The “Riwo Dechen Monastery” belongs to the Gelug Pa of Tibetan Buddhism. The mountain where it is located resembles an elephant, with the monastery positioned at the spot resembling the “neck of an elephant,” hence it is also known as the “Monastery built on the neck of an elephant.”
Situated on the western slope of the Qingwadazi Mountain behind the government of Qonggyai County, at an altitude of 3850 meters, it is close to the ruins of the Chingwa Taktse Palace and the tombs of Tibetan king.
Established in the 14th century during the time of the 1st Dalai Lama, it initially consisted of only one Buddha hall and around thirty houses.
It was expanded during the reigns of the 5th, 7th, and 8th Dalai Lamas, evolving into a large complex with halls, monk quarters, and palaces. At its peak, it housed over five hundred monks.
Before 1949, out of over two thousand monasteries in all of Tibet, only six were authorized to appoint monks to serve as “Zizhong（a rank in the local Tibetan government）”, and the Riwo Dechen Monastery was one of them.
Establishment
There are two different accounts regarding the founder of this monastery. One is recorded in “Qing Shi” and “Biography of the First Panchen Lama” as “Khenchen Nyitri Tsenba Palsang,” while the other is documented in “New Red History” as “Dorje Tridenba.”
Historical records provide a more detailed description of the monastery’s construction by “Khenchen·Nyitri·Tsenba Palsang.” He was born in the region of Lhathog in Southern Tibet and was a disciple of the 1st Panchen Lama, Khedrup Je (1385-1438). Due to his profound knowledge of the “Heart Sutra （Prajna Paramita Hrdaya）,” he was called “Nyitri,” which means “twenty thousand” in Tibetan, referring to his mastery of over twenty thousand characters of the “Heart Sutra （Prajna Paramita Hrdaya）”
In the late 14th century, “Khenchen·Nyitri·Tsenba Palsang” was invited by Dorje Tseten and others from present-day Qonggyai County to jointly establish the Riwo Dechen Monastery in this area.
Initially, the monastery was built in imitation of Ganden Monastery, located below the “Taktse Castle.” It was quite small, consisting of only a four-pillar （1 pillar is about 25 square meters）Buddha hall with around fifty monks.
After the passing of Khenchen·Nyitri·Tsenba Palsang, the leadership of the monastery was passed on to his disciple Khenchen Wenlaba, who then became the first abbot of Riwo Dechen Monastery.
Development
The 2nd Dalai Lama, Gedun Gyatso (1475 AD – 1542 AD), visited the Riwo Dechen Monastery multiple times to give teachings and would circumambulate the “Victorious Stupa” of the monastery every morning. During his time there, he personally sculpted a statue of the guardian deity Paldan Lhamo and wrote a Buddhist scripture called “Jaqü.” This scripture has been passed down to this day, and the monks of Riwo Dechen Monastery still recite it.
The 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lozang Gyatso (1617 AD – 1682 AD), was born halfway up the mountain in a place called “Deba shingkang” and served as a monk at the monastery in his youth. After assuming power over the Gadan Podrang Regime, he conducted a major expansion of the Riwo Dechen Monastery. He extended the existing silver stupa and guardian deity hall southwards to create a large assembly hall, supported by 70 pillars (12 long and 58 short), covering an area of 3956 square meters. The hall was divided into sections painted in red and white to distinguish them, which the original part was painted red, and the later part was painted white. Inside the hall, intricate Buddhist murals adorned the walls, and a finely crafted silk thangka depicting the 7th Dalai Lama Kelzang Gyatso (1708 AD – 1757 AD), the Qing Emperor Qianlong, the founder of Riwo Dechen Monastery, and the monastery’s name was displayed. Unfortunately, this structure was demolished in 1962, with its treasures lost, leaving only ruins.
During his stay at the monastery, the Fifth Dalai Lama composed a few lines of poetry praising the monastery: “Like white rice and treasures piled in an ideal place, it is a sign of the flourishing of Gelug Pa of Tibetan Buddhism in Qonggyai. Riwo Dechen, built on the majestic neck of an elephant, may Riwo Dechen prosper forever!”
The father of the 7th Dalai Lama, Sonam Dargya, built a Jampa Buddha Hall (Maitreya Hall). This hall had a total of 4 pillars and housed a copper statue of Jampa Buddha, towering over four stories, with a legend that the statue contained Tibetan mother lion milk in its abdomen. Additionally, the 7th Dalai Lama’s father constructed an Eighteen Arhats Hall at the monastery, consisting of two stories with eight pillars, serving as the residence for high lamas on the upper floor and the Arhats hall on the lower floor. Apart from the Eighteen Arhats, the hall also enshrined a bronze statue of Tsongkhapa cast in mainland China. Adjacent to the Arhats Hall, the first regent of the Kashag regime, Nyima Gyantsen, built a palace for himself, which he later dedicated to the monastery as a Buddhist hall. Inside this hall, a bronze statue of the 7th Dalai Lama was once worshipped. To commemorate his father, the 7th Dalai Lama Kelsang Gyatso built the “Gunzo Lakhang”, a single-story hall with four pillars dedicated to the Tryadhva-buddhāḥ (Sakyamuni,Bhaiṣajya Guru, Amitābha).
During this period, in addition to the constructions by the 7th Dalai Lama and his father, local residents also built Meri Lhakhang, Datsang Shegxia, and more. Meri Lhakhang had two pillars and housed Amitayus Buddha, Green Tara, the “Three Buddhas” (Gadgadasvara, Guanyin or Avalokiteshvara, Vajra), the 7th Dalai Lama; The sedan chair of the 7th Dalai Lama is enshrined in the “Datsang Shegxia”.
