Khorzhak Monastery

CHINA, Tibet, Ngari

The name Khorzhak indicates a sacred place for storing a venerated object. The monastery was built in 996 by Rinchen Sangpo, the great Buddhist translator. It used to belong to the lineage of Atisa known as the Kadam school, but at the beginning of the 13th century it was converted to the Drikung Kagyu school and then to the Sakya school in the 15th century. An embankment was constructed along the Karnali River by order of the Guge King Tashi Detsen to protect the temple. It was listed as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 2001.
The main existing buildings include the Yilhun Hall and the Tashi Tsekpei Hall. There are also circumambulation passages lined with prayer wheels surrounding the monastery. The north-facing Yilhun Hall is situated in the south, while the east-facing Tashi Tsekpei Hall is in the west. Both buildings are laid out in the form of a right angle. There are decorative dark red bands along the top of the red exterior walls. The Yilhun Hall is composed of a courtyard, an entrance hall, and a square assembly hall with multiple corners. Its internal partitions are arranged in a U-shape that, together with the south, east, and west walls, form a circumambulation passage lined with prayer wheels. Within the hall there is a statue of Manjusri Bodhisattva flanked by Avalokitesvara and Vajrapani Bodhisattvas. The standing figures are gilded and they are said to have been sculpted by Nepalese craftsmen.
The monastery is one of the most important in the later development of Tibetan Buddhism. It has great importance and value for research into the history, architecture, paintings, and sculptures of that time.