Nechung Monastery, also known as “Nechung Dorje Drayangling”, was initially a Nyingma Pa monastery of Tibetan Buddhism but later converted to the Gelug Pa.
It is a subordinate monastery of Drepung Monastery and serves as the residence of Nechung Oracle.
Located in the western suburbs of Lhasa, it is approximately 1 kilometer away from Drepung Monastery.
The name “Ne” of “Nechung” means “place” and “chung” means “small”. Therefore, “Nechung Monastery” refers to the “small place” below Drepung Monastery.
The monastery venerates “Pehar“, a three-headed, six-armed deity, who is the main deity of the Gelug Pa as a worldly protector deity. Monks in the monastery serve as Nechung Oracle, allowing Pehar to possess them and deliver prophecies.
Legend of “Pehar” – building the monastery
Nechung Monastery, built in the 7th century, is where the largest worldly protector deity of Tibetan Buddhism, Pehar, resides as the representative deity of the protector deity “Nechung Tablama“.
There are various versions in Tibetan literature regarding the origins of the monastery:
The 1st one states that Pehar, originally a local deity in “Uzangna”, later moved to the “Badehao Temple” in “Yugu”, becoming the guardian deity of the “Hor” tribe. Upon the completion of Samye Monastery, Padmasambhava, on the advice of the mountain god “Nyenchen,” invited “Pehar” from Hor to become the protector deity of Samye Monastery, residing on Mount Pekar.
It is said that after spending 700 years at Samye Monastery, Pehar moved to the Gungtang Monastery of the Kagyu Pa on the south bank of the Lhasa River. During his time at Gungtang Monastery, a conflict arose between Pehar and the abbot of the monastery Lama Shang·Dzunzhui Drakpa who instructed the painters not to paint Pehar’s portrait on the monastery murals when the monastery was being rebuilt. Pehar was very angry about this, so he changed his appearance to be a young worker who helped the painters work, and was deeply loved by the painters.
When the mural was almost completed, the painter asked the young worker what he wanted. The young worker asked the painter to draw a monkey holding burning incense anywhere on the mural. Late at night, Pehar transformed into the monkey in the mural and burned the monastery to the ground with the burning incense. Lama Shang·Dzunzhui Drakpa was very angry about this and designed to capture Pehar with a cross-reticulated spiritual weapon, put it in a wooden box and throw it into Gyichu (Lhasa River).
When the wooden box flowed and passed Drepung Monastery along the river, it was fished out by a lama. The lama was very curious and opened the lid of the box to take a look. Pehar took advantage of this and turned into a white dove and flew to a nearby birch tree and disappeared. Later generations built a monastery around the tree and called it “Nechung Monastery”.
Since then, Pehar has continuously proven his presence at Nechung Monastery, with his representative deity being Nechung Tablama. This deity was later appointed by the 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (1617 AD – 1682 AD), as the oracle deity of the Kashag Regime.
The 2nd one states that the 5th Dalai Lama saw the wooden box in which Pehar was imprisoned floating on the Lhasa River near Drepung Monastery. He instructed a Khenpo from Drepung Monastery to retrieve the box and told him not to open it. However, out of curiosity, on the way to bring the wooden box back to Drepung monastery, the Khenpo opened a small slit in the box, and at that moment, a dove flew out and perched on an ancient tree. The Dalai Lama reprimanded the Khenpo and ordered the construction of a monastery around the tree, naming it Nechung Monastery.
The 3rd one states that Pehar was moved to Drepung Monastery to fulfill a promise he made to Tsongkhapa’s great disciple Jamyang Choje Tashi (1379 AD–1449 AD) during the construction of Drepung Monastery. It is said that this protector deity had vowed to protect Drepung monastery, leading to the construction of Nechung Monastery.
The 4th one states that it was not Pehar himself but his emanation, the “Dorje”, who moved from Samye Monastery to Gungtang Monastery in Lhasa. “Dorje” aspired to become an important and prominent protector deity of Gungtang Monastery for a long time. To prove it, he appeared various illusions in front of the monks of Gungtang Monastery. Though, the monks the monks disliked this troublesome protector and called him an “evil ghost”. Finally, the monks used the evil method to force him into a wooden box and threw him into the Lhasa River. The wooden box was fished out of the river by a lama and carried to Drepung Monastery. After opening the box, the “Dorje” escaped from the box and flew to an ancient tree and disappeared. Later, a monastery was built around the tree and was called “Nechung Monastery”. Soon, Pehar appeared in “Nechung Monastery”.
Yet, the 5th one involves a resident of Cai-gong-tang who was placed in a wooden box like a dead person and thrown into the Lhasa River. The box was retrieved by monks from Drepung Monastery, and upon opening it, a flame shot out and vanished into a nearby ancient tree, and the person in the wooden box regained consciousness and was taken to Drepung Monastery. Later, a monastery was built around the tree and called “Nechung Monastery”, and this individual later became the first representative deity (Nechung Tablama) of Nechung Monastery.
According to Tibetan historical texts, Pehar is also known as the “Great Warrior God Nechung,” the leader of the demonic deities. Followers of Bon religion refer to him as the “Protector Deity of Zhang Zhung Kingdom.” Descriptions of Pehar in Tibetan literature depict him as having three heads and six arms, each with a white, sky-blue, or red face. His three right hands hold iron hooks, arrows and sword; His three left hands hold Knife, bow and staff; He wears a white silk coat and a waist made of human skin and tiger skin. He wears a rattan hat similar to a straw hat. He rides a white lion and is pulled by a “Menpu Bucha”. The god of companionship is Atquma, jackdaws is his envoys.”
