The Pargo Kaling (Tibetan : བར་སྒོ་བཀག་གླིང, Wylie : bar sgo bkag gling) was a large chorten straddling across the road leading from Drepung between the Potala's Red Hill (Marpori) and the Iron Hill (Chagpori) at Lhasa, Tibet, and containing a through-passage or archway for people and animals. It formed the "Western Gate" of the city and led into the village of Shol. It was destroyed in 1967, [1] but the Lhasa authorities had it rebuilt in 1995. [2] [3] [4]
As shown by photographs taken in 1904 and 1938, the Pargo Kaling chorten was one of three chortens: a second one was perched on the low ridge of Marpori and a third one stood on the low ridge of Chagpori. [1] From the top of the middle chorten, wires furnished with small bells were stretched to the top of the two smaller chortens. [5]
The Tibetan name of the Western Gate has several variants besides Pargo Kaling: Pawogaling (Peter Aufschnaiter [6] ), Drakgo Kaling (André Alexander [7] ), Barkokani or Bakokani (G. Ts. Tsybikoff), and Bar chorten (also G. Ts. Tsybikoff). [8]
The oldest known representation of the Pargo Kaling Gate is found on a map of the city of Lhasa drawn by Nikita Bichurin in the first half of the 19th century. In the left lower corner, the larger centre chorten with its through-passage can be seen in between the two smaller side chortens.
The Western Gate was the scene of the entrance of the British Army's invasion force to Lhasa on August 4, 1904. [9] Preceded by the Chinese Imperial commissioner's escort., [10] Younghusband's soldiers entered the city through the arch in the Pargo Kaling chorten [11]
The Pargo Kaling chorten was also depicted in a scene of the 1997 movie Seven Years in Tibet , which was the adaptation of the book of that title by Heinrich Harrer. The cover art of the original motion picture soundtrack shows actor Brad Pitt and the young 14th Dalai Lama with the chorten in the background.
The English version of Peter Aufschnaiter's memoirs Eight Years in Tibet, published in 2002, includes a photo of the chorten with the caption "Pawogaling, the Western Stupa below the Potala." [12]
A photo of the famous landmark is on the cover of Kamal Ratna Tuladhar's book, Caravan to Lhasa , published in 2004, about the story of Nepalese Newar traders in Tibet from the 1920s to the 1960s. [13]
In the 1980s, the lost Western Gate inspired a song sung by Tibetan singer Dadon. The lyrics of the first verse and the chorus go like this:
In front of the Potala Palace / There were three beloved stupas / Whenever the wind stirred the chimes / What resounding music there was / How melodious it sounded.
Aah stupa Drago Kaling / Aah, in my mind I suddenly remember / In the depth of my heart I suddenly remember you.
Dalai Lama is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest of the classical schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dalai Lama is Tenzin Gyatso, who lives as a refugee in India. The Dalai Lama is also considered to be the successor in a line of tulkus who are believed to be incarnations of Avalokiteśvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.
Lhasa is the urban center of the prefecture-level Lhasa City and the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region. The inner urban area of Lhasa City is equivalent to the administrative borders of Chengguan District, which is part of the wider prefectural Lhasa City.
Heinrich Harrer was an Austrian mountaineer, sportsman, geographer, and author. He was a member of the four-man climbing team that made the first ascent of the North Face of the Eiger, the "last problem" of the Alps. He wrote the books Seven Years in Tibet (1952) and The White Spider (1959).
The Potala Palace is a dzong fortress in the city of Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It was the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas from 1649 to 1959, has been a museum since then, and has been a World Heritage Site since 1994.
Ngawang Lobzang Jampel Tsultrim Gyatso or Tsultrim Gyatso was the 10th Dalai Lama of Tibet, and born in Chamdo. He was fully ordained in the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, studied the sutras and tantras, had several students, and rebuilt the Potala Palace.
Kelzang Gyatso, also spelled Kalzang Gyatso, Kelsang Gyatso and Kezang Gyatso, was the 7th Dalai Lama of Tibet.
Peter Aufschnaiter was a Tyrolean mountaineer, agricultural scientist, geographer, and cartographer. His experiences with fellow climber Heinrich Harrer during World War II were depicted in the 1997 film Seven Years in Tibet.
