In the dome of the chorten, in addition to confining the mortal remains of saints and lamas, it is also said that their spiritual elements are infused in them. Chorten is identified with a perfect human body.
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Apart from commemorating the centennial of the Bhutanese monarchy, it fulfils two prophecies. In the 20th century, the renowned yogi Sonam Zangpo prophesied that a large statue of either Padmasambhava, Buddha or of a phurba would be built in the region "to bestow blessings, peace and happiness on the whole world". Additionally the statue is mentioned in the ancient terma of Guru Padmasambhava himself, said to date from approximately the 8th century, and recovered some 800 years ago by terton Pema Lingpa. ;Memorial Chorten The Memorial Chorten, Thimpu The Memorial Chorten, also known as the 'Thimphu Chorten', is a chorten in Thimphu located on Doeboom Lam in the southern- central part of the city near the main roundabout and Indian Military Hospital.
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1938 photo of the front façade of the former Pargo Kaling chorten in Lhasa.
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The King, when he was alive, wanted to build "a chorten to represent the mind of the Buddha". It is designed as a Tibetan style chorten, also called as the Jangchup Chorten, patterned on the design of a classical stupa, with a pyramidal pillar crowned by a crescent of Moon and Sun. The feature that is distinct here is the outward flaring of the rounded part to give the shape of a vase, rather than a dome shape. The chorten depicts larger than life size images of tantric deities, with some 36 of them in erotic poses.
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Alchi chorten Photo is of painted ceiling of chorten in the complex, paintings supposed to be of 12th/13th century AD. The earliest recorded Chortens are the Great Chorten and the Small Chorten (stupa) to the early 13th century, following the building of the Sumtseg. These chortens are decorated gateways known locally as 'Kakani Chörten' and 'Ka-ka-ni mchod-rten' that are considered unique to Alchi with historical link to other monuments. More chortens were added between the 13th and 14th centuries. In the Alchi complex, there are also three other chortens, which have ancient paintings.
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In front of the Monastery, there is a large, round, terraced chorten containing a reliquary.
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Sculpture inside the chorten The chorten is decorated with richly carved annexes facing the four directions, and contain mandalas, statues and a shrine dedicated to the third king. The ground floor of the chorten is consecrated to the teachings of Vajrakīlaya. It has four shrines, each with different pictures of the king; with the eastern shrine housing a Buddha image. From the ground floor, a staircase leads to two more floors and each floor has four shrines.
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Large prayer wheels are located to the left. The chorten attracts many elderly Bhutanese on a daily basis who circumambulate the chorten, whirl the large red prayer wheels and pray at the shrine. It has four entrances but only one entrance is open for devotees to visit the shrine.
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138 The Buddhist iconography depicted in the Chorten is considered a unique repository of the Drukpa Kagyu school.
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1938 photo of the rear façade of the Pargo Kaling central chorten with its wires furnished with small bells stretching from its spire to the top of the two smaller chortens. As shown by photographs taken in 1904 and 1938, the Pargo Kaling chorten was one of three chortens: a second one was perched on the low ridge of Marpori and a third one stood on the low ridge of Chagpori. From the top of the middle chorten, wires furnished with small bells were stretched to the top of the two smaller chortens.Lhasa, Bar Chorten, the Western Gate or Pargo Kaling gateway, Tibet - from the collection of the American Geographical Society Library, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee.
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Chorten Kora, Trashiyangtse District, Bhutan Chorten Kora is an important stupa next to the Kulong Chu River in Trashiyangtse, in East Bhutan. Nearby is a town of the same name. The stupa was built in the 18th century by Lama Ngawang Lodrö, the nephew of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in order to subdue a harmful demon believed to have been living at the site where the chorten is now located. The stupa is modeled after the famous Boudhanath stupa in Nepal popularly known as Jarung Khashor.
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There is an annual Dakpa Kora (circumambulation of the Chorten by the Dakpas) festival held on the 15th of the first lunar month, and a Drukpa Kora (circumambulation of the Chorten by the Bhutanese) festival held at the end of the first lunar month which celebrate the stupa. These festivals are attended by Dakpa people of the neighboring Tawang District of Arunachal Pradesh in India, and Bhutanese from Tashiyangtse, Tashigang, and Kurtoe. Chorten Kora A popular belief is that when the stupa was constructed, a pious Dakini princess from neighboring Arunachal Pradesh in India entombed herself within, as the Yeshe Semba, to meditate on behalf of all beings. A popular Bhutanese (Dzongkha language) film "Chorten Kora" is based on this legend.
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For this purpose, they collected earth and stones from all parts of Sikkim. They then built the chorten with the materials collected and also buried within it all the gifts that Lhatsun Chempo had received from the people. The benediction and consecration ceremonies performed by the lamas at the Norbugang Chorten lasted for 21 days.
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This chorten is popularly known as "the most visible religious landmark in Bhutan". It was consecrated by the Late Dudjom Rimpoche. This chorten is unlike other chortens as it does not enshrine the mortal remains of the late King. Only the King's photo in a ceremonial dress adorns a hall in the ground floor.
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Prayer wheels, Boudhanath, 1973 The village that surrounds the great Kāśyapa stupa is generally known by the name of Bauddha. ...which in Tibetan is called Yambu Chorten Chenpo (Tibetan: ཡམ་བུའི་མཆོད་རྟེན་ཆེན་པོ། Wylie: yam bu'i mchod rten chenpo). Jya Lung Khashor Chorten Chenpo, literally which may be translated as "Chorten of Hens skin-rope breach promise" The stupa has an interesting history of its own which explains this strange name. It is said in this story that Kāśyapa was a Buddha that lived a long time before Śākyamuni Buḍḍha.
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To bring Buddhism to the people, numerous symbols and structures are employed. Religious monuments, prayer walls, prayer flags, and sacred mantras carved in stone hillsides are prevalent. Among the religious monuments are chorten, the Bhutanese version of the Indian stupa. They range from simple rectangular "house" chorten to complex edifices with ornate steps, doors, domes, and spires.
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The Chorten, near Padum, the Doda plain on way to Kursha gompa, Zanskar valley A Chorten in the precincts of the Kursha monastery houses the mummified body of an incarnate lama called the Rinchen Zangpo and sealed in a wooden box with silver lining. During the Indo-Pakistan war, the silver sheet covering of the chorten was ransacked, which resulted in exposure of the wooden frame work of the reliquary. It was later refurbished and painted. Chortens represent not only various stages of the spiritual attainments of Sakyamuni Buddha, as a memorial structure but also interns the physical body of (Buddha kapala).
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" The Pargo Kaling chorten was also depicted in a scene of the 1997 movie Seven Years in Tibet, which was the adaptation of the book of that title by Heinrich Harrer. The cover art of the original motion picture soundtrack shows actor Brad Pitt and the young 14th Dalai Lama with the chorten in the background. The English version of Peter Aufschnaiter's memoirs Eight Years in Tibet, published in 2002, includes a photo of the chorten with the caption "Pawogaling, the Western Stupa below the Potala."Peter Aufschaiter, Eight Years in Tibet, Orchid Press, 2002: "Pawogaling, the Eastern Stupa below the Potala.
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Unusually, the gompa is not built on a hill or mountain but on flat land. It is in the form of a castle and the Kanika chorten is in the backyard of the enclosing stone walls with chortens mounted at intervals. Next to the Kanika chorten are ten standing stones with engravings of deities in a pre-Tibetan style.Rizvi (1998), p. 254.
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There is also self-made image of Trulku Jampel Yamtsho. Wall paintings are seen on all the three floors of the monastery. There is a natural fountain in the middle of the courtyard opposite to the central tower. A chaitya known as Jangchub Chorten or Kudung Chorten, built with the ashes of Gyalse Tenzin Rabgye is located between the Dzong and the monastery.
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The gompa is built to accommodate an ancient chorten 6 m (20 ft) highOsada, Allwright and Kanamaru (2000), p. 302. and of unusual shape, known as the Kanika Chorten, is presumed to date back to the time of the famous Kushan emperor, Kanishka.Rizvi (1998), p. 254. Kanishka's era is now thought to have begun in 127 CE. 'Kanika' is a commonly used form of Emperor Kanishka's name.
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Lhasa, Bar Chorten, the Western Gate or Pargo Kaling gateway, Tibet - from the collection of the American Geographical Society Library, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. The oldest known representation of the Pargo Kaling Gate is found on a map of the city of Lhasa drawn by Nikita Bichurin in the first half of the 19th century. In the left lower corner, the larger centre chorten with its through-passage can be seen in between the two smaller side chortens.
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The Norbugang Chorten is a stupa situated in the Geyzing subdivision of West Sikkim district in the Indian State of Sikkim. It was erected following the crowning of the first Chogyal of Sikkim in 1642 at Narbugong Coronation Throne near Yuksom. A holy lake known as Kuthok Lake, a serene lake, is also linked to the historicity of the place. The Chorten was the place where Lama Lhutsun Chempo created the time capsule by burying all the gifts to mark the occasion.
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As the height of the chortens attained 1 m a pit was excavated in ground in the centre, and symbolically offerings of grains and bronze utensil filled with butter were placed in the pit. At the next stage as the height of chortens increased, images of Buddhist gods made of clay stuffed with papers inscribed with prayers were interred. In the next stage, which is considered the "vital stage", in erecting a chorten was the fixing of the sokshing meaning "the life tree of the chorten". The sokshing, which is believed to provide a link between heaven and earth within a chorten, is in the form of a long square wooden pole made from a juniper tree made by an individual who has appropriate qualities from an astrological point of view.
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The chorten depicts larger than life size images of wrathful deities with their female consorts in large numbers, and many in explicit Yab-Yum sexual poses (one count puts the number of such images at 36).
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The Norbugang Chorten and the Norbugang throne are visited as part of Buddhist religious pilgrimage circuit involving the Dubdi Monastery, Pemayangtse Monastery, the Rabdentse ruins, the Sanga Choeling Monastery, the Khecheopalri Lake, and the Tashiding Monastery.
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There are also several other important buildings including: the Chokhang (Offering Chapel), the Lhabrang or residence of Kirti Rinpoche, the Zhungkhang (Monastic Office), the Gyupa Dratsang (Tantric College), the Menpa Dratsang (Medical College), and the Dukhor Dratsang (Kalacakra College). Kirti Gompa is also famous for its 30-metre (98-ft) high white chorten known as the Dudul Chorten which has numerous chapels on the various floors respectively dedicated to Shakyamuni Buddha, Mahakarunika, and the Three Deities of Longevity, Tsongkhapa and Sitatapatra. It the largest Tibetan Monastery in Ngawa town.
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Hospital Area is a central district of Thimphu, Bhutan. Located south of the Memorial Chorten, it contains the central roundabout, JDWR Hospital and the Royal Bhutan Police national headquarters. The Gongphel Lam road divides it from Changzamthok district.
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The cremation grounds are located near a "two legged khonying" or "two-legged archway chorten". is about away from the temple.Brown, p.178 The temple itself was founded by Pema Lingpa in the 14th century, right under the cliff.
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The Hospital Area is a central district of Thimphu. Located south of the Memorial Chorten, it contains the central roundabout, JDWR Hospital and the Royal Bhutan Police national headquarters.Pommaret, p. 167 The Gongphel Lam road divides it from Changzamthok District.
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It has a golden chorten spire. But its importance is now more due to the Buddha deified in the monastery. Perched on top of the hill, the monastery commands panoramic view of the surroundings of Thikse, Stakna, Matho, Stok and also Leh.
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According to Sabine Dabringhaus, Green Standard Chinese soldiers numbering more than 1,300 were stationed by the Qing in Tibet to support the 3,000 strong Tibetan army.Dabringhaus 2014, p. 123. chorten, pictured here at the time of the 1904 British expedition to Tibet.
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The chorten that dominates the skyline of Thimphu was built in 1974 to honour the 3rd King of Bhutan, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck (1928–1972). This prominent landmark in the city has golden spires and bells.Pommaret, p. 171-172 In 2008, it underwent extensive renovation.
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After the war the king went back to Thimpu on 28 December 2003 and at this stage the 108 chortens were being built. They were completed in mid June 2004 and formally consecrated and sanctified with religious rites held on 19–20 June. 108 chortens in three layers at the Dochula Pass Detail of a chorten at Dochula Pass The chortens are built in three layers, the first lowest level layer has forty five chortens, the second has thirty six and the top layer has twenty seven built around the main chorten. The construction of these chortens was done as per religiously ordained ritualistic procedures.
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From this point ahead is the main 'Tashiding Gompa' which is called as Chogyal Lhakhang or the monastery, followed by the 'butter lamp house', four chortens, 'Tsenkhang', a new butter lamp house and finally terminating at the 'Guru Lhakhang', which is the temple of Guru Rinpoche. Other basic essential structures such as kitchen, school and residential housing are located on the left side of the approach path to the monastery. Chorten and inscription slabs outside the Tashiding Monastery. In the 'Chorten area', there are 41 chortens categorised as 'Chotens of Enlightenment', 'Chortens of Reconciliation' and 'Chortens of Great Miracle', which are all of Rinpoches and Tathāgatas.
