| Tabo Monastery |
| Tabo Monastery |
The rugged hills around Tabo house a
tiny hamlet that is home to some 350 people. The Tabo monastery (also referred
to as Tabo Chos-hKhor - 'doctrinal circle' or 'doctrinal enclave') is a
complex that holds nine temples, 23 chortens, a monks' chamber and
an extension that houses the nuns' chamber. On the sheer cliff-face above
the enclave are a series of caves which were used as dwellings by the monks
and includes an 'assembly hall'. Faint traces of the paintings that once
embellished the rock face can be discerned. Even today, Tabo holds the
distinction of being the largest monastic complex in Spiti. Constructed
in 996 AD, Tabo was the brainchild of the great translator and teacher,
Rinchensang Po.
Stucco Images in The Monastery
The temples of the complex
The Temple of the Enlightened Gods (gTsug Lha-khang) The Golden Temple (gSer -Khang)
The Mystic Mandala Temple or Initiation Temple (dKyil-hKhor-khang)
The Bodhisattva Maitreya Temple (Byams-Pa Chen-po Lha-khang)
The Temple of Dromton (Brom-ston Lha-khang)
The above shrines are said to be the earliest
in the Tabo complex and the following are later additions.
The Chamber of Picture Treasures (Z'al-ma)
The Large Temple of Drom ton (Brom-ston Lha-khang)
The Mahakala Vajra-bhairava Temple (Gon-Khang)
The White Temple (dKar-abyum Lha-khang)
This is also known as the Assembly Hall (du-khang) and forms the core of
the complex. It houses a vestibule, an assembly hall and a sanctum. The
central figure in the assembly hall is the four fold Vairocana. In Vajrayana
Buddhism, he is regarded as one of the five spiritual sons of the Adibuddha,
who was the self-creative primordial Buddha. He is portrayed here in a
posture "turning the wheel of law". On brackets arrayed along
the walls and with stylised flaming circles around them, are life size
stucco images of what are commonly known as the Vajradhatu Mandala.
These images number thirty three in all, and are the other deities of the
pantheon. With five Bodhisattvas of the Good Age placed within, the sanctum
is immediately behind the assembly hall. The walls around the stuccoes
are elaborately adorned with wall paintings that depict the life of the
Buddha.
Once believed to hav been layered with gold, this shrine was exhaustively
renovated in the 16th century by Senge Namgyal, ruler of Ladakh. The walls
and ceiling are covered with murals.
The wall facing the door is embellished by a massive painting of Vairocana, who is surrounded
by the eight Bodhisattvas. Mystic mandalas cover the other areas. It is
here, that the initiation to monkhood takes place.
This shrine houses the image of the Bodhisattva Maitreya that is more than six meters high. The temple
has a hall, vestibule and sanctum. The array of murals within, also depict
the monastery of Tashi-Chunpo and Lhasa's Potala palace.
The temple lies on the northern edge of the complex and is said to have been founded by Dromton (1008-1064 AD),
an important disciple of Atisha. The doorway is intricately carved and
the inner walls are covered by murals.
This is an ante room of sorts attached to 'the temple of enlightened
gods'. It too is covered with paintings which are in the Tibetan style.
The second largest temple in the complex, this has a floor area of over seventy square meters, while the portico
and niche add another forty two square meters. The front wall sports the
figure of the Sakyamuni, flanked by Sariputra and Maha Maugdalayana. The
other walls depict the eight Medicine Buddhas and Guardian Kings. The wooden
planks of the ceiling are also painted.
This temple enshrines the protective
deity of the Geluk-pa sect. Fierce deities people the room and it is only
entered after protective meditation. Often it is also called known as 'the
temple of horror'.
The walls of this shrine are also intricately adorned leaving a low dado
for the monks and nuns to lean against.
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