![]() ![]() Years later, Guge, a Buddhist kingdom, was established and was said to have a population of 100,000 at its peak. Being far away from Lhasa, in western Tibet, present day Ngari, proved to be a safe harbor for the persecuted Buddhists. The last Tubo king arbitrarily banned the practice of Buddhism by persecuting Buddhist followers and destroying monasteries, leading to the fall of the dynasty. Tibet was called Tubo by the Han at that time. Guge was established by the descendents of the royal family of the Tubo Dynasty that ruled all Tibet from about 630 to 842 AD. The top position of the royal residence was to display imperial supremacy, and ensure military security. Palaces and residences for the royal family sat on the hilltop, monasteries and houses for aristocrats sat in the middle of the hill and at the lowermost reaches of the hill were cave dwellings for ordinary people. The residential area was compartmentalized depending on the social status of the people that lived there. Archaeologists have unearthed 445 earthen and wooden structures, 879 caves, 58 blockhouses (a kind of fortification building), four secret tunnels, 28 stupas (traditional pagoda-shaped Buddhist monuments), granaries and weaponry storehouses. It is the second largest ruin in Tibet, after the Potala Palace in Lhasa. ![]() The ruins are the only visible legacy Guge has left behind.The ruins extend from the mid-ridge of a hill 300 meters high at its peak and cover an area of 720,000 square meter. The invasion of the neighboring state Ldakah, coupled with the domestic rebellion of Guge monks, brought the kingdom to its knees. However, its glory was reduced to pieces when the mighty kingdom was involved in a fatal war in the 17th century. Records show that Guge once made great religious and economic achievements. It was instead from some letters by western missionaries that people got to know more about the lost empire. Yet, historical records reveal little about its rise and sudden demise. However barren, desolate and inaccessible the land might seem, the powerful Guge kingdom ruled over it for over 700 years from the 9th to 17th century. The government dropped the taxation plan. All he could see there was a world of sand. However, a couple of days later the soldier was back, frightened. ![]() Legend has it that in the first half of 20th century the Tibetan government sent a soldier to Guge to collect taxes. Marching westwards to Guge from Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, is a long and hard journey that crosses a vast uninhabited desert. Guge is said to be the highest of ancient kingdom located on the ridge of the Roof of the World, as Tibet is called. The ruins of Guge are in what is today Zhada County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |