Guge Kingdom གུ་གེ།

The Ancient Guge Kingdom is a less traveled tourist attraction in far western Tibet in modern Zanda. Its barren and eroded landscape may seem an unlikely location to have developed a significant civilization. The Ancient Guge Kingdom has thrived here due to its essential stop in the silk route between India and Tibet. Now the remains of towering Tsaparang fortress and Tholing monastery are two significant highlights of Ngari Prefecture.

Nyima Gon, The great-grandson of last Tibetan king Lang Dharma left the central Tibet to western Tibet. After the unrest in central Tibet, which lead to the downfall of the Tibetan empire founded by Songtsen Gampo. He found the kingdom in west Tibet with Guge as its capital.

Nyima Gon Later divides the kingdom into his three sons to avoid conflict in succession. Ladhak to his eldest son, Guge to his second son and Zanskar to his third son.

Yeshi Ö succeeded his father in ruling the Guge Kingdom. He was a renowned Buddhist figure in Tibetan Buddhism for his effort in bringing new diffusion of Buddhism in Tibet. During his time a Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo when to India to study Buddhism and returned home as a monk to promote Buddhism in Tibet.

Rinchen Zangpo and Yeshi Ö worked together in promoting Buddhism in western Tibet marked the beginning of the second diffusion of Buddhist teachings in west Tibet. A very importatant turning point in Tibetan History. Yeshe Ö became a monk and left kingship to his Younger brother.

Later through the sponsorship of the Royal court of the Guge Kingdom, Atisha was invited to Tibet in the year 1040. Who then traveled to central Tibet and spread the teaching Buddha whole over Tibet.

The kingdom enjoyed a vital trading hub as the modern-day Shanghai. Due to its location in the silk route between India, Tibet, and Central Asia. Its riches and prosperity became a source of envy from neighboring kingdoms.

In the 17th Century, the first westerner reached the Guge Kingdom. It was the Jesuit Missionary António de Andrade, and his companion, brother Manuel Marques. They have reported seeing irrigation canals, plentiful crop in now what is dry and desolate land. To ease the tension between the last king of Guge and His brother the head lama of Tholing Monastery. The king welcomes the missionary with open arms and allows to construct Chapel in Tsaparang and preach people about Christianity.

Main reason for tension between the king and his younger brother was that of the wealth of monastery is higher than the royal court. And another factor is many men are joining the monastery, and Kings need these men to remain layperson and work in the field and pay tax.

Upon the establishment of the first Christian chapel in the kingdom, kings younger brother with some military commander revolt and called Ladakhis tp overthrow the king. Ladakhis invaded the kingdom and brought the kings and his royal family to Ladakh as a prisoner. His younger brother, the lama, was executed by Ladakhis.

Legend has it that the Ladakhi army slaughtered most people in Guge with only 200 remains. The Lhasa base Dalai lama government later conquered the kingdom of Guge. Later on, the last male descendant of the dynasty moved to Lhasa where he died in 1743.

Western archeologists heard about Guge once again in the 1930s through the work of Italian Giuseppe Tucci. Tucci’s work was mainly about the frescoes of Guge. Now the ruins of Guge Kingdom are essential resources of the region’s historical and archeological studies.

The Guge Kingdom is located 1452 Kilometers from the Lhasa city. It is located in one of the remotest regions on the surface of the earth. The necessary facilities and amenities in the area will be marginal. So it is request to all the travelers will have to physically and mentally ready for it.

Traveling to the kingdom can be done from Lhasa or Kashgar in Xingjiang via an overland journey to Tibet. In both cases, you will need the Miltary permit, Border permit, Aliens permit along with the essential Tibet travel permit. Your travel agency in Lhasa can make all the permit for you.

The tour route requires a long drive for at least eight hours a day for two days. All the Guest House doesnt have showering facilities. There for it is recommend to add some time at the hotspring near the Manasarovar lake for mid travel bath.

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