Monastery Layout
The current layout of Nechung Monastery is just a small square courtyard with the east gate open.
The entire architectural layout is rectangular, with the front courtyard occupying about one-third of the total area, and the ancient hall occupying two-thirds.
The front and east side of the monastery are monks’ residences, monks enter and exit through the east gate, with a small stone lion on each side of the gate
Upon entering the east gate, you will find the front courtyard, covering an area of about 50 square meters. The courtyard is paved with bluestones, with a Han-style stele without words standing in the center, flanked by incense burners.
At the south gate of the front courtyard is a small door that remains closed all year round. It is said that the “Vajra Power God (Dorje Shugden)” has been waiting at the south gate for the day he becomes the main Dharma protector. At that time, Pehar will become the transcendental protector and ascend to the heaven, and Dorje Shugden will succeed Pehar as the main worldly protector
According to historical records, the Vajra Power God is often referred to as the “God of War” or “Lord of Fate,” evolving from the soul of a senior monk named “Sonam Drakpa” from Drepung monastery during the reign of the Fifth Dalai Lama.
About 20 meters northwest of the west gate of the front courtyard, there are three stone shrines: the central shrine enshrines White Pehar, the shrine on the west side enshrines Vajra Power God, and the shrine on the east side enshrines Tseumar protecor which also known as the “Red Yaksha Dharma Protector”. Among them, the shrines in the center and on the west side are white, while the shrine on the east side is red.
To prevent evil forces from entering the monastery, the ceiling of the west gate is covered with iron arrowheads, and in the past, many wild animal skulls were hung here.
Architecture
In front of the main entrance of Nechung Monastery, there are two stone lions in Han-style. Steps lead up to a double row of eight-pillared corridor.
The walls on both sides of the main entrance are painted with statues of Pehar and Dorje Shuten respectively. Upon entering the main hall through the main gate, the main hall is divided into several passageways by three rows of large pillars. The middle passageway is lined with cushions and scripture tables for the monks to chant sutras.
There are several auxiliary halls surrounding the main hall, the most famous of which is the Pehar Hall located in the northwest corner of the main hall. In the hall, there is an ancient tree where Pehar transformed into a white dove, but now only a section of the tree trunk wrapped in Hada can be seen.
To the left of the sacred tree, there is a shrine of Pehar in warrior attire, and to the left of the shrine is a statue of the great master Padmasambhava.
The most sacred place in Nechung Monastery is due north of the main hall, known as the “Hall of Nechung Dharma King,” where a silver-carved seat is placed. On the seat,there are the robes and helmet worn by the Nechung shaman during the descent of the deity, and the shaman’s boots are placed in front of the sea
The Dharma Protector Temple is at the northeast corner of the main hall, which houses the statues of Dema Sogyemu (another incarnation of Palden Lhamo) and Nyima Shunu
According to historical records, at the beginning of the 20th century, Nechung Monastery was very prosperous. The monastery had a special warehouse for storing treasures; luxurious decorations, and a surrounding forest reserve where leopards and other wild animals were kept. There were 101 monks in the monastery, from whom Nechung Dharma King selected his successor after he stepped down. The entire monastery is exquisite, compact, solemn, and dignified, with its red walls blending into the blue sky, green trees and gray-brown rocks.
Mural
The mural art of Nechung Monastery is another classic masterpiece of ancient classical Tibetan mural art, in addition to the murals of the Guge Kingdom and the Palcho monastery.
From the perspective of style, the murals of Nechung Monastery are a concentrated embodiment of the artistic style of an era. They differ from the murals of the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and other temples in terms of depicting subjects, composition, use of color, and character styling.
Painted on the walls of the main hall and corridors, these murals date back to the mid-17th century.
The murals in the monastery mainly depict Pehar and his incarnations with accompanying deities, as well as scenes of sentient beings being punished in hell for their evil deeds in previous lives.
The content of the paintings is relatively independent, lacking the narrative scenes commonly found in traditional Tibetan murals.
Due to the absence of narratives, there is minimal background decoration, with a large proportion of the painting dedicated to the figures, resulting in a full composition.
The backgrounds often use cool colors, gold, black purple, creating a rich and brilliant tone. The painting technique alternates between single-line flat painting and shading, using slightly darker colors close to the main subject to outline forms.
In terms of styling, influenced by Han Chinese art, Indian art, and Mongolian nomadic art, the murals of Nechung Monastery perfectly depict the characteristics of various deities. For example, the warriors depicted in helmets, armor, wielding weapons, and riding horses first appeared in Tibetan art sculptures in the 13th century, reaching perfection in the 17th to 18th centuries, with a clear influence of the Central Asian Mongolian nomadic art style.
On the other hand, tantric images are influenced by Indian art styles, while influences from Han Chinese art and neighboring countries like Nepal and Kashmir are prominently displayed in the portrayal of secular figures and ornaments. The attire of figures in the early Qing Dynasty period （（1636 AD or 1644 AD – 1912）, as well as the Loong motifs from Han Chinese patterns. These are examples of the precious mural art heritage of Tibet.
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