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There is also Gonkhang room dedicated to the guardian deities mentioned above which is entered through a black and gold door, and painted images of protector deities. To the northeast of the monastery on a hill is a reconstructed white chorten (stupa).Dorje (1999), p. 497.
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Chorten Kora took twelve years to construct and was consecrated by Je Yonten Thaye. The demon that had harmed the people of the valley was apparently subdued and banished. Thereafter, it is said that the people of the valley continue to live in peace and harmony.
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Schettler (1981), p. 152. One enters the rectangular compound of the gompa through a gate chorten with prayer wheels. As well as the usual depictions of protective deities there is a goat's head filled jewels and prayer cards with "Om mani padme hum" written on them.Schettler (1981), p. 152.
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Chorten Kora, Trashiyangtse District, BhutanThree major languages are spoken in Trashiyangtse. In the north, including Bumdeling inhabitants speak Dzala. In the south, Tshangla (Sharchopkha), the lingua franca of eastern Bhutan, is spoken in Jamkhar, Khamdang, Yalang and Ramjar Gewogs. In Tomzhangtshen Gewog, residents speak Chocha Ngacha and khengkha.
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It may be very simple, consisting only of the flat rock, or it may be more elaborate, incorporating temples and stupa (chorten in Tibetan). Relatives may remain nearby. during the jhator, possibly in a place where they cannot see it directly. The jhator usually takes place at dawn.
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Norbugang Chorten was established during a consecration ceremony that was held by three learned Lamas headed by Lhatsun Chempo, crowning the first Chogyal of Sikkim. Lhatsun Chempo had suffixed his own surname of 'Namgye' to Phunshog who was crowned the Chogyal and subsequently the king came to be known as Phunshog Namgyal. On this occasion, the Lepchas and Magarsof the area, who had accompanied Phunshog to Yuksom Norbugang for the coronation ceremony, had presented a large number of treasures to the lamas, particularly to Lhatsun Chempo. After the crowning ceremony was performed by the lamas according to procedures prescribed in the scriptures, the lamas decided to build the Trashi-wod-hBar-Chorten at Norbugang.
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Row of Chorten (or Stupa) at the village of Purne. Each of the elements that constitute these edifices, as well as their color, has a symbolic meaning in Tibetan Buddhism. An overwhelming majority of Zanskar is Buddhist. Almost every village has a local monastery, often containing ancient wall-paintings and images.
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Road access to the geog facilitates the marketing of farm produces at Doksum, Chorten Cora and Tashigang. There is not much possibility for increasing the cereals cultivation but the potential to grow citrus and other sub- tropical fruits and vegetables for cash income generation exists. About 80% of the Gewog is electrified.
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During the Cultural Revolution, the fort, the monastery and Kumbum were ransacked. Precious objects were destroyed or sent out of Tibet. The chorten was spared. The main building of the Pelkor Chode or Palcho Monastery and the Kumbum have been largely restored but the dzong or fort is still largely in ruins.
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Female deity - Mangyu, Ladakh.jpgWall painting, Four Image Chorten, Mangyu The Sakyamuni temple with a beautiful image of Sakyamuni on the North West wall is also known as Chenrezig Lakhang where as Vairocana temple with assemblage of sculptures on NW wall is known as Nangbar Nangzad and the chapels on either side are known as Chamba Lakhang. Another two important structures are early period painted chortens, one of them known as four image Chorten due to the four sculptures inside it. While the early structures are under the administration of Likir Monastery with one resident monk appointed by the monastery carrying out religious activities in the temples, a new temple built slightly above these early structures is under the administration of Matho Monastery.
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Prayer Wheels, Memorial Chorten, Thimphu. A classroom in a Thimphu school with an OLPC XO-1 computer at each desk Vajrayana Buddhism is the state religion and the dominant ethnic group is Drukpa of Kagyu Buddhism, while in southern Bhutan Hindus of Nepali ethnicity are dominant. The main monastic body with membership of 1,160 monks is headed by a chief abbot (presently Je Khenpo) who spends six months in Tashechhoe Dzong in Thimphu and the other six months in Punakha. A Council of Ecclesiastical Affairs, under the chairmanship of the chief abbot, is located in Thimphu, which is responsible for the management of the National Memorial Chorten in Thimphu, and all Buddhist meditation centres, schools of Buddhist studies and also central and district monastic bodies.
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It was consecrated by Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje. This stupa is unlike others as it does not enshrine human remains. Only the Druk Gyalpo’s photo in a ceremonial dress adorns a hall in the ground floor. When he was alive, Jigme Dorji wanted to build "a chorten to represent the mind of the Buddha".
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Jangtsa Dumgtseg Lhakhang [zlum brtshegs lha khang] is a Buddhist temple in western Bhutan. The temple is notable as it is in the form of a chorten, very rare in Bhutan. It is located on the edge of a hill between the Paro valley and the Dopchari valley, across the bridge from Paro.Pommaret (2006). p.
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The pole was painted in red colour and inscribed with sacred hymns and banded with religious paraphernalia such as gilded images of gods, prayer bells, small clay stupas, and also precious stones and jewellery. The sokshing was then wrapped around by silk cloth and then fixed in the partly built chorten on an auspicious day.
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The Chorten, held in great religious fervour, is circumambulated only in a clockwise direction (reciting prayers and whirling the large red prayer wheels), as is the rule for any religious structures in Bhutan. The Monlam Prayer Festival is held here when the Je Khenpo (the religious head of Bhutan) addresses and blesses those who congregate for the occasion.
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Tibetan Buddhist Chorten in Mundgod, India India census, Mundgod had a population of 16,171. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Mundgod has an average literacy rate of 67%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 73%, and female literacy is 62%. In Mundgod, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.
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The Lhakhang is conceived as a mandala, with different storeys (three floors) corresponding to the different levels of initiation. The three floors are said to represent hell, earth and heaven. It is in the shape of a chorten with a white tower on top, very unusual in Bhutan. The monastery contains many steep ladders to reach the different levels.
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The Tibetan name of the Western Gate has several variants besides Pargo Kaling: Pawogaling (Peter AufschnaiterEight Years in Tibet, Bangkok, Orchid Press, 2002, p. 71.), Drakgo Kaling (André AlexanderThe Traditional Lhasa House: Typology of an Endangered Species, LIT Verlag Münster, 2013, 409 pages, p. 54.), Barkokani or Bakokani (G. Ts. Tsybikoff), and Bar chorten (also G. Ts. Tsybikoff).
