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Nyintso Gonpa, also known as “Nyintso Tosam Dargyaling”, is a Gelug pa monastery of Tibetan Buddhism that located in Xianshui Town, Dawu (Tawu or Daofu) County.

It is one of the 13 Gelug Sect monasteries in Kham and was founded in 1662 AD (the first year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty).

Legend

Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a large lake named Nyintso in the location of the county town, meaning “a sea with fish.” Nyintso is the Tibetan transliteration of Nyitsuo

Buildings

The monastery is built on a mountain with a water view and has a terraced layout, surrounded by the residents of Dawu. The architecture is centered on the main hall, forming a stepped building complex. There are four mountain gates, with over 500 halls, pavilions, and monk rooms.

The back hall of the main hall is a “biankong” composed of 21 11-meter-high pillars. In the center is a 10-meter-high Jizhi-benba Buddha statue, with Atisha and Tsongkhapa and his three disciples on both sides. Adjacent to the biankong is the middle hall, which can accommodate 2,000 monks reciting sutras on Tibetan carpets. The hall has exquisitely carved large niches, with a 2-meter-high Tsongkhapa Buddha statue in the center and twelve other statues on both sides. In addition, there is a stupa of the recently deceased Pema Lingpa.

Sutra and Butter flower

The main hall of Nyintso Gonpa houses hundreds of volumes of the Kangyur and Tengyur. The interior is painted and carved in the Tibetan style, with auspicious treasures, holy monks, and various thangkas. The hall is magnificent, with thousands of Buddhist artifacts made of gold, silver, and bronze. The butter lamps are always lit.

The butter sculptures and butter flowers of Nyintso Gonpa are extremely famous, not only depicting the life stories of Shakyamuni and the deeds of the founding fathers such as Tsongkhapa, but also interweaving Buddhist tales such as “Journey to the West.” They are renowned throughout the Tibetan region for their unique style and exquisite sculpting techniques, earning the title of “a unique wonder in Kham.”

Religious Events

Every year on the 15th day of the 1st Tibetan month, Nyintso Monastery holds grand Buddhist rituals in the square in front of the main hall, erecting tall and colorful tents displaying large butter sculptures. The butter sculptures and butter flowers of Nyintso Monastery are renowned for their exquisite craftsmanship, rich content, and delicate sculpting. Their themes include not only the life stories of Shakyamuni Buddha and the deeds of the founding fathers like Tsongkhapa, but also interweave Buddhist tales such as “Journey to the West,” as well as folk legends, historical stories, and more. While butter flowers in other places and temples are mostly focused on lines, patterns, and floral designs with very few human figures, the butter flowers of Nyintso Monastery are predominantly centered around human figures, supplemented by flora and fauna, and are particularly remarkable for their vivid and lifelike expressions.

The butter flower festival on the 15th day of the 1st Tibetan month, the Jangkak Great Prayer Festival from September 22nd to 29th in the Tibetan calendar, and the An-que Great Prayer Festival from October 21st to 25th in the Tibetan calendar are all very grand, with the butter flower festival being the most famous. The butter flowers made at Nyintso Monastery are exquisitely shaped and brightly colored, representing the finest craftsmanship in Tibetan art and are renowned in Kham.

Tagtsa Monastery, formally known as “Tagtsa Auspicious Virtuous Dharma Monastery,” is located in the northeastern part of Tagtsa Town, the capital of Zoigê County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture.

The monastery was founded in 1663 AD by the 1^st Tagtsa Rinpoche, Chökyi Molang Lhundrup, and belongs to the Gelug pa of Tibetan Buddhism.

Overview

The monks of Tagtsa Monastery strictly uphold monastic discipline and diligently practice various Buddhist teachings, earning the monastery the reputation of being a sacred site of Chakrasamvara.

Before 1958, the monastery had direct administrative authority over the Zoigê and Washa tribes and indirect authority over the Doma tribe.

Historically, it was under the jurisdiction of Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse.

During the tenure of the 6th Tagtsa Rinpoche, Gesang Jigmey·Tenpé Gyaltsen, he attained a high level of spiritual realization, was known for his profound wisdom and analytical insight, and was well-versed in both Sutrayana and Tantrayana teachings. In 1956, he was granted the title of “Sharwa Chökyi” by Drepung Monastery in Lhasa.

Currently, the monastery operates three major Dratsangs (monastic colleges): the College of Dialectics (Shungten Academy), the Tantric College, and the Kalachakra College.

At present, the monastery has about 172 monks, including 50 Geshe scholars, and is home to two living Buddhas (tulkus).

