Northern Rigsum Lakhang

Northern Rigsum Lakhang is also known as “Northern Rigsum Gonpo Lakhang” or “The Temple of North Three Protectors“

Located on Ramoche Road in Lhasa, it is a nunnery of Gelug pa of Tibetan Buddhism

Brief

In Lhasa, there were originally eight monasteries of the “Three Gonpo”, with Jokhang Temple as the center, forming a mandala layout.

Among them, the monasteries of “Three Gonpo” in the east, south, west, and north were founded by Songtsen Gampo,

while the monasteries of “Three Gonpo” in the southeast, northeast, southwest, and northwest were later additions.

In the 1990s, the monasteries of “Three Gonpo” in the south, west, and north among the eight were reconstructed.

The original stone carvings of Northern Rigsum Lhakhang in its east hall are now enshrined in a small hall at the foot of the mountain east of the Potala Palace.

Gonpo

Gonpo, also known as “Natha”, in Tibetan Buddhism, means “protector” or “guardian.” The term originates from Hinduism.

Protectors referred to as Gonpo or Natha include various bodhisattvas, wrathful deities, Khrag Thung, celestial beings, and Vajrapani after attaining enlightenment; “Mahakala” is often addressed to as “Gonpo”.

In Tibetan Buddhism, Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri, and Vajrapani are collectively known as the “Three Gonpo (Protectors)” or the “Three Lords of the Snowy Mountain,” representing wisdom, compassion, and power.

“Gonpo” is also used as a term of respect for enlightened practitioners in Tibetan Buddhism, and it is a common Tibetan name.

People believe that powerful “Gonpo (protector)” can offer protection and assistance to followers, reducing their hardships and aiding in their spiritual practice.

Location

Walking south along Ramoche Road will lead you to the Northern Rigsum Lhakhang.

The Lhakhang is located on the east side of Ramoche Road. A plaque with Tibetan and Chinese inscriptions hangs on the street-facing gate

Historically, the temple was reagrded as a branch of Zhide Dratsang, some sources suggest it was under the jurisdiction of Gyume Dratsang

After reconstruction, the Northern Rigsum Lhakhang is managed by Gari Gonpa near Sera Monastery.

Inside the small gate, a long narrow corridor houses over 40 prayer wheels. Beyond this corridor is a spacious courtyard, with residential buildings on the left and the monastery on the right.

Architecture

The main hall of the Lhakhang is divided into two smaller halls. The inner smaller hall houses newly sculpted statues of the Three Gonpo (Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, Manjusri Bodhisattva, and Vajrapani Bodhisattva) from the early 21st century.

There is a prayer wheel with a diameter of 2 meters in the corridor of the hall.

In the outer smaller hall near the entrance, to the right when facing the altar, the original statues of the Three Gonpo are enshrined.

In the 1990s, scholars visited this Lakhang for research and discovered an old statue of the Vaisravana(also “Jambhala” in Tibetan) inside the hall. It was speculated that historically, the Four Directions Three Gonpo Monasteries in Lhasa each enshrined the corresponding direction’s Heavenly King, but this theory cannot be verified at present.