Lhasa temple of the golden dragon treatment. Cave temple of the golden dragon and a floating nun. Barkhor street market

Every country, every nation has its own legends, myths and traditions. They were passed from mouth to mouth so that the new generation would remember and not forget about the wisdom and knowledge of their ancestors. One of the most beautiful and popular legends of China is the legend of the Golden Dragon.
Where the Celestial Empire touches the Sky stands a temple that belongs to the Lord of the World. There is a bridge between the earthly firmament and the gates of the Temple of the Lord of the World. This bridge is the only connecting thread between the perishable world and the temple, which can only shelter the spirit of the deceased who is pure in deeds and thoughts.
But not every spirit can cross this bridge, because two guards are guarding the shrine at the gates of the temple. Guards are creatures that know no mercy, relentlessly guarding the entrance to the temple of the Lord of the World. Guards cannot be: bribed, frightened, deceived, persuaded. They see an unclean soul, they sense its approach, and they will tear it apart if it tries to enter the temple of the Lord of the World.

The guards are terrible creatures, the two Golden Dragons are the only ones in the whole world. The Golden Dragon has the body of a huge lion, only its head is from a dragon, its neck is protected by a mane, huge wings are on its back, its paws have a formidable claw weapon capable of tearing everything alive and inanimate, and there is no protection from the fangs and claws of the Golden Dragon. The whole dragon is covered with golden hair, and its skin is black; it protects it in the same way as wool: from weapons, fire and time. The Temple of the Lord of the World stands forever, and the Golden Dragons will forever guard its entrance.

One Golden Dragon once angered the Lord of the World. The owner drove him away. And the Golden Dragon descended to the perishable earth. He walked on the earth and had fun, he met his own kind of creatures, the offspring of the Golden Dragon appeared in the creatures. Dragons of various colors appeared, this angered the Lord of the World, he descended to earth and destroyed all the offspring from the creatures and the Golden Dragon. And the Golden Dragon himself was taken back to the temple, but he did not destroy the unborn dragons. When the time came, Dragons were born and they hid from the Eye of the Lord of the World. Many Dragons left the Celestial Empire, fearing the wrath of the Lord of the World. When the Lord of the World again saw the Dragons, he did not destroy them, but He left them in the Celestial Empire as His deputies and just judges of the perishable world. Endowed all the Dragons of the Celestial Empire with immortality, but deprived of the extension of the family.

All the Dragons of the Celestial Empire serve the Lord of the World and the Golden Dragons, protect the Celestial Empire from adversity, guard the place where the sky touches the firmament of the earth. No one will pass them to the temple of the Lord of the World.
The rest of the Dragons that left the Middle Kingdom are mortal but can leave offspring.
So says the legend about the temple of the Lord of the World, the Golden Dragons and the Dragons of the Middle Kingdom.

The history of the temple is connected with the most legendary figures in the history of Tibet. It dates back to the reign of the 33rd king of Tibet, the founder of the Tibetan empire, the guardian of the faith - Dharmaraja Songzen Gampo (620-649). In 631, he moved the capital to Lhasa and built the White Palace on the top of the Red Mountain of Marpori. Then he married Nepalese and Chinese princesses, who brought with them a statue of Buddha as a dowry: the Chinese princess Wen Cheng - Shakyamuni Jo, the Nepalese princess Brikhuti - Akshobhya Vajra.

The Jokhan Temple, where the famous statue was kept for 13 centuries, was repeatedly destroyed and restored. It suffered tremendous destruction during the Mongol invasion and the Cultural Revolution. The founder of the Gelukpa Tsongkhava school made a crown of pure gold for the statue, and a crown of pure silver for Akshobhya Vajra.

Wish Granting Jewel

Why is this statue of Shakyamuni Buddha so highly valued in Tibet, a country that has perhaps the largest number of Buddhist statues in the world?