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Pemayangtse means "Perfect Sublime Lotus", and is said to represent one of the four plexus of the human body. The Pemayangtse Monastery is part of Buddhist religious pilgrimage circuit starting with the first monastery at Yuksom known as the Dubdi Monastery, followed by Norbugang Chorten, Tashiding Monastery, the Rabdentse ruins, the Sanga Choeling Monastery, and the Khecheopalri Lake.
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The monastery contains a metal Chorten, in which encloses the ashes of an incarnate of the revered Lama Latsun Chembo. All of these artifacts are contained within over a dozen boxes supervised by the Government of Sikkim. Every three years, the artifacts are unveiled to the public during the Kamsil Ceremony in April. It follows the Nyingmapa school of Tibetan Buddhism.
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Sershul Monastery has six existing temples, most of which are fairly well preserved since before 1949. The largest temple, which is more than 300 years old, contains two great chanting halls devoted to Je Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gelug Order. It also contains many precious relics including one of Je Tsongkhapa's teeth preserved within a sacred chorten (stupa) in the upper gallery.
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373 n.7. Relying on H. Richardson, and R. A. Stein, Maconi says that this was erected by the Chinese general Fu Kang'an (福康安). The main gate to the city of Lhasa used to run through the large Pargo Kaling chorten and contained holy relics of the Buddha Mindukpa.Tung (1980), p.21 and caption to plate 17, p. 42.
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It contains the funerary chorten of Ngagi Wangchuk and has 16 paintings of the Arhats and of the Buddha Akshobhya (Mitrugpa). The watchtower of the fortress, named Ta Dzong, towers above the gorge to the east side of the dzong. The watchtower is narrow and has two wings that project in a v-shape from the main part of the building.Pommaret, p.
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Gumpha Dance (Chyaam dance) or the Buddhist Mask dance is also held here annually. It has now become the centre of Shabdrung Rimpoche (known as the Dharma Raja of Bhutan). The last Shabdrung Rimpoche had relocated to Pedong and expired few years ago. His human form has been preserved at Pedong and will be encased in a Stupa/Chorten on an auspicious day.
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Chimi Lhakhang, also known as Chime Lhakhang or Monastery or temple, is a Buddhist monastery in Punakha District, Bhutan.Pommaret, p.50 Located near Lobesa, it stands on a round hillock and was built in 1499 by the 14th Drukpa hierarch, Ngawang Choegyel, after the site was blessed by the "Divine Madman" the maverick saint Drukpa Kunley (1455–1529) who built a chorten on the site.Pommaret, p.192 In founding the site it is said that Lama Kunley subdued a demon of Dochu La with his “magic thunderbolt of wisdom” and trapped it in a rock at the location close to where the chorten now stands. He was known as the "Mad Saint" or “Divine Madman” for his unorthodox ways of teaching Buddhism by singing, humour and outrageous behaviour, which amounted to being bizarre, shocking and with sexual overtones.
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All of the texts were once hidden by Padmasambhava and were rediscovered by tertöns in the 19th, 12th and 14th centuries respectively. The top floor has paintings depicting various deities of the Nyingma school, and visions which appear in the bardo. Above the top floor there is a gallery, which can be walked around the circumference of the chorten and which has views of the city.
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Drongtse Monastery ('Brong rtse; Pinyin: Zhongze) is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery was formerly one of the most important Gelug monasteries in Tsang, Tibet. There was also a chorten there.Dowman (1988), pp. 270-271. Drongtse Monastery, is 19 km northwest of Gyantse and 14 km north of Tsechen Monastery, on the "Southern Friendship Highway" to Shigatse,Tibet, p. 171. (2005) Bradley Mayhew and Michael Kohn. 6th Edition.
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Also near the Black and White temples is a special stupa chorten marking the site where an imprint of Guru Padmasambhava's body and hat may be found in a large rock. In the Samar side- valley may be found a bridge known as Has Samarpudung. Below the bridge is the lake of a wishing cow whose stone udders can be seen in the lake.
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Replicas of the stupas from Top Darra (North western Frontier), Mirpur-Khas (Pakistan), Anuradhapura (Sri Lanka), Phra Pathom Chedi (Thailand), Chorten (Tibet), Boudhanath (Nepal), Shwedagon (Myanmar) and Pagoda (China) are built in their styles of architecture for the benefit of the visitors. This park is still developing and it is yet to create replicas of great monuments like the Borobodur of Indonesia, Japan etc.
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Entrance of the monastery The Lhakhang is of modest size, square in shape with a golden spire. It is a golden yellow roofed building. It has a row of prayer wheels and its exterior walls are embedded with slates carved with images of saints. Near the entrance to the Lhakhang, there is this small chorten which marks the location where the demoness was subdued by Lama Kunley.
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They also make the pilgrimage to get the name of the child to be born. They do this by picking bamboo slips placed in the altar inscribed with names of boys and girls. It is also said that the small chorten at the altar was made by Kunley himself. There are also frescoes painted on the walls of the monastery depicting the Mad saint's colourful life.
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Padmasambhava's body imprint is stated to be imprinted on the wall of a cave near Kurje Lhakhang temple. In 853, Langchen Pelkyi Singye came to the cave to meditate and gave his name of Pelphug to the cave, "Pelkyi's cave". After he died later in Nepal, his body was said to have been miraculously returned to the monastery by the grace of the deity Dorje Legpa; it is now said to be sealed in a chorten in a room to the left at the top of the entrance stairway. The chorten was restored in 1982-83 and again in 2004. Milarepa (1040–1123), who meditated at the cave in Taktsang From the 11th century, many Tibetan saints and eminent figures came to Taktsang to meditate, including Milarepa (1040–1123), Pha Dampa Sangye (died 1117), the Tibetan yogini Machig Labdrön (1055–1145) and Thangton Gyelpo (1385–1464).
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1986: Moves his home and the international headquarters of Vajradhatu to Halifax, Nova Scotia. 1987: Dies in Halifax; cremated May 26 at Karmê Chöling. (His followers have constructed a chorten or stupa, The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya, located near Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, for his remains.) 1989: The child recognized as his reincarnation, Chokyi Sengay, is born in Derge, Tibet; recognized two years later by Tai Situ Rinpoche.
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The Dro-dul Chorten Stupa in Gangtok. In 1957, a Nepali monthly magazine Kanchenjunga was the first news outlet for the masses in Sikkim.Kanchenjunga and Sikkim Press: How Media Started Its Practice in Sikkim The southern urban areas of Sikkim have English, Nepali and Hindi daily newspapers. Nepali-language newspapers, as well as some English newspapers, are locally printed, whereas Hindi and English newspapers are printed in Siliguri.
