Trisong Detsen Monument, also known as “The Monument of Merit for Trisong Detsen”, originally located at the bridgehead on the north bank of the Qonggyai River, is now situated at the northwest corner of the Qonggyai County government courtyard.
In the 16th century Tibetan famous historical masterpiece “The Feast of the Wise,” it is recorded that there was a stone tablet in front of the tomb of Trisong Detsen. It can be understood that this stone tablet was moved from Trisong Detsen’s tomb to the bridgehead of Qonggyai River. The specific time of relocation was probably during the period of the 5th Dalai Lama in the 17th century. Such phenomena of moving stone tablets are common in Tibetan history.
According to the archaeological review and research of the “Tibetan Qonggyai Bridge Stele,” the stone tablet is 5.13 meters high, consisting of three parts: the stele cap, the stele body, and the stele base.
The stele cap is 0.89 meters high, with overlapping two precious beads at the top. The upper bead has a diameter of 0.26 meters and a height of 0.27 meters, while the lower bead has cracks, with a diameter of 0.4 meters and a height of 0.22 meters.
The top of the stele cap is rectangular, with a four-sloped pavilion-style roof, slightly upturned edges, and a ring of lotus petal patterns along the edge of the beads.
The stele cap is 1.2 meters long, 0.85 meters wide, with a total thickness of 0.4 meters, and an edge thickness of 0.2 meters, connected to the stele body by a mortise and tenon structure.
The front of the monument displays ancient Tibetan inscriptions on the northwest side, now faded and unclear.
The back of the monument on the southeast side features a bas-relief carving of a majestic lion facing a dragon. The upper half depicts a standing lion with a faded head, showcasing a muscular body and limbs, while the lower half shows a creature with stretched limbs and a tail curling upwards on both sides.
The north and south sides of the monument are decorated with symmetrical patterns of winged ascending dragons amidst auspicious clouds. The dragons are depicted as robust, with raised heads, extended front claws, whiskers, horns, and scales, appearing in a dynamic running posture with auspicious clouds beneath their tails.
The monument base is a circular stone block measuring 1.88 meters in length, 1.5 meters in width, and 0.17 meters in height. The pedestal is 1.9 meters long, 1.52 meters wide, and 0.04 meters thick.
In his work “Ancient Tibetan Stone Monuments and Inscriptions,” the Tibetan scholar Mr. Basang Wangdui mentions that the monument at Qiongjie Bridge records the period of Chisong Dezain when the Tubo Kingdom was powerful, extending its territory from the west to the ancient Arab Empire and to the east towards the Long Mountains.
The bottom of the stele cap features a symmetrical relief pattern of rising clouds.
The stele body is smaller at the top and larger at the bottom, 4.03 meters high, with a width of 0.8 meters and a thickness of 0.33 meters at the top, and a width of 0.85 meters and a thickness of 0.41 meters at the bottom.
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