The ancient buildings and cultural relics of the monastery are well preserved, and in 2004, it was designated as a Provincial-Level Key Cultural Heritage Protection Site by the Sichuan Provincial Government.

Architecture

The entire monastery is built along the mountainside, covering an area of 88,000 square meters, with a total building area of approximately 23,838 square meters.

The architectural style combines traditional Tibetan stone-wood structures with Han-style architectural elements such as beam-frame structures and gilded rooftops. This seamless integration of Tibetan and Han construction techniques and artistic styles results in a grand, uniquely designed monastery complex, characterized by its well-organized layout and distinct hierarchy of structures.

The main buildings include the assembly halls of the three major Dratsangs (monastic colleges), the Tagtsa Academy, the living quarters of the Tagtsa Rinpoches, the monastery’s Tibetan medical clinic, the Tsongkhapa Hall, the Guardian Deity Hall, the Vajrapani Protector Hall, the Kalachakra Stupa, the Bodhi Stupa, the Victory Stupa, the Demon-Subduing Stupa, as well as 86 meditation rooms for monks, a circumambulation hall with 900 large and small prayer wheels, a retirement home, a Dharma supply center, a dining hall, and the monastery administrative office building, all built in traditional Tibetan architectural style.

Tagtsa Academy

Tagtsa Academy is the only monastic academy of its kind in Kham. Located on the right front side of the monastery, it covers an area of 3,570 square meters and is a three-story building in traditional Tibetan architectural style.

Originally, it was a scripture hall within Tagtsa Monastery. Recognizing the limited educational resources among local nomadic and farming communities, as well as the uneven study opportunities for monks, the 7th Tagtsa Rinpoche, Garang Töpten·Rabshe Gyangtso, took five years to establish the first modern multifunctional monastery academy in Tibetan regions.

The academy was founded with the aim of promoting and preserving Tibetan culture and providing broader educational opportunities for the local population. This initiative has been warmly welcomed by Buddhist devotees.

The academy was opened to the public in 2006 and houses a collection of over 100,000 Tibetan and Chinese books. The Tibetan texts cover subjects such as religion, medicine, astronomy, calendrical sciences, and biographies.

The academy is divided into several functional areas: a library, an exhibition hall, a Grand Master Hall, a general administrative section, and a training center.

• The first floor houses the library, which includes a book storage hall, a reading room, and a lecture hall. The library holds over 100,000 books, including precious Buddhist scriptures in Tibetan and Chinese. The reading room accommodates nearly 100 people, while the lecture hall is equipped with modern educational tools such as computers and projectors for hosting academic lectures, seminars, and cultural training sessions.
• The second floor features the exhibition hall, which displays a variety of religious and cultural artifacts, including gold and bronze Buddha statues, wooden carvings, Bodhisattva images, tsa-tsas (small clay votive tablets), murals,thangkas, ritual instruments, as well as various musical instruments, handicrafts, and traditional household items.
• The third floor houses the Grand Master Hall, where over 100 statues of eminent Tibetan Buddhist masters and scholars who have significantly contributed to the preservation and dissemination of Tibetan culture and Buddhism are enshrined.

The main deity enshrined in the hall is Je Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug pa of Tibetan Buddhism, along with his two main disciples, Gyaltshab Je and Khedrup Je.

Tagtsa Monastery’s Academy provides a valuable cultural and spiritual resource for local nomadic and farming communities while serving as an important platform for Tibetan cultural research and preservation.

On March 5, 2013, the State Council of the People’s Republic of China designated Tagtsa Monastery as a National Key Cultural Heritage Protection Site under the seventh batch of listed sites.

Collections

The monastery houses a vast collection of sacred statues, including numerous Buddha and Bodhisattva images. Among its most treasured relics are a Prajñāpāramitā Sutra written in golden ink, a Buddha statue over 3,000 years old, a high lama’s skull inscribed with Tibetan letters, and a stone stele imprinted with the handprint of the 6^th Tagtsa Rinpoche.

Dharma Assemblies

Tagtsa Monastery holds numerous religious festivals and ceremonies throughout the year.

The main annual Buddhist events include:

• The Great Prayer Festival (Mönlam Chenmo) in the first lunar month, which features rituals such as the Buddha Unfolding Ceremony (Thangka Display), butter sculpture exhibitions, scripture recitations, and a Maitreya procession.
• The Nyungne Retreat in the fourth lunar month, a fasting retreat in which all monks observe a sixteen-day period of strict fasting and intense Avalokiteshvara practice while reciting the Six-Syllable Mantra.
• The Debate Festival in the seventh lunar month, also known as the “Festival of Teachings.”
• The Lamp-Lighting Festival in the tenth lunar month.
• The Calamity-Averting Rituals and the Dance of the Dharma Kings in the twelfth lunar month.