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Further along the road, known as the 'Changzeng Lu' ( long north-south trending street with intersecting roads laid in grid pattern) to the extreme south, is another temple. Passing through this street leads to gardens and a pavilion; and further to the north on a hill, there is a Chorten (Tibetan stupa). The east west road 'Tuanje Jie' leads to many smaller temples at the south end around the old town.
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The coronation took place under the pine tree, which is still present today. Just opposite to the throne is the Norbung Chorten (stupa), which is said to contain water and soil from all parts of Sikkim. . The small Kathok Lake's waters were used for the consecration ceremony held to crown the Chogyal. A foot print seen here is attributed to be of one of the lamas involved in the crowning ceremony.
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There is statue of the Tibetan protective deity on this path at the entrance at the lower level. The highest level of the complex has a stupa (chorten). The monastery precinct at the foot of the hill has a courtyard from where a flight of steps leads to the main monastery (one of the 10 temples here), which is 12 stories in height. It has two main chambers.
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Located in Kalimpong, the estate is on Rishi Road, leaving town, between the 10th and 12th miles, just before its fork. The property has fencing and a driveway toward the stone double-storied Victorian-style complex. The landscaped lawns feature a small stupa containing the ashes of Ayi Thubten Wongmo and a white chorten commemorating the late Rani Chuni. Bhutan House overlooks the Relli River below a deep valley.
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Many monasteries, stupas and rock carvings can be seen on this road. It can be approached by trekking from Thiksey and the path is known as: "for having Ladakh’s biggest chorten fields with hundreds of whitewashed shrines of varying sizes scattered across the desert landscape." The nearest airport is at Leh. Special permission is essential to visit the monastery, as only one lama resides here and the inner sanctum is usually closed.
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Main chorten of the palace The main Shakyamuni Buddha statue in the monastery is a icon covering three floors of the monastery. The walls on both the sides of Buddha display the 16 Arhats (saints who achieved Nirvana), 8 on each side. The wall behind the statue has the images of the Buddha's two chief disciples, Sariputra and Maudgalyayana. Almost every wall around the Buddha statue is painted with one image or the other.
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She was very religious. Phuntsho Choden played an important role in maintaining and strengthening Bhutan's rich Buddhist heritage. She built a legacy of religious institutions, established spiritual learning centres, and preserved the rich imagery that formed a core of Bhutan’s religious history. She created the monument National Memorial Chorten in Thimphu which she built in memory of her son, His Majesty Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, for the well being of the nation and the people.
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Milarepa statue, Pango Chorten, Gyantse, Tibet. The acclaimed spiritual poetry of Milarepa is known of as The Hundred Thousand Songs. Previous biographies of Milarepa were enlarged with religious poetry and song cycles, which doubled the volume of biographical information. In 2017, Tsangnyön Heruka re-published these songs in a separate volume entitled The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa, which also summarizes the various song cycles in chapter eleven of The Life of Milarepa.
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The town of Rawu is quite close to the original Tibetan village. To the southeast of the village is a large chorten and a small temple overlooking the Ngan-tso or Ranwu Lake, which is surrounded by snow-capped peaks and forests. It is , and consists of two sections connected by a small stream, is said to be Eastern Tibet's largest lake and attracts many tourists.China Tourism There are small villages on both shores.
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Young monk and prayer wheels Circumambulation of a chorten by visitors The Hui Muslim Ma clique under Generals Ma Qi and Ma Bufang launched several attacks against Labrang as part of a general anti- Golok Tibetan campaign. Ma Qi occupied Labrang Monastery in 1917, the first time non-Tibetans had seized it. Ma Qi defeated the Tibetan forces with his Hui troops. His forces were praised by foreigners who traveled through Qinghai for their fighting abilities.
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Located in close proximity to Chorten Kora stupa which lies to the west, a dzong was inaugurated in Trashiyangste in 1997. It contains a major art school, The School of Traditional Arts, also known as Rigne School, which is a sister school of the Zorig Chosum School of Traditional Arts in Thimphu, and teaches six forms of art; painting, pottery, wood sculpture, wood-turning, lacquer- work and embroidery.Pommaret, Francoise (2006). Bhutan Himalayan Mountains Kingdom (5th edition).
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There are several legends linked to the most revered monastery and the Bhumchu festival that is held here. According to one local legend Guru Padmasambhava shot an arrow into the air to select the place. Where the arrow he shot landed, he sat in meditation and that site eventually became the site of the Tashiding Monastery. The Golden Chorten near Tashiding Monastery Another legend relates to the three monks who consecrated the first Chogyal of Sikkim at Yuksam.
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Yuksom is a historical town in Geyzing subdivision of West Sikkim district in the Northeast Indian state of Sikkim. It was the first capital of Sikkim established in 1642 AD by Phuntsog Namgyal who was the first Chogyal (temporal and religious king) of Sikkim. The coronation site of the first monarch of Sikkim is known as the "Throne of Norbugang". Yuksom is where there is the Norbugang Chorten near the Norbugang throne, the place Namgyal was crowned and several monasteries and a lake.
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This monument has been declared as of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India. It was first established in 1670 by Chadok Namgyal son of Phuntsog Namgyal by shifting from the first capital of Yuksom that was consecrated in 1642. The Rabdentse ruins are part of Buddhist religious pilgrimage circuit starting with the first monastery at Yuksom known as the Dubdi Monastery, followed by Norbugang Chorten, Tashiding Monastery, the Pemayangtse Monastery, the Sanga Choeling Monastery, and the Khecheopalri Lake.
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The chorten is a large white structure with a golden spire crowning it and a smaller golden spire above the front porch. It is approached through a small garden and a gate decorated with three slate carvings. On the exterior of the gate are representations of the three protective bodhisattvas – Avalokiteśvara (the symbol of compassion), Mañjuśrī (the symbol of knowledge) and Vajrapāṇi, the symbol of power. On the interior are slates engraved with the image of Ngawang Namgyal, Gautama Buddha and Padmasambhava.
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In the 1980s, the lost Western Gate inspired a song sung by Tibetan singer Dadon. The lyrics of the first verse and the chorus go like this: In front of the Potala Palace / There were three beloved stupas / Whenever the wind stirred the chimes / What resounding music there was / How melodious it sounded. Aah stupa Drago Kaling / Aah, in my mind I suddenly remember / In the depth of my heart I suddenly remember you. The reconstructed centre chorten in 2006.