The fact is that Tibetans firmly believe that this image of Buddha Shakyamuni was made during the life of the Enlightened One. It is believed that the Buddha personally consecrated the statue. The boundless faith of the Tibetans has transformed her from an ordinary object into a divine one, and when they see her, they believe that the Buddha himself is in front of them. They call the statue "Precious Lord Buddha" and "Wish-fulfilling Jewel". It is believed that just seeing the statue transforms a person's energy into positive energy, that is, "liberation through vision" occurs.

According to legend, this image of the Buddha was made by the celestial sculptor Vishvakarman under the guidance of the lord of the gods Indra from ten jewels of the world of gods and people. Subsequently, they were melted down, and the statue was cast into a real form.

For a long time she was in the "abode of the gods", then in Oddiyana, and then in India - Magadha. The king of Magadha presented her to the Chinese emperor Taizong, after which she ended up in Tibet as a dowry of a Chinese princess.

Statue of Buddha Shakyamuni

Put your head on the foot of the statue

Jowo Shakyamuni is located on the eastern side of the temple in a sanctuary specially designated for him, which is a small room about 5 by 5 m. The statue is installed in the middle of the room on a dais, to which several steps lead.

At present, it is usually closed with an iron chain grate, through which pilgrims can put their heads to her leg. Sometimes the grate is removed, and several times I saw it without any protection.

579 kg of pure gold

Joe's right hand is on his knee in a gesture of touching the ground, the left in a gesture of meditation. The hands are not visible because the body is covered with a robe of yellow Chinese silk. The statue is distinguished by luxurious decorations. The Indian hairstyle of the hair is closed by a crown of hammered gold with inserted jewels - diamonds, rubies, sapphires and semi-precious stones, among which corals and turquoise predominate.

Images of deities are inlaid in the prongs of the crown. On the chest is a necklace in the form of a plastron with a lot of turquoise and corals and a large white shell with a curl in the clockwise direction. According to the Buryat scientist G. Tsybikov, large rosaries that belonged to the Chinese emperor of the Ming dynasty used to hang around the neck, but now there are no rosaries. In the Buddha's hand is a bowl. In front of him, on a special stand, is another large bowl, on which is placed a stupa in the form of a pyramid with ledges with barley grains sprinkled on it. There are also several lamps on the stand, in which the pilgrims continuously add the oil they brought with them.

Delight and tears of Tibetans

Previously, some departments of the Tibetan Kashag government were located in the temple. Every year from the 5th to the 26th of the first month of the Tibetan calendar, representatives of all the monasteries of Tibet gather in the Jokhang for the Monlam religious festival. In old Tibet, during the Monlam, the control of Lhasa was handed over to the monks of Drepung Monastery.

Numerous priceless artifacts have been preserved in the temple: more than 300 Buddhist statues, frescoes with a total area of ​​​​more than 2,600 square meters. m., as well as a huge number of manuscripts, woodcuts, plaques, stelae, tanks, ritual and musical items.

Jokhang, perhaps the only temple in Tibet, in which a huge number of people are concentrated at any time, extraordinary religious enthusiasm reigns. Particularly striking is the unprecedented delight of the Tibetans at the sight of Jowo Shakyamuni. Many are crying, everyone is trying to linger at the statue and do as many prostrations as possible, which is very difficult with a large crowd of people and a crush in the queue.

Tibetologist-Mongolian Yelena Damdinova

Attractions of the Jokhang Temple

According to one legend, this statue miraculously appeared during the reign of Songzen Gampo. In another way, it was molded from a mixture of various fragrant herbs by order of the king. In addition, it is believed that a sandalwood image of the same Avalokiteshkara, brought from India, is placed inside it.

There is another legend: the king himself, along with his wives, the Nepalese and Chinese princesses, merged with this statue at the time of death. That is why it is called the 5-piece, since it consists of the main statue, sandalwood, of King Songzen Gampo and his two wives. It is said that the real image of the 5-component Avalokiteshvara was lost during the Cultural Revolution, and the one in the temple now is a copy made in recent times. Unfortunately, we do not have documents confirming this or the opposite.