Seventh-Month Debate Festival

The Seventh-Month Debate Festival at Tagtsa Monastery, held during the seventh month of the Tibetan calendar, is a traditional monastic debate period known in Tibetan as “Denbé Rozha”, meaning “Seventh-Month Grand Debate”.

This debate session coincides with the monks’ summer retreat (Yarne), creating a period that is both intense and contemplative.

The festival begins on the 7th day of the seventh month and concludes on the 15th day, with a dedication ceremony on the 16th.

The primary focus of this period is Buddhist debate, with daily debates occurring in the morning and afternoon. The topics cover Buddhist Logic (Pramāṇa), Perfection of Wisdom (Prajñāpāramitā), Madhyamaka (Middle Way), Abhidharma (Treasury of Knowledge), and Vinaya (Monastic Discipline). On the 15th day, the debates culminate with a special session known as the “Turning of the Wheel of Dharma.”

Debate Format

• The debate takes the form of a one-on-one debate in front of the entire assembly in the main prayer hall,
• Each debate is a one-on-one session, lasting for the time it takes to burn a single incense stick (approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour).
• Participants are selected through a rotational system within their classes.
• The final selection is made at the Dorma Mani Dharma Assembly at the end of the third lunar month, where the Chief Dharma Teacher and Geshe Supervisors announce the chosen participants.
• In the following months, the debate participants undergo a preparation period. Besides reciting the required texts, their practice primarily focuses on debate topics.
• Selected monks spend over three months preparing for the debates, though the actual debate lasts only about 40 minutes.

Debate Process

The formal debate ritual spans three days:

1. Day One: Flower Gathering – Participants, accompanied by family and friends, gather fresh flowers from the monastery grounds and surrounding grasslands.
2. Day Two: Offering & Prayers – The two debate participants present their offerings, including fresh flowers, khatas (ceremonial scarves), butter lamps, and other ritual items, at the main prayer hall and various shrine rooms.
3. Day Three: The Grand Debate – The debate takes place in the monastery’s main hall, with monks gathered in complete silence, attentively observing the two participants. Fresh flowers are scattered across the hall, symbolizing blessings and auspiciousness.

This debate serves as a rigorous examination, testing not only the depth of their knowledge but also their mental resilience under high-pressure conditions.

Once the debate concludes, classmates, friends, and family members present khatas to the participants as a gesture of congratulations and respect for their successful completion of the debate.

Brief History

Tagtsa Monastery has undergone development and expansion under the leadership of seven generations of reincarnated lamas (Tagtsa Rinpoches).

• 1663 CE – When first established, Tagtsa Monastery was merely a small meditation retreat, with only a dozen resident monks.
• 1829 CE – The Fourth Tagtsa Rinpoche, Losang Tenzin Gyatso, along with his brother Solang Tashi, relocated the monastery from the confluence of the Heihe (Black River) and Rhe River to its current site. They constructed the Main Assembly Hall, the Prajnaparamita Shrine, and established the Upper Tantric College.
• 1960s – The monastery suffered severe destruction.
• May 1981 – Restoration of Tagtsa Monastery began.
• 1984 onwards – Large-scale restoration projects were carried out, including the reconstruction of major shrine halls and the sculpting of over 2,000 Buddhist statues.
• July 2, 2006 – The Tagtsa Academy was completed and officially opened.
• 2009 – The Main Buddha Hall (Mahavira Hall) was reconstructed.

Sumge Mani is also known as “Songge Mani-Sutra City” or “Sumge Mani Stone Castle“

This is a large complex built entirely out of “mani stones” (stones inscribed with Buddhist sutras). Due to the vast openness of the surrounding grasslands, the stone-city does not appear grand or tall from a distance.

The location of the stone castle is called “Song” in the Tibetan language, hence the local people refer to it as “Songge Mani” (“Ge” is a particle without meaning).

The stone castle is oriented facing south, and the entire city is rectangular in shape. It is 73 meters long from east to west, and 47 meters wide from north to south. The outer walls are approximately 9 meters high, while the central stupa section reaches the highest point at 14.5 meters.

According to historical research, the stone castle is believed to have been built between the 11^th and 12^th centuries, covering an area of about 4,000 square meters. It is entirely constructed of mani stones with inscribed scriptures, without the use of any adhesives or supporting frameworks.

Location

Sumge Mani Stone Castle is located about 70 kilometers northeast of Shiqu (Sershul) County in Arizha Township.

