5.3
4.7/5
Historic buildings
The ruins of the Guge Kingdom are located on a loess slope about 300 meters high, 2 kilometers away from Zabrang Village in Zhada County. Houses, pagodas and caves are densely distributed all over the mountain, forming a huge ancient building complex. The ruins are divided into three levels: upper, middle and lower, which are the royal palace, temples and houses respectively.The Guge Kingdom was established in the first half of the 10th century AD, and had 16 hereditary kings. Its palace castle was also continuously expanded from the 10th century and reached its peak, ending in the 17th century when the Tubo Dynasty collapsed. The ruins are surrounded by city walls, with watchtowers at the four corners, and full of buildings and caves of the same color as the earth. They are large in scale, rigorous in layout, and majestic in appearance.From the entrance at the foot of the mountain, follow the path up the mountain. 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 a rough style and heavy colors. Despite the years, the colors are still bright. These murals that record the lineage of the Guge kings and reflect the political, economic activities and cultural customs of the Guge region are very rare in China and have great ornamental and archaeological value. However, the doors of these halls are usually locked and require a Guide to open the door. There are more than a dozen caves around the temple, which also hide ancient weapons such as shields, armor, and swords.There is a secret passage connecting the mountainside, and you can directly reach the palace on the top of the mountain along the secret passage. There is a relatively well-preserved building in the palace, which is said to be the meeting hall of the Guge Dynasty. The main part of the murals in the hall is mostly Tantric Buddhist men and women practicing Buddhism together, with a bold style and strong colors. The lower part of the murals vividly shows the suffering of hell, and various types of punishment are horrible. The border is a long row of dozens of naked dakinis, charming and elegant, with various manners, and no one is the same.Walk out of the gate of the ruins, go south for about a few hundred meters, and go around the path on the edge of the cliff. There is a cave about 2 meters above the ground. This is the mysterious corpse cave in the Guge ruins. There are caves in the cave, divided into three cave halls. The cave is full of rotten bones. It is said that they are Guge soldiers and monks who were massacred by Ladakh. The strange thing is that the bones in the cave are all headless. The reason is still a mystery. There are several wooden ladders spliced together at the entrance of the cave. You can climb up to take a peek at the scenery inside the cave. However, due to the dry climate, the corpses are not completely decayed, and they emit a strange smell mixed with ghee. Those who are not immune should be cautious.The tour of Guge Ruins takes about 2 hours, after which you can take a bus back to Zhada County for food and lodging. If you want to take photos of the Guge Ruins at sunset, you can stay in Zhabu Rang Village, about 2 kilometers away from the Guge Ruins. There are currently family hotels in the village that can provide food and lodging, but reservations must be made in advance during the peak season.
Address:
Ruins of Guge Kingdom, Zanda County, Ali District, TibetRecommended sightseeing time:
2-3 hours