Further through one room in the corner on the mezzanine is a large statue of a Buddhist reformer. Tsongkhavy. There are many legends about its origin. According to one of them, it was made by order of King Songzen Gampo, who foresaw the birth of a great lama.

It is said that Tsongkhava, having seen the statue, recognized himself in it and informed outsiders about it. Those, seeing a striking resemblance, paid tribute to both the lama himself and his image.

On the second floor, directly above the main entrance, there is a large room in which there are very revered large statues of the king. Songzen Gampo, Chinese Princess Wen Cheng and Nepalese Princess Brikhuti.

If you follow the internal stairs to the third floor, you will find yourself in the sanctuary of the goddess Palden Lhamo, which is considered the main protector of Tibet, especially among adherents of the Gelukpa school. The goddess is also especially revered by women. There are two statues of the goddess in the room: on the right - in a peaceful incarnation, on the left - in an angry one. In an angry incarnation, the goddess holds a sword, her face is covered with a cloth. The goddess is presented with "sergem" - barley wine or vodka.

External and internal tour of the temple

Worship of the temple ends with its internal and external detour. The inner bypass (Nangkhor) passes under a canopy, where prayer wheels are located around the perimeter of the entire building. The walls around the temple are painted on both sides with paintings depicting 108 stories from the numerous births of the Buddha.

The outer bypass (Bakhor) runs along the same name and crowded street in Lhasa, on which on both sides there are numerous shops selling various goods of religious purpose. A crowd of people moves along it all day, especially in the morning and evening hours. People quickly walk down the street in the direction of the sun, sorting out the rosary, spinning prayer wheels, reciting mantras. Many pilgrims make their rounds, stretching across the land.

The Jokhan Temple and Bakhor Street are truly the heart of Tibet, where you can feel its lively beat with your own eyes.

Tibet is located on the southwestern outskirts of China and covers an area of ​​1,200,000 square kilometers. In China, Tibet is referred to as TAR (Tibet Autonomous Region). The administrative center of Tibet is the city of Lhasa, which has been rapidly developing and populated by the Chinese in recent years. Lhasa means "holy place" in translation. The city is located at an altitude of 3660 m above sea level.

The high mountainous position has led to severe climatic conditions and a large temperature difference between day and night. But due to the strong insolation in winter in Tibet, it is not at all so cold, the average annual temperature in Southern Tibet is +8 C, in the northern regions -1-2 C, in the central regions there are almost no severe frosts in winter, and intense heat rarely occurs in summer. The best travel season is from March to October.

Tibet is separated from the outside world by the highest mountain ranges. Therefore, as soon as you cross the border, you will immediately understand why this country is called the "Roof of the World". Your entire journey through Tibet will run at an altitude of 4500-5000 m. At such an altitude, proximity to the sky becomes real and tangible.

Tibet is the most mysterious place on earth. For a long time, Tibet was a closed country, and it was almost impossible to get there. Only since 1974 this territory has been open for visiting by foreigners. And although the country seems deserted, you will meet a continuous stream of Tibetans visiting temples. There are more than 2000 temples and monasteries in Tibet - a unique treasure trove of culture and traditions of the East.

You will see more treasures here than in any other country in the world! You will never forget the Tibetan songs, the eyes of the Tibetans are full of love and goodwill, as this is the only place in the world where you will meet a genuine smile.

Numerous temples and monasteries brought world fame to Tibet, where solemn rituals and ceremonies are still held.

Photo gallery

“The famous Beijing tract Longqingxia is located in the northern part, 11 km from Yangqing County, there are beautiful mountains and beautiful waters, as well as a beautiful landscape, in 1986 it was awarded the title of one of the “16 landscapes of new Beijing”. From 1996 to 2001, it was awarded the Beijing Cultural Beast, and in 2001 it was awarded the State AAAA Bug,” a Russian-language poster in the parking lot in front of Golden Dragon Gorge praises this tourist spot.
We look forward to following the promise!