It is situated on the western bank of the Luoqu River, a tributary of the Yalong River, between two mountains in a wide valley. It is built at the foot of a low hill, with the open grasslands in front and a gently sloping, rounded hill further away. The surrounding terrain offers both a sense of shelter and openness.

Architecture

The outer walls of the stone castle are lined with rows of densely packed niches that look like countless “windows.”

Most of these niches house finely carved and colorfully painted stone statues of Buddhas and deities. There are both bas-relief and line carvings, with exceptionally intricate techniques. The statues vary in type and appearance, each with unique expressions and postures.

Many of the stone carvings have weathered over time, with their colors fading, giving them an ancient look.

According to field surveys, there are 383 niches on the outer walls of the stone castle alone, including 204 on the front wall, 68 on the east wall, 62 on the west wall, and 49 on the back wall.

A small gate, located slightly to the west on the front side, provides access to the interior of the stone castle.

Inside, the stone castle is densely packed with piles of mani stones inscribed with various scriptures and images of Buddhas, leaving only narrow passageways for movement. These paths twist and turn between the high walls of mani stones, leading one left, right, up, and down, creating a labyrinth-like experience for those walking within.

On the eastern side of the castle, there is a stupa built from mani stones, standing about 5-6 meters tall.

The most mysterious part of the castle is a well-like structure made of five concentric stone circles, stacked on top of each other.

This well is located at the lowest point inside the castle, approximately level with the ground. It is said that this well marks the center of the castle and is considered the “heart” of the entire structure.

On top of the five stone circles lies a mani stone. When the mani stone is lifted, a well opening is revealed in the center of the stone circles.

According to local residents, the well is bottomless, and when one leans over and listens carefully, they can hear the sound of flowing river water, the sounds of temple horns and drums, or even the thunderous gallop of warhorses. Everyone hears something different.

When we leaned over and listened for a while, there was a clear sense of emptiness below, and a cool breeze rose gently from the well. From these observations, it seems that there is a large space beneath the well, possibly very deep.

Thus, the various sounds people hear inside the well may stem from a subjective illusion triggered by the sense of “emptiness.” This could explain why different individuals hear different sounds.

However, what is the purpose of this mysterious well? How was it formed? Is it related to the construction of the stone castle? Local people have no answers to these questions.

But based on the sense of emptiness felt in the well at the center of the castle, the labyrinth-like passageways, and the overall layout of the stone castle, it seems unlikely that this structure was randomly built. It is highly probable that there was some form of design and planning involved from the very beginning.

The interior of the stone castle is also filled with countless niches, all housing exquisitely carved stone statues of Buddhas in various forms and expressions.

Verification of the Construction Period

There are many theories about the construction period and origin of the Sumge Mani Stone Castle, with two particularly noteworthy ones:

The first theory is a widely circulated local legend in the Arizha Township area, where the stone castle is located. It suggests that during the time of King Gesar, his army engaged in a major battle with enemy tribes in this region. Many soldiers were killed in the battle, and in order to perform rituals to guide the spirits of the fallen, the soldiers built a mani stone mound here.

Over time, as local people came to commemorate King Gesar’s achievements, more and more people made pilgrimages to this site, gradually enlarging the mani mound until it eventually became the Sumge Mani Stone Castle.

Supporting this theory is the discovery of over 30 colorfully painted stone statues of King Gesar and his 30 generals in a niche at the center of the front of the stone castle. This seems to suggest a certain connection between the castle and King Gesar.

The Shiqu grassland was once one of King Gesar’s strongholds, and even today, many legends about King Gesar and the relics of his activities are still passed down in the Shiqu grassland area.

Many scholars in Gesar studies believe that King Gesar of the Ling Kingdom is based on the Ling family clan of the 11th-12th centuries, who lived in what is now Dege and Shiqu in Sichuan (the ancestors of the Tusi leaders in Dege). Scholars in Gesar studies regard Jisuyagekanduo in the Ashu Township of Dege County in Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan, as the “hometown of King Gesar” (where a temple dedicated to King Gesar and various relics of his activities are found).

The Ashu grassland in Dege is adjacent to Shiqu, and the Zhaxika grassland in Shiqu was one of King Gesar’s early major activity areas.

King Gesar is believed to have been a descendant of the Ling family clan, around the 30^th generation, and he lived around the 11th-12th centuries, corresponding to the Song dynasty in central China.

If the origin of Sumge Mani Stone Castle is indeed as the local legend describes, then the stone castle would have been built nearly a thousand years ago.

The second theory comes from the staff at the local cultural heritage management department. A few years ago, Shiqu County’s cultural relics department excavated a 1.5-meter-deep trench near the base of the stone castle wall and discovered that the mani stones beneath were inscribed with Sanskrit scriptures.