Norbulingka is a palace and surrounding park in Lhasa, Tibet, China, built from 1755. It served as the traditional summer residence of the successive Dalai Lamas from the 1780s up until the 14th Dalai Lama's exile in 1959. Part of the "Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace", Norbulingka is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was added as an extension of this Historic Ensemble in 2001. It was built by the 7th Dalai Lama and served both as administrative centre and religious centre. It is a unique representation of Tibetan palace architecture.
Boudha(Nepali: 𑐧𑑁𑐡𑑂𑐢 𑐳𑑂𑐟𑐹𑐥, also called the Khāsa Chaitya, Nepal Bhasa Khāsti, Prachalit Nepal alphabet : 𑐏𑐵𑐳𑑂𑐟𑐶 𑐩𑐵𑐴𑐵𑐔𑐿𑐟𑑂𑐫, Standard Tibetan Jarung Khashor, Wylie: bya rung kha shor ) is a stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal. Located about 11 km (6.8 mi) from the center and northeastern outskirts of Kathmandu, its massive mandala makes it one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal and the world.
The British expedition to Tibet, also known as the British invasion of Tibet or the Younghusband expedition to Tibet began in December 1903 and lasted until September 1904. The expedition was effectively a temporary invasion by British Indian forces under the auspices of the Tibet Frontier Commission, whose purported mission was to establish diplomatic relations and resolve the dispute over the border between Tibet and Sikkim. In the nineteenth century, the British had conquered Burma and Sikkim, with the whole southern flank of Tibet coming under the control of the British Raj. Tibet, ruled by the Dalai Lama under the Ganden Phodrang government, was the only Himalayan state under Chinese rule instead of subjected to British influence.
Zhao Erfeng (1845–1911), courtesy name Jihe, was a Qing Dynasty official and Han Chinese bannerman, who belonged to the Plain Blue Banner. He is known for being the last amban in Tibet, appointed in March, 1908. Lien Yu, a Manchu, was appointed as the other amban. Formerly Director-General of the Sichuan - Hubei Railway and acting viceroy of Sichuan province, Zhao was the much-maligned Chinese general of the late imperial era who led military campaigns throughout Kham and eventually reaching Lhasa in 1910, thus earning himself the nickname "Zhao the Butcher".
This is a list of topics related to Tibet.
Tibetan Buddhist architecture, in the cultural regions of the Tibetan people, has been highly influenced by Nepal, China and India. For example, the Buddhist prayer wheel, along with two dragons, can be seen on nearly every temple in Tibet. Many of the houses and monasteries are typically built on elevated, sunny sites facing the south. Rocks, wood, cement and earth are the primary building materials. Flat roofs are built to conserve heat and multiple windows are constructed to let in the sunlight. Due to frequent earthquakes, walls are usually sloped inward at 10 degrees.
Chagpori, Chakpori, Chokpori, Chagpo Ri (Wylie: lcags po ri , literally "Iron Mountain"; is a spirit-mountain of Vajrapani within the city of Lhasa in Tibet. It south of the Potala and just to the left when one is facing the Potala. It is considered to be one of the four holy mountains of central Tibet.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Tibet:
Thomas Manning is considered the first lay Chinese studies scholar in Europe and was the first Englishman to enter Lhasa, the holy city of Tibet.
Lhasa is noted for its traditional buildings and structures related to Tibetan Buddhism.
The Lhasa riot of 1750 took place in the Tibetan capital Lhasa, and lasted several days during the period of Qing rule of Tibet. The uprising began on November 11, 1750 after the expected new regent of Tibet, Gyurme Namgyal, was assassinated by two Manchu ambans.
Tibet under Qing rule refers to the Qing dynasty's rule over Tibet from 1720 to 1912. Tibet was under Khoshut Khanate rule from 1642 to 1717, with the Khoshuts conquered by Dzungar Khanate in 1717, and the Dzungars subsequently expelled by Qing in 1720. The Qing emperors appointed resident commissioners known as Ambans to Tibet, most of them are ethnic Manchus, who reported to the Lifan Yuan, a Qing government body that oversaw the empire's frontier. Tibet under Qing rule retained a degree of political autonomy under the Dalai Lamas nonetheless.
The Convention of Lhasa, officially the Convention Between Great Britain and Tibet, was a treaty signed in 1904 between Tibet and Great Britain, in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, then under administrative rule of the Qing dynasty. It was signed following the British expedition to Tibet of 1903-1904, a military expedition led by Colonel Francis Younghusband, and was followed by the Anglo-Chinese Convention of 1906.
