The Treasury of Lives

Chakpori Monastery was first extablished in the twelfth century as a Kadampa monastery and converted to Sakya in the thirteenth century. The hill by that name, opposite the Potala in Lhasa, is considered sacred to Vajrapāṇi, and the slopes of Chakpori contain more than 5,000 rock-carvings. In 1695, Desi Sanggye Gyatso and Nyingto Yonten Gonpo built Chakpori Medical College on the site. The Medical College was destroyed in 1959 during the Chinese invasion of Lhasa. In 1992, it was rebuilt in exile in Darjeeling under the guidance of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.  

Sources

Akester, Matthew. 2016. Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo's Guide to Central Tibet. Chicago, IL: Serindia Publications, pp. 101-104.

Gyurme Dorje. 2009. Tibet Handbook. Bath: Footprint, pp. 119.

Larsen, Knud, and Amund Sinding-Larsen. 2001. The Lhasa Atlas: traditional Tibetan Architecture and Townscape. London: Serindia, p. 66.

Chakpori

Images

The Demoness of Tibet

The Demoness of Tibet is a close copy of a well-known image located in the Tibet Museum in Lhasa. The landscape of Tibet is shown as the mythical demoness of Tibetan legend. Important Buddhist temples and monasteries are located across her body, spanning from the Ngari region in the west to Kham in the east. 

The Potala Palace and the Main Monuments of Lhasa

This painting shows major sites of Lhasa including the Jokhang, Potala Palace and Lukhang. The monasteries of Sera, Drepung, and Sangpu Neutok are also pictured. It is possible that the image depicts activities during Losar festivities.

 

 

Biographies

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