Significance of Litang

    Litang town has been home to several important and renowned Buddhist personalities including the seventh Dalai Lama, the tenth Dalai Lama, four Pakpalhas, Zebutsundaba Lama of Mogonia, the 7th Gyamuyang Lama, and the first three Xianggen living Buddha.

    Litang Horse Race Festival

    For hundreds of years, Litang is famed for its horse racing festivities where Khampas gather together from all across Tibet and Southwest China. The festival not only gives a chance for Kham Tibetans to display their sportsmanship skills, but also provides opportunities for trading supplies, singing and dancing. The Horse Race Festival usually takes place in the first week of August and lasts for about a week. Tibetan nomads set up tents on the grasslands and wait anxiously for the big event. The horse festival is not a mere race, but a matter of socio-economic hierarchy, and honor and prestige in the participating Khampas. At the festival, people and horses dress to impress. Women wear their finest robes with impressive jewelry and head gear while participating horses are adorned with colorful fabric.

    Litang Monastery

    The Litang Chöde Monastery lies at the north of the town and was built in 1580, honoring the third Dalai Lama (Sonam Gyatso, 1543-1588). The Litang Monastery is the biggest Gelukpa monestary in the Kham region making it important to Tibetan Buddhists. In 1956, a major portion of the Monastery was destroyed when resistance erupted to communist reforms in Kham. Over time, many buildings of the Monastery have been reconstructed. It is said that the seventh Dalai Lama had resided in one of the chambers of the Monastery.