Sanskrit was primarily popular during the Early Propagation period of Buddhism in Tibet, during the Tibetan Empire. After King Langdarma’s persecution of Buddhism in 842 CE, Buddhist practitioners migrated from Ü-Tsang to border regions like Kham. Around a century later, by the late 10th century, the Lower Road route of the propagation of Buddhism from Kham to Ü-Tsang began to flourish. At that time, the area along the banks of the Jinsha River, including counties like Shiqu, Dege, and Baiyu, became a core region for this propagation.

Many founding masters of the Kagyu and Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism, such as Düsum Khyenpa (the founder of the Karma Kagyu), Rinchen Pal (founder of the Drikung Kagyu), Phagmo Drupa (founder of the Phagmo Kagyu), and Kadampa Desi (founder of Katok Monastery in the Nyingma tradition), all came from the area along the banks of the Jinsha River, including Shiqu, Dege, and Baiyu.

The discovery of Sanskrit inscriptions at the base of the stone castle walls, combined with the fact that Shiqu was located in the core region of the Lower Road propagation, suggests that the stone castle was likely built in the 11th-12th centuries. Notably, this period coincides with the time when the Ling family clan, the prototype of King Gesar, was active. This implies that the clues provided by both the Gesar legend and the Sanskrit inscriptions regarding the origin of Sumge Mani Stone Castle are roughly aligned.

Additionally, some weathered inscriptions with Bön symbols (Yungdrung) were also found near the base of the walls. This indicates that during the early construction of the stone castle, the Bön religion still held considerable influence in the area.

The Legend of the Sumge Mani Stone Castle

According to local residents, the Sumge Mani Stone Castle never grows taller—however tall it stands above ground, it is said to have an equal portion submerged underground.

This means that the visible part of the Sumge Mani Stone Castle is only half of it, while the other half is buried below the surface.

Although this claim has yet to be verified, some signs suggest it could be possible.

First, the groundwater level on the grasslands is generally high, and the soil is soft. Observations of the stone castle’s foundation indicate obvious signs of sinking. Local people say that every year, in the first month of the Tibetan lunar calendar, a red clay seeps out from the castle’s walls, which they consider auspicious and use for healing.

The seeping clay is likely a result of the pressure from the castle sinking, proving that the stone castle does indeed sink a little each year, especially during the winter months.

Secondly, the dampness and sense of emptiness felt from the well in the castle’s center indicate that the ground below is soft and moist. It’s easy to imagine that such a soft, moist foundation would have limited load-bearing capacity.

Therefore, it’s entirely plausible that the Sumge Mani Stone Castle is sinking because the mani stone construction has grown too tall, and the ground can no longer support the weight.

The Sumge Mani Stone Castle is a “living” castle. Since its creation, the construction has never stopped. Each year, countless new mani stones are added to the structure. Remarkably, even during the Cultural Revolution, the castle was untouched due to its remote location, and the building of mani stone mounds continued uninterrupted.

Mani Stone Carvings

Mani stone carving is a unique form of folk culture in Tibetan areas with ancient origins. It is closely linked to the early stone worship of Tibet’s ancestors and the Bön religion that existed before Buddhism was introduced.

Though mani stone carvings are now somewhat connected to monastic culture, they primarily belong to a system of folk belief, serving as a way for the Tibetan farmers and herders—who live in harsh environments—to express their faith more freely.

Especially in the vast grasslands where temples are scarce and distant, mani stone carvings have become a primary means for nomadic people to practice and express their beliefs.

Mani stone carving culture is highly developed in Shiqu (Sershul) County, as well as in the neighboring areas of Yushu in Qinghai, northern Chamdo in Tibet, and the broader nomadic regions of northern Tibet.

In particular, the mani stone carvings in the Chamdo and northern Tibetan regions are ancient, with some possibly dating back to the time of the Tibetan Empire. The size and scale of some of the mani stone mounds are immense.

The Sumge Mani Stone Castle is likely the only and largest stone scripture castle of its kind seen across the entire Tibetan plateau.

Stone Carving Culture

In terms of the variety and craftsmanship of the painted stone Buddha statues within the niches, Sumge Mani Stone Castle can be described as an art museum of stone carvings on the grasslands.

It not only features a unique structure, delicate layout, and grand scale, but also showcases exquisite carving techniques. The castle holds immense value for studying ethnic history, architecture, and Gesar culture.

Despite enduring for a thousand years, this stone scripture castle—entirely built from stone—still stands tall, embodying the unique charm of Tibetan culture.