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Legend saya that the villagers became afflicted with leprosy and all attempts to control it had failed. A local monk, originally from Tukuche, south of Marpha, advised the villagers to build the chorten and hold religious rituals at the site. Since that time the leprosy stopped and Marpha flourished once more. On the southern outskirts of Marpha, on the opposite bank of the Gandaki River is a Tibetan refugee camp and Chhairo gompa, the first Nyingma monastery to be established in Mustang District.
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'Bhumchu Ceremony' or festival is a popular religious festival that is held on the 14th and 15th day of the first month of Tibetan Calendar.:File:Plaque at entrance to Tashiding Monastery.jpg: Official plaque at entrance to Tashiding Monastery erected by the Government of Sikkim. The Tashiding Monastery is part of Buddhist religious pilgrimage circuit starting with the first monastery at Yuksam in Sikkim known as the Dubdi Monastery, Norbugang Chorten, Pemayangtse Monastery, the Rabdentse ruins, the Sanga Choeling Monastery, and the Khecheopalri Lake.
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The dynastic rule of the Chogyals lasted for 333 years. The Chogyal established the first monastery at Yuksom in Sikkim known as the Dubdi Monastery in 1701, which is part of Buddhist religious pilgrimage circuit involving the Norbugang Chorten, Pemayangtse Monastery, the Rabdentse ruins, the Sanga Choeling Monastery, the Khecheopalri Lake, and the Tashiding Monastery. For the Bhutia tribal community of Sikkim, Yuksom has special religious and cultural significance. It has a number of famous Buddhist monasteries and historical monuments as well as ancient Gorkhas small Village.
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The Memorial Stupa, Thimphu, also known as the Thimphu Chorten, is a stupa (Dzongkha chöten, cheten) in Thimphu, Bhutan, located on Doeboom Lam in the southern-central part of the city near the main roundabout and Indian military hospital. The stupa, built in 1974 to honor the third Druk Gyalpo, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck (1928–1972), is a prominent landmark in the city with its golden spires and bells. In 2008, it underwent extensive renovation. It is popularly known as "the most visible religious landmark in Bhutan".
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The small shrine also depicts murals, which represent the 16 Arhats, original disciples of the Buddha, together with some of the renowned teachers like Padmasambhava, Atisa and Tson-Ka-Pa. Near to this shrine, two small Tantric shrines also exist. Close to this shrine, carvings are seen on rock spurs on the road to the palace. These rock carvings are of the five Dhyani Buddhas; one of them is very large and close to the palace while the other four are located close to a chorten.
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Shanti Stupa is a Buddhist white-domed stupa (chorten) on a hilltop in Chanspa, Leh district, Ladakh, in the north India. It was built in 1991 by Japanese Buddhist Bhikshu, Gyomyo Nakamura and part of the Peace Pagoda mission. The Shanti Stupa holds the relics of the Buddha at its base, enshrined by the 14th Dalai Lama. The stupa has become a tourist attraction not only due to its religious significance but also due to its location which provides panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.
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The four Tibetan settlements in Pokhara are Jampaling, Paljorling, Tashi Ling, and Tashi Palkhel. These camps have evolved into well-built settlements, each with a gompa (Buddhist monastery), chorten and its particular architecture, and Tibetans have become a visible minority in the city. Until the end of the 1960s the town was only accessible by foot and it was considered even more a mystical place than Kathmandu. The first road was completed in 1968 (Siddhartha Highway) after which tourism set in and the city grew rapidly.
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It sits on a hill above the end of the road at Dodeyna and it takes about an hour's walk up the steep hill to reach the monastery from there. According to Bhutanese religious histories, the place was first visited by Padmasambhava in the 8th century. In the 13th century, it was visited by Phajo Drugom Zhigpo, the Tibetan Lama who first established the Drukpa Kagyu tradition in Bhutan. There is a silver chorten inside the monastery that enshrines the ashes of Zhabdrung's father.
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Marpha is a pretty stone lined village which has survived the transition to the current time, by catering to trekkers and tourists. Although it has an original Safe Water Drinking station, it now also sports numerous guest houses and small hotels. Dominating the village is the Nyingma monastery from which there are good views of the village and the Gandaki River valley. Above the monastery is a chorten painted onto the cliff face and a number of small stone chortens on the ledges below.
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The rock faces at different levels exhibit self-manifest figures of the sun, the moon and of the demon Matramrutra. Other self emanated divine forms identified within the caves consist of: the Pal-khorlo-dompa (Sri Cakrasambhara gods seen even now); a long cavernous passage in the basement that makes a distinction between the good and the evil while manoeuvring through it; the projecting rock face in the form of Hayagriva directly facing the valley denoting Abhicarya in ferocious shapes; a temple of Hayagriva at the lower level; crystal images of tutelary deities; a three-faced Hayagriva (discovered by Ngawang Tenzin); a whip containing combined prayers; a stone slab with foot print of a dakini (the youngest daughter of Ngawang Tenzin); a temple of the four handed Mahakala at the upper cave created by the Shabdrung, a hazardous cave at the bottom – a fit place for hermits; and a large sandalwood tree, considered as walking stick that was planted by Phajo Drukgom with the prophecy that "This will be the centre from which the Drukpa Kargyud doctrine will spread". There is chorten near the cypress trees where Khando Sonam Peldon died. All her belongings are enshrined in the chorten.
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In the mid 1950s, Thinley Norbu left Tibet at the onset of the Chinese invasion of Tibet. Having fled his homeland, he spent some time in Bhutan, where his sons were born. There he served as the chief architect of the Thimphu Memorial Chorten, built in 1974 under the guidance of his father, to honor the memory of the third King of Bhutan, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck (1928–72). Thinley Norbu first came to the United States of America in 1976 to seek medical treatment, before permanently settling in the US in the early 1980s.
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A centrally placed large wooden carving covers all three levels, behind the shrines; a large number of wooden carvings mostly depict wrathful looking protective deities. The roof of chorten is accessed from the second level and a protective railing covers the terrace on the third floor. The second floor is dedicated to teachings of the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school to subdue eight varieties of evil spirits and the top floor is dedicated to the teachings of Lama Gongdü (). Combined, these three floors form the esoteric teachings of the Nyingmapa sect.
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It is of interest to note that, although they are dated here to the time of Padmasambhava (late 8th to early 9th centuries), the Sani and Kanika monasteries are the first ones mentioned. Padmasambhava, or Guru Rinpoche, is said to have dwelt for five years in the small 'Gamshot Lhakang' squeezed between the main building and the corridor, to the right of the Kanika chorten. Inside may be seen a figure of Guru Rinpoche and historical scenes in half relief on both sides of the statue.Schettler (1981), p. 153.