Riwo Dechen Monastery does not have a spirit stupa but contains a stupa housing the relic of the 5th Dalai Lama’s big toe, approximately 4 meters high. The Jiujiu Stupa, standing at 2 meters high, is gilded and accompanied by a stupa hall supported by nine pillars.
During the reign of the 8th Dalai Lama, Qambe Gyatso (1758-1804), winter and summer palaces were constructed at Riwo Dechen Monastery. The winter palace was located at the foot of the mountain, two stories high with 30 pillars on the ground floor, while the summer palace was situated on the mountain, designed in a terraced style with 18 pillars on the ground floor.
Main relic
The precious artifacts of the Riwo Dechen Monastery mainly include the butter lamp donated by the father of the 7th Dalai Lama, Sonam Dargya, and was originally placed in the Jampa Buddha Hall.
This silver butter lamp, measuring 10.7 cm in height, 12.2 cm in diameter, and 9 cm in diameter at the base.
The lamp consists of a bowl on the top, a base on the bottom, and a handle in the midle. The lamp-bowl is 2.5 centimeters deep with a single decorative groove on the outside; the lamp base is circular with a trumpet-shaped opening, hollow inside, decorated with a string pattern, and 4 centimeters high, the lamp handle is diamond-shaped and 4 centimeters high. It is finely crafted and can be considered a fine piece of art.
Organization
The organizational structure of the Riwo Dechen Monastery is similar to other Gelug pa monasteries. Apart from the tribute collected by the monastery’s affiliated manors, all other economic resources of the monastery are allocated by the Kashag regime, with allocations made once every six years.
Before 1959, the Riwo Dechen Monastery housed sets of hand-copied manuscripts of “Ganggyur” and “Tangyur,” along with a large number of other Buddhist scriptures, as well as works on medicine, astronomy, and philosophy.
Prior to 1959, the Riwo Dechen Monastery had over 600 monks, overseeing three “Zhika (Manor),” namely Yelong Halongkang, Qiangma (now within the Xiasui Township of Jiuhe District), and Shensha (within the Fanshen Township of Jiuhe District). The monastery had subordinate temples such as Ruokang, Niangjiao, and Donggen.
The monastery was destroyed during the “Cultural Revolution” of the 1960s.
Although the original monastery buildings were completely destroyed, the monks of the original monastery, supported by the local people, constructed a new temple next to the original site in 1985, where they continued to carry out Buddhist activities.
In 2003, the monastery accommodated over 80 monks from other Gelug pa monasteries.
Building
The main hall’s walls are adorned with fascinating murals depicting the origins of the Tibetan people, portraying them as descendants of a union between a rakshasi woman and a divine monkey.
Unusually, the monastery’s main deities include statues of Atisa, Jampa Buddha (referred to as Maitreya Buddha or Future Buddha in Chiense Buddhism), and Tsongkhapa. This might be due to the fact that Tsongkhapa’s “Gelug pa” sect was developed based on the foundation of the “Kadampa” sect, which was with Atisa being the founder.
In the center of the hall, there is a portrait and robe of the 5th Dalai Lama, known for his strikingly bright eyes possibly inherited from his mother, a virtuous woman from the Langkazi family, renowned as the “Nine-eyed bead in a cat’s eye stone.”
On the right side, there are statues of Shakyamuni Buddha, Tsongkhapa, and the Bhaisajya Guru. Additionally, there are portraits and photographs of several “Rinpoches” (living Buddhas).
Chingwa Taktse Palace
In ancient times, this place was called “Chingwa,” translated into Chinese as “Pibo” during the Tang Dynasty (“Taktse” means palace), without the place name of Qonggyai;
In Tibetan, “Qong” means “hanging,” and “gyai” means “prosperous,” eventually evolving into the place name “Qonggyai.” Below the Chingwa Taktse Mountain is the present-day county town of Qonggyai.
On the mountain peak beside the Riwo Dechen Monastery, a long ancient city wall winds up along a steep cliff, with the prominent ancient castle at the top being the renowned “Chingwa Taktse Palace.”
According to Tibetan historical records, the “Chingwa Taktse Palace” was built from the reign of the 9th to the 11th generations of the Tubo rulers, each palace having its own name, forming a palace fortress community, collectively known as the “Six Royal Palaces of Chingwa,” later generations still refer to it as the “Chingwa Taktse Castle.”
On the southern end of the Chingwa Taktse Mountain’s cliff, there are two ancient cliff carvings of unknown age, mainly consisting of figurative carvings and inscriptions.
There are a total of fifty-six figurative statues, all representing various Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and guardian deities of Tibetan Buddhism, ranging from three meters tall to less than twenty centimeters;
The inscriptions mostly consist of six-character mantras. The carvings have been eroded by weathering, with many now unclear and faded.
The Yalong tribe centered around the Qonggyai area, with the successive Tubo rulers residing in the fortresses here, making this place an ancient capital of the Tubo Kingdom in its early days.
The palace ruins and the ancient city wall ruins connecting several ancient forts still exist today. The forts are strategically located on high ground, making them easy to defend and difficult to attack, indicating their military significance in defense against enemies.
The eighth Tubo ruler accidentally cut off the celestial ladder, leaving his body on earth, and was buried in the “Chingwa Taktse Mountain,” becoming the first Tibetan royal tomb in history.
Subsequently, several Tibetan kings were also buried on this mountain. There is an oval-shaped tall burial mound on the ridge, traditionally believed to be that of Princess Jin Cheng of Tang Dynasty. Hence, “Chingwa Taktse” is also considered part of the “tombs of Tibetan King.”
Unfortunately, during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, both the Chingwa Taktse Palace and the Riwo Dechen Monastery were destroyed, although the Riwo Decehn Monastery has since been rebuilt,
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