Princess Wencheng Temple 文成公主庙
For photos go to holachina views
Princess Wencheng Temple “Nabalinangzelekang” 文成公主庙. Spectacular, stunning, other-worldly, an extravaganza of colour, are just some of the adjectives you’ll be spluttering to anyone you meet after a visit to the Princess Wencheng Temple. And this before you have actually seen the temple which, in all truth, is nice, but nothing special. It is the Kora, the sacred pilgrims’ trail performed by walking around, or circumambulating, a temple, that provokes such awe and stupor. Even veteran travellers to Tibet will find themselves struggling to recall anything like it.
History
The temple was supposedly built to mark the spot where Princess Wencheng and her husband, the Tibetan King Songtsän Gampo, stopped for a month on their journey from Xian to Tibet. The marriage of the Tang dynasty Princess, a niece of Emperor Taizong, to the Tibetan King is celebrated by both the Chinese and Tibetans; though their interpretation of the events varies.
Buddhism to Tibet
The Chinese claim it was Princess Wencheng who brought Buddhism to Tibet, by converting her husband; the Tibetans dispute this. According to the Tibetans, Songtsän Gampo forced the Tang Emperor to hand over his niece, after a string of military victories over the Chinese and their allies. In the Chinese point of view, the Princess’s hand was offered as a sign of friendship, to seal the long lasting bond between the Chinese and Tibetan peoples. There is even a famous Chinese opera that corroborates this view.
Location
The Princess Wencheng Temple is situated some 15 kilometres from Yushu in Qinghai province, at the entrance to the beautiful Leba Gorge. We approached the temple from the Gorge (see article…). A first inkling of what was in store for us were the intense red, yellow, and green colours on the rocks formed by the prayer flags that made a pattern rather like a giant spider’s web.
As we got closer, the temple itself came into view. Surrounded by a wall and a courtyard, the main chapel is built against the rock face and has some beautiful statues inside, carved directly out of the rock. A handful of friendly monks keep the place in order. Opposite the temple is a clear, fast flowing and winding river.