Gungtang Monastery

Gungtang Monastery is located in Caigongtang Township, east of Lhasa and south of Lhasa River, about 11 kilometers from downtown Lhasa.

In 1187, Shang·Dzunzhui Drakpa (the founder of Tshalpa Kagyu) built Gungtang Monastery with the help of his disciples. After that, Gungtang Monastery became the ruling center of “Tshalpa 10 thousand households”. It is also one of the two main monasteries of the original Tshalpa Kagyu (one of the four major branches of Dagpo Kagyu) of Tibetan Buddhism, the other one is called “Tshalpa Monastery”.

During the reign of the Fifth Dalai (Ngawang Lozang Gyatso, 1617 AD – 1682 AD), the monastery’s faith changed from the single “Tshalpa Kagyu” to a sect that combined “Gelug Pa” and “Tshalpa Kagyu tradition”.

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Gungtang Monastery was changed to a subordinate monastery of Sangpu Monastery. Later, when the Gelug Sect rose, Gungtang Monastery converted to the Gelug Sect, and the Tshalpa Kagyu Sect was discontinued.

Brief

In 1546 AD, a major fire broke out in Gungtang Monastery, and destroying most of the buildings, with only the Maitreya Hall, the stupa of Shang·Dzunzhui Drakpa, and the gilded White Tara statue surviving the blaze.

After three years of preparation, the reconstruction of Gungtang Monastery began in 1549 AD on its original site,

Unfortunately, Gungtang Monastery was destroyed during the “Cultural Revolution” in the 1960s.

In the early 1980s, the local government implemented a new religious policy and began minor repairs to the monastery in 1988 on its original foundations.

In 2005, substantial repairs were carried out on Gungtang Monastery through fundraising efforts involving the local government and the community.

Buildings

Gungtang Monastery, facing south, is a two-story Tibetan courtyard-style structure built with square stones. The roof is adorned with golden tiles and precious prayer flags.

The monastery complex consists of a surrounding wall, assembly hall, monks’ quarters, living quarters for the Living Buddha, and pagoda, covering an area of 10,261 square meters.

The first floor features a gatehouse, assembly hall, 5 Buddha halls, and 2 guardian halls.

The gatehouse is 8.2 meters long east to west, 4.8 meters wide north to south, with 4 pillars, a 2.5-meter high and 2.8-meter wide main entrance, and seven wooden-carved reclining lions on the lintel.

The assembly hall covers an area of 322.24 square meters, measuring 21.1 meters in length and 15.2 meters in width. It has 2 long pillars, 24 short pillars, and is a two-story building.

The first floor houses Buddha halls and guardian halls, adorned with murals of Shakyamuni Buddha, the Dalai Lama, and Tsongkhapa and his disciples. Originally, a bronze statue of Shakyamuni Buddha was enshrined here. To the north, there is a hall, and to the east, west, and south, there are 2 Buddha halls each.

The second floor includes the Shakyamuni Buddha hall, the Tara Buddha hall, the Dalai Lama’s bedroom, and the bedrooms of past Living Buddhas.

The Buddha Hall that located to the north covers an area of 181.46 square meters with a length of 21.1 meters and a width of 8.6 meters. It features 4 tall pillars and 8 short pillars, housing a 7.5-meter-high statue of Sakyamuni Buddha. Additionally, on the south side, there are gilded bronze statues of Amitābha, White Tara, and Tsuktor Namgyelma.

another Buddha Hall that is on the south side of the east measures 5.4 meters in length and 3.25 meters in width, supported by 8 pillars. Originally, it housed clay statues of Tathāgata Buddha, Avalokitasvara Bodhisattva, 16 Arhats, Khorlo Dechok, and Guhyasamaja vajra. On the south side of the west of this hall, there is a single-room Protector Hall measuring 12.3 meters in length and 10 meters in width, featuring clay statues of 4-armed Mahakala, Parvati, and Paldan Lhamo.

The Buddha Hall on the north side of the east covers an area of 161.16 square meters (16 meters in length and 10.1 meters in width) supported by 20 pillars. Inside, there were gilded bronze stupas of Shang·Dzunzhui Drakpa, statues of Atisa, White Tara, Drom Tonpa, Dampa Sangye, Milarapa, and a clay model of a snowy mountain cave. On the east side of the south of this hall, there is a Protector Hall measuring 4.3 meters in length and 3.3 meters in width, housing clay statues of Vaisravana and other deities.

The Buddha Hall on the north side of the west covers an area of 56.55 square meters, with a length of 6.5 meters and a width of 8.7 meters. It originally housed gilded bronze statues of Shang·Dzunzhui Drakpa and his disciples, the 7th Dalai Lama Kelzang Gyatso, Marpa, Milarapa, and other Kagyu lineage masters and translators.

The Buddha Hall on the south side of the west covers an area of 124.85 square meters, with a length of 12.34 meters and a width of 10.15 meters, and there are 4 pillars in this hall. Inside, there are gilded bronze statues of Amitābha, Sakyamuni Buddha, Bhaiṣajyaguru, Gadgadasvara, as well as a silver stupa of Suqu Nyezangtzen and numerous scriptures and scripture racks.

To the north of Gungtang Monastery, there were originally thirteen large pagodas made of earth and stone, which are said to have been built by Shang·Dzunzhui Drakpa. However，there is only one left now, which is a place of worship for local believers.

Gungtang Monastery also has four ancillary buildings: Shengar Dratsang, located about 100 meters southeast of the monastery; Quchi Temple, located about 50 meters southwest of the monastery; Shenpu Fort Hall, located 400 meters west of the monastery and there is Chokorling temple about 40 meters west of the monastery. These buildings were built in the late time and had little impact.

In 2013, Gungtang Monastery was designated as a cultural heritage protection unit in Tibet.

Meiduo Choba Festival

Every year on the 15th day of the 4th month of the Tibetan calendar, Gungtang Monastery holds the “Meiduo Choba (Flower Offering Festival)”. The monks and followers of Tsongzan Lakhang in Cijiaolin Village will invite the Tsongzan deity into a car, receiving worship and blessings from the followers along the way until reaching Gungtang Monastery to meet Gungtang Lamo and stay with the goddess overnight. On the 16th day of the 4th month of the Tibetan calendar, they will carry the Tsongzan deity back to Cijiaoling Village for a Lingka celebration, and finally return him to Tsongzan Lakhang, waiting for the next year’s event. During the Meiduo Choba festival, there will be Qiangmu performances (spiritual dances), Tibetan opera performances, etc., to please the gods and the people.

In 2013, Ngawang Tentsen, the lama in charge of Gungtang Monastery, mentioned that this event was originally intended to please the gods but is now misunderstood by the common people as a worldly affection between gods.

The “Meiduo Choba” of Gungtang Monastery, the “Gyen-A Choba” (Butter Lamp Offering Festival) on the 15th day of the 1st month of the Tibetan calendar at Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, the “Kuyo Choba(Cuckoo Offering Festival)” on the 15th day of the 4th month of the Tibetan calendar at Reting Monastery, and the “Dode Choba (Sutra Offering Festival)” held on the 15th day of the 6th month of the Tibetan calendar at Samye Monastery, collectively known as the Four Great Offerings of U-Tsang.