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Apparently, one can just see the white opening to a cave in a cliff across the river from the monastery where Padmasambhava is also said to have meditated for several years and it is still used as a meditation cell.Loram (2004), p. 196. The monastery is also claimed to be connected with the famous Indian Yogi Naropa (956-1041 CE). There is now small room next to the Kanika chorten where it is thought that Naropa meditated in which there is a veiled bronze statue of the yogi.
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A park called the Norbugang Park has been created at Yuksom, from Pelling town, which encloses a prayer hall, large prayer wheel, the Norbugang Chorten (stupa), and the purported Coronation Throne (Norbugang) set below a large cryptomeria pine. The wooden head board at the location of the throne, made of stone, appears like an altar. The Norbugang Coronation throne, which has the "appearance of an old Olympic Medal Podium" is made of stones, which has been white washed now. The stone throne has four seats, with the top one intended for Lama Lhatsun Chhempo.
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It is said that the three monks saw an unusual divine phenomenon of bright light shining on top of the Kanchendzonga mountain, which reflected to a site near the place where the present Tashiding Monastery has been built. Concurrently, a scented smell of incense followed by all pervading divine music was also noted. The first Chogyal who visited the site subsequent to hearing this unusual event, erected a small chorten at the site and named it as Thongwa- Rang-Grol. Legend further glorifies the site stating that a mere sight of it "confers self-emancipation".
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Entrance gate to Tashiding Monastery An overall picture of the precincts of the monastery within the Tashiding town is provided in five distinct blocks namely, the Sinem market place, the outskirts, the main market place, the main Tashiding Monastery and the Chorten area. The Sinek market place is located on an incline on the ridge between Rathong Chu and Rangeet River. There is a gompa here called the Sinolochu Gompa from where an approach leads to the Tashiding Monastery on the southern direction. The settlement is spread lengthwise and is from Yuksom.
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However, the main temple has undergone renovation work in modern times and rebuilt, but is still encircled by traditional buildings and chortens at the far end of the site, which holds the relics of Sikkim Chogyals and Lamas, including the 'Thong-Wa-rang-Dol' chorten which is believed to cleanse the soul of any person who looks at it. Also of major note are the stone plates called the 'Mani', the work of Yanchong Lodil who inscribed them with the sacred Buddhist inscriptions, such as "Om Mane Padme Hum".
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On 26 November 2017, Tibetan monk Tenga from Kardze Monastery set himself on fire and called for the freedom of Tibet before he died. Also of note is Den Monastery, which is much smaller but more traditional to the south of the town and Dontok Monastery, located some kilometres outside the town over a suspended bridge over the Yalong River. Dontok is a recent building under construction but displays notable white, grey and crimson stripes on the walls. Dingkhor Chorten is also located in the eastern suburbs of Garzê on a small hill which also contains a temple housing a Buddhist library.
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Lingshed Monastery (or Kumbum, meaning 'A Hundred Thousand Images') was founded as a Geluk School Monastery in the 1440s by Changsems Sherabs Zangpo, disciple of the noted Tibetan preceptor Je Tsongkhapa. Local tradition records how Sherabs Zangpo, having founded Karsha and Phugtal Monasteries to the south, travelled over Hanuma-La Pass to the south of Lingshed, from where he saw an 'auspicious shining light' shining on a rock on the hillside. He built a chorten around that rock, and this became the basis of Kumbum's central shrine, Tashi 'Od Bar ('Auspicious Shining Light' shrine).See Mills 2003: 20.
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Thereafter, in 1620, Namgyal built the Chari monastery and the Duduel Chorten in memory of his father; the building was constructed by skilled carpenters brought from Nepal. Gyalse Tenzin Rabgye son of Tshewang Tenzin and Damchoe Tenzima (daughter of the Lama of Chang Gangkha) born in 1638 AD, received religious instructions from a very young age in the Drukpa Kargyud tradition from Shabdrung and his teacher Damchoe Gyeltshe and was very proficient in the tradition when he ascended the throne of Desi at the age of 31. He also became the 4th Desi at the age of 43.
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The Western Gate's three chortens can be seen in the left lower corner. The Pargo Kaling () was a large chorten straddling across the road leading from Drepung between the Potala's Red Hill (Marpori) and the Iron Hill (Chagpori) at Lhasa, Tibet, and containing a through-passage or archway for people and animals. It formed the "Western Gate" of the city and led into the village of Shol. It was destroyed during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in 1967,André Alexander, The Traditional Lhasa House: Typology of an Endangered Species, LIT Verlag Münster, 2013, 409 pages, p.
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The Lhakhang is located from Punakha near a village called Sopsokha from where a 20 minutes walk along muddy and dusty path through agricultural fields of mustards and rice, leads to a hillock where the monastery and the chorten are situated. Prayer flags are lined all along the road from the tiny village hamlet known as Yowakha, along a drain or stream to the monastery. All houses in the village have paintings of phalluses on their exterior walls. The lama Kunley had called the hillock where the monastery exists as the breast of a woman because of its round shape.
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In November 11 of 1750, the murder of the regent by the Ambans triggered a riot in the city that left more than a hundred people killed, including the Ambans. After suppressing the rebels, Qing Qianlong Emperor reorganized the Tibetan government and set up the governing council called Kashag in Lhasa in 1751. Tibetans called this chorten, Pargo Kaling pictured here at the time of the 1904 British expedition to Tibet was destroyed by the Communist Chinese People's Liberation Army after the March 10th, 1959 Tibetan uprising and flight of the 14th Dalai Lama. In 1904, a British expeditionary force invaded and captured Lhasa during the British expedition to Tibet.
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Within the temple complex is a white 'chorten' (Tibetan memorial shrine) where lies the relics of Dorjey Rinzing Lama the original builder of the site. Dotted around are many other smaller shrines and temples dedicated to Goddess Kali, Goddess Durga, Saat Kanya Bhagavati Devi, Lord Ganesha, Lord Krishna, Lord Rama, Shirdi Sai Baba, Hanuman, Goddess Parvati, Radha and other Gods and Goddesses. Location Entrance to the Mahakal temple complex Mahakal Temple is located behind the Chowrasta and encircled by the Mall Road on the ridge of Darjeeling town. The approach is an uphill narrow road about 100 yards from the Mall and is accessible by foot only.
