Gsumge Mani Stone Castle

The Gsumge Mani Stone Castle, or Songge Mani-Sutra City^[3] (traditional Chinese: 松格瑪尼石經城; simplified Chinese: 松格玛尼石经城; pinyin: Sōnggé mǎní shíjīngchéng; lit. 'Gsumge Mani Stone Sutra City'; also referred to as 松格嘛呢石經城 / 松格嘛呢石经城) is a massive complex built out of Tibetan mani stone tablets located in the Zachukha Grasslands, Sêrxü, Sichuan.

Gsumge Mani Stone Castle
General information
Town or city	Sêrxü
Country	China
Construction started	Pre-Peman period: probably 11th–12th centuries;^[1] post-Peman period: 18th century;^[2] according to local tradition: around 10th century.
Height	15 m (49 ft)
Dimensions
Diameter	73 m × 47 m (240 ft × 154 ft)
Technical details
Material	Stone

Etymology

The place where the castle is located is known as Gsum (松) in Tibetan, ge (格) is a modal particle.^[4]

The building

 

Painting of a Buddhist deity in a niche.

The rectangular castle is facing south, measuring 73 metres long and 47 metres wide. The height of the outer wall is about 9 metres, and the highest point of the castle is 15 metres. It is built in the structure of a mandala, without any supporting frames and construction adhesives.^[5] The outer walls are covered with rows of niches that look like countless "windows". Most of the niches are filled with exquisitely carved stone statues and paintings of Buddhist deities. The interior is structured like a maze of corridors. A shrine dedicated to King Gesar and his thirty generals is located at the centre of the castle.^[4]

According to an excavation report by the local government, half of the castle had sunk into the soil. The excavation yielded numerous mani stones inscribed with Sanskrit mantras dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries.^[1]

History

 

King Gesar is the central figure of this shrine complex, a painting dedicated to him in a niche.

According to the local tradition, the Gsumge Mani Stone Castle dates back to the time of the legendary King Gesar. Around the 10th century, Nomzida and Ronchamale, two of Gesar's generals, along with a large number of soldiers, died in the battle of Hor-Ling due to the betrayal of Gesar's uncle Khrothung. As a gesture of repentance, Khrothung built a stupa and piled up mani stones around it. In the 18th century, the stupa and mani stone piles were discovered by Pema Rinchen (白馬仁欽), founder of the Pukang Temple (菩康寺 or 普康寺) at Sêrxü. He vowed to build a "city made of mani stones", which gradually became the Gsumge Mani Stone Castle. The castle's history can thus be divided into pre-Peman and post-Peman periods.^[6]

See also

• Kham
• Vajrayana
• Sershul Monastery

References

1. 大西藏 [Great Tibet]. New Action (in Traditional Chinese). Vol. 35. Taipei: Mook Publication. 19 June 2019. p. 205. ISBN 9789862894033.
2. Xu, Bin (15 December 2019). "解析"松格嘛呢城"及其格萨尔信仰" [An Analysis on Songgemani Stone City and the Belief in King Gesar] (PDF). dpm.org.cn (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 28 November 2021.
3. "Explore the Mystery of Tibetan Culture Festival by Festival". asiaculturaltravel.co.uk. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
4. Shi, Shuo (2005). "雅砻江源的奇观——石渠松格嘛呢石经城" [A Wonder at the Source of the Yalong River: The Gsumge Mani Stone Castle of Sêrxü] (PDF). Sichuan Cultural Relics (in Simplified Chinese) (1): 3–4. ISSN 1003-6962. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
5. Bai, Lang (2021). "松格玛尼石经城记" [The Story of Gsumge Mani Stone Sutra City]. City Reader (in Simplified Chinese). Chengdu. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
6. "故宫博物院宫廷部、故宫研究院藏传佛教文物研究所石渠考察报告" [Investigation Report on Sêrxü from the Institute of Tibetan Buddhist Heritage of the Palace Museum]. dpm.org.cn (in Simplified Chinese). 26 October 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2021.