Things to do in Zanda

No. 19 of Best Things to Do in Tibet

Ruins of Guge Kingdom

Ruins of Guge Kingdom are the remains of a kingdom capital built by descendants of the Tubo royal family on a loess hill along the Xiangquan River. Houses, caves, and pagodas cover the entire mountain, with city walls built on the perimeter and watchtowers at the four corners. The buildings and the mountain are both earth-yellow in color, grand in scale, and rigorously laid out. The summit houses the palace area, the mountainside houses the temple area, and the foot of the mountain contains cave dwellings. Walking up the mountain path, the Red Hall, White Hall, and Tara Hall on the mountainside are relatively well-preserved. The four walls inside the halls are covered with murals; the colors are rich yet remain vivid after hundreds of years. They feature images of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and high monks, as well as scenes recording the royal lineage and social life of the time. There are also man-made secret passages carved into the mountainside, which can be climbed along the wall to reach the palace area at the summit. A relatively well-preserved building at the summit is said to have been the council hall. The murals inside are primarily themed on Tantric Buddhism, with a bold style and intense use of color. Below, scenes of suffering in hell are depicted, and the border features a long row of dakinis in various poses, no two alike, representing one of the masterpieces of the murals at the site. In the evening, the setting sun shines on the earth-yellow mountain, creating a desolate and profound play of light and shadow, a favorite moment for many photography enthusiasts.

Zanda Earth Forest National Geopark

The Zada ​​Clay Forest is a special geological landform formed by the influence of orogeny. The strata deposited at the bottom of the lake have been cut by flowing water for a long time and gradually weathered and eroded. The "trees" in the clay forest are scattered for dozens of meters in height and in various shapes. Driving through it is like circling around the feet of many giants. As a special landform combination, the Zada ​​Clay Forest has rich and varied forms. On a macro level, the undulating, overlapping, steep and gentle clay forests are spread along both sides of the Xiangquan River. It is a rare "clay forest landform" wonder in the world. These peculiar "soil forest" landforms were formed by the lake basin sedimentary layer in the ancient times under the influence of the Himalayan orogeny, as the water level dropped, the lake basin rose, and the climate and river erosion cut. The steep and rugged rocks look like towering castles, towers, pagodas, etc., which are famous natural landscapes in Ali region. However, about 1,100 years ago, in the same afterglow, the palaces and temples of the once powerful Guge Kingdom stood. From the existing ruins, we can imagine the huge scene at that time, which is far from the current scene. Viewing point: The Xiangquan River Valley terrace a few hundred meters south of the county seat is a good place to view the earth forest. Photography point: On the square near Toling Monastery, a few dozen meters deep from the square is the broad and flat Xiangquan River network. The earth forests on both sides of the river valley are crisscrossed, resembling castles, pagodas, bodhisattvas, and palaces, stretching for dozens of kilometers.

Zhada Xiayigou Earth Forest Scenic Area

Zhada Xiayigou Earth Forest Scenic Area is approx. 5 km long, with dozens of small gullies distributed on both sides, presenting a well-arranged, colorful earth forest landscape.

Tholing Monastery

Guge Kingdom Ruins - Red Palace

The Red Hall, located in the Ngari region, is one of the important historical sites of the Guge Dynasty. The Guge Dynasty was once a prosperous kingdom in history. Its ruins are located in the earth forest landform by the Xiangquan River, showing the splendid local civilization. The Red Hall is an important building in the ruins, famous for its unique architectural style and exquisite murals. The murals in the hall preserve rich religious and historical content, depicting religious ceremonies, life scenes and mythological stories during the Guge Dynasty. These murals are not only artistic treasures, but also important materials for studying the ancient local religious culture and social life. The architectural structure of the Red Temple embodies the characteristics of ancient Tibetan architecture, using local building materials and craftsmanship, and demonstrating the wisdom and skills of ancient craftsmen. Visitors can feel the strong historical atmosphere and religious mystery when visiting the Red Temple.

Piyang Dongga Cave Site

The Dongga site is a grotto discovered only in recent years. After preliminary research by relevant experts, it is one of the eight major monasteries built during the Rinchen Sangbu period of the Guge Dynasty. Dongga Grottoes are scattered on the cliff to the north of Dongga Village, and you can see dense caves on the mountain on the road. There are nearly 200 existing caves, stretching for 2 kilometers, like a beehive. Among them, several caves with exquisite murals are concentrated on a "U"-shaped cliff in the east. The Dongga Caves and Piyang Caves excavated by archaeologists are located on the rocky cliffs near Dongga Village and the adjacent Piyang Village. This is the largest Buddhist cave site discovered in Tibet so far. The Dongga murals concentrated in the three caves on the mountainside are well preserved. Its formation and age are not recorded in many Tibetan historical, religious and cultural archives, and it is a cultural mystery that has yet to be solved. But one thing is certain, the cave paintings have a history of nearly a thousand years, and the archaeological and research values are quite high. The frescoes in the grottoes have a long history and are rich in content. There are also some foreign characters, patterns and shapes in the paintings. The frescoes are painted with special mineral pigments, which will last forever without fading. The main themes of the murals are Buddha statues, Bodhisattva statues, Buddhist stories, teaching diagrams, etc., as well as various decorative patterns and esoteric mandala. There are many kinds of goddess patterns, with vivid shapes and rich changes.

Khyung lung Dngul mkhar

Zada Earth Forest National Geopark Observation Deck

Mummy Cave

About 600 meters north of the ancient capital of Guge, there is a mysterious "corpse cave". The entrance of the cave is 3 meters above the ground. The entrance can only accommodate one person. It is said that there are three-chambered caves inside. Corpses, bones, carrion, and rags all exude a stench.

Guge Scenery Spot