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The monuments or buildings of note are the sprawling Tashichho Dzong, built like a fortress, which is the centre of Bhutanese administration as well as monastic centre, the Memorial Chorten, Thimphu and the National Assembly of the newly formed parliamentary democracy within the Monarchic rule. The Palace of the King located to the north of the city, called the Dechencholing Palace, the official residence of the King, is an impressive structure that provides a grand aerial view of the city. Rapid expansion following the pattern of rural exodus has resulted in considerable rebuilding in the city centre and mushrooming of suburban development elsewhere. Norzin Lam, the recently upgraded main thoroughfare, is lined with shops, restaurants, retail arcades and public buildings.
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There are proposals to build more roads to connect eastern Bhutan with western Tawang such as "Trashigang-Namshu Road", the "Chorten Kora-Zemithang Road", road upgrade in Bhutan to Singye Dzong on Bhutan-China border, and an advance landing ground airstrip near Singye Dzong area along with more helipads in this area. Sela Tunnel through Sela Pass is an under-construction road tunnel project to ensure all-weather connectivity between Guwahati in Assam and Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh state of India. The tunnel gets its name from 4170 m (13,700 ft) Sela Pass which this tunnel will cut across and reduce the distance between Dirang and Tawang by 10 km. The Government of India announced the funding for construction of all weather transport tunnel in 2018-19 budget.
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The traditional architectural monuments in Thimphu, as in the rest of Bhutan, are of typical Bhutanese architecture of monasteries, dzongs (most striking fortress type structures), chortens, gateways, Lhakhangs, other sacred places and royal palaces, which are the most distinctive architectural forms of Bhutan. Prayer Flags, Mani Walls and Prayer Wheels present a propitious setting throughout the urban agglomerate of Thimphu. The most prominent architecturally elegant, traditional Bhutanese building structures in Thimphu are the Tashichho Dzong, Drubthob Goemba (now the Zilluka nunnery), Tango Goempa or Cheri Goempa, the Memorial Chorten, Thimphu, Dechen Phodrang, and Changangkha Lhakhang, all vintage monuments with rich history. Typical Bhutanese decorated entrance door. These are further sanctified by the recent additions to the architectural excellence of buildings, a fusion of the traditional and modern architecture which are mostly post 1962, after Thimphu became the Capital of Bhutan and opened up for tourism under various Five Year Developmental Plans.
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Dubdi Monastery, occasionally called Yuksom Monastery, is a Buddhist monastery of the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism near Yuksom, in the Geyzing subdivision of West Sikkim district, in eastern India. The Chogyar Namgyal established the first monastery known as the Dubdi Monastery in 1701, at Yuksom in Sikkim, which is part of Buddhist religious pilgrimage circuit involving the Norbugang Chorten, Pemayangtse Monastery, the Rabdentse ruins, the Sanga Choeling Monastery, the Khecheopalri Lake and the Tashiding Monastery. Established in 1701, it is professed to be the oldest monastery in Sikkim and is located on the top of a hill which is about an hour's walk () from Yuksom. It was also known as the Hermit's Cell after its ascetic founder Lhatsun Namkha Jigme, who along with two other lamas from Tibet met at Norbugang near Yuksom and crowned Phuntsog Namgyal as the first King or Chogyal of Sikkim at Norbugang Yuksom in 1642.
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The Three Chortens where the Royal family of Sikkim used to offer prayers to their deities at Rabdentse palace The ruins seen now in Rabdentse consist mainly of "chunky wall stubs" whose heritage value is accentuated by its location on a ridge, near upper Pelling ( away) from where commanding views of the Kanchendzong hill ranges and surroundings on one side and the mountains and valleys on the other side are visible. The approach to this location is from an ornamental yellow gate near the Pelling–Geyshing road, from where it is a walking distance of about 15 minutes through a lake and forested hills. Along the trek path from the gate, an avenue of chestnut trees with sodden moss leads to a stone throne comprising three standing stones called as "Namphogang", which was the pulpit of the judges from where judgments were pronounced during the active days of the king's reign from Rabdentse. Further ahead, the 'Taphap Chorten' is seen in semi ruined condition.
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The Dzong and the small town surrounding it are situated on a spur, a wild rocky area, above the ravines of the Mangde Chuu valley with the scenic backdrop of the Black Mountains on its southwest. The Dzong is located above the fast flowing Mandge Chu in a unique setting that has been described as "the most spectacularly sited dzong in Bhutan with a sheer drop to the south that often disappears into cloud and mist". Chorten in Nepalese style at Pele La on the foot track to Trongsa Dzong. Approach to Trongsa, till 1970, was only from the upper reaches of the Mangde Chu valley, starting the descent to the Trongsa town and the dzong from the location of two small chortens at Chendebji (One built by Lama Shida in Nepali style in the 18th century and the other a new one built in Bhutanese style in 1982)Dorje (1999), p.
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Dubdi monastery is central to the history of Sikkim as it is closely linked to the founding of the State of Sikkim at Yuksom in the middle of the 17th century by Lhetsum Chenpo and his two associate lamas. Chenpo’s green image is enshrined in the Dhubdi monastery as it was established by him to commemorate the founding of the Kingdom of Sikkim. It is the only monastery (purported now as the first monastery built in Sikkim) surviving out of the four built at that time, the other three locations are now identified by: a cluster of four juniper trees was the location where a monastery of Khardokpa sect existed; another location of a monastery established by Lama of Nadakpa sect now seen in the form of a rocky mound and two juniper trees, and the third site has now a chorten, which was originally the location of the residence of the King of Sikkim who was crowned at Yuksom by the three lamas. Monastery had thirty monks some time back.
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The Thanka Wall along the Kora route where Koku is displayed. Kora, a pilgrimage and a type of meditation in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, is performed in Shigatse along a set route covering the Tashilhunpo Monastery, the Mani walls, sacred rocks, a small temple, the Shigatse Dzong, and back to the monastery through the town. It is a walking circumambulation starting with the Tashilhunpo's entrance and moving round along a set route in a clockwise direction. The Kora first covers the boundary wall of the Tashilhunpo Monastery (90 m), then proceeds north to the prayer wheels, climbs up the hills to another row of prayer wheels, passes a large chorten, visits the small Gyelwa Jampa Temple (maroon-coloured) on the right, passes through a series of rocks which are worshipped by pilgrims by rubbing against the rocks and offering incense, tsampa or chang to a sacred fireplace, and then climbs up and passes through a stone edifice in the form of a cinema screen where a large Koku (Thangka religious painting) is displayed on particular occasions (in late July corresponding to the fifth Tibetan month during an annual festival held at Tashilhunpho Monastery).
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