“Draco asiaticus - the Asian dragon is the most cheerful of all its relatives. This cheerful weather lord controls clouds, rain, thunder and lightning. He is the king of all squamates, one of the four celestial animals of China, and one of the twelve signs of the Chinese horoscope. The rulers of antiquity considered themselves the earthly incarnation of these divine beings. They say that somewhere in the universe there is a tablet that says how many dragons there are in the world.
John Topsell. "How to Raise and Educate a Dragon".

By clicking on the map you will see where the dragons are found. This is some 80 km from the center of Beijing towards Russia.
Coordinates of Long Qing Xia Gorge (Long Qing Xia):
Latitude: 40.535667°
Longitude: 116.010406°

From the huge parking lot to the lace gate, a hot, dusty, unremarkable road leads to the park area. You have to use the services of small open cars that throw tourists up the mountain, or if you are afraid that your Panama hat will be blown away, you will have to walk one and a half kilometers along the road on foot.

Just outside the gates of the dragon realm, a pleasant park area with life-giving shade and stone sculptures awaits you.

The northern regions of China are influenced by Russian culture. This is how this phoenix decided to look both east and west at the same time.

In winter, on the territory of the park, under the Orthodox domes, an annual festival of ice sculptures is held.

Near the ice palaces, a young maiden reads fortunes on a marmot.

We are gradually approaching the Gorge. We will fly on a dragon to the height of a mountain lake, but the dragon does not carry anyone down. Back.
Those who wish are offered to ride down over the park on mining trolleys. Something like that.

This is how the grandiose Gate to the Dragon World looks like! A large Chinese beaver dragon built a dam, and a small mountain stream rose 90 meters, flooding the banks and propping up the sheer walls of the mountains. Thus, the Gorge of the Golden Dragon was formed.

And here is the largest representative of the most August imperial reptiles. Sliding down from the dam, he smiles kindly at the guests.

To get to the magical land of Zadrakonia, you have to allow yourself to be eaten a little. To do this, you just need to enter the hospitable smile of a friendly monster.

The dragon's gut is nicely decorated: memories of what you have already seen on other excursions in China flash before your eyes, as well as pictures of other worlds that you still had a chance to see.

Now you are standing on the escalator, which means that, contrary to the existing belief, you have only one way out of the dragon.

All 258 meters of the intra-dragon escalator we wondered how the exit from this fabulously voracious creature would be decorated. My heart was relieved when, having descended from the running steps, we found ourselves in a cave, which led us to the light of Buddhism.

Everything rests on the pier. As I have already said, the 90 meters high river did not leave the possibility of coastal walks. All excursions start from the boat.

According to some indirect signs, there are fish in the reservoir.

The monks strive to be closer to God, and therefore they settle higher. You will be offered to take the funicular to the Buddhist temple after a walk through the gorge.

Neither the dragon nor the Beijing heat will take you! And now you are sailing through a quiet, picturesque gorge, where steep mountains are covered from head to toe with intricate interlacings of all kinds of vegetation. Is there really someone else living in these rocky wilds? I think that no one will be as comfortable living in such conditions as the young dragons - the great-great-grandchildren of our good friend of the watchman, in whose tummy we just rumbled.

And after all, uncle dragon gave each mountain some name. Here we are sailing around the cape "Phoenix Diadem", and behind it rises the "Bell-shaped Mountain".

"Magic Pen", obviously.

Rock "jumping bear". Yeh-hoo!

Behind Camel Face Peak you can see a small entertainment area. This is where you swam. Leaping from the tower is the most obvious possibility of the final boat stop. But its content is much more interesting: Right behind the Tarzan simulator, there is a quiet Diamond Temple (the name is such), and above the alien jump structure, on one of the peaks, the Dream Pavilion fits very organically (oh, and I will tell you, children, a fairy tale about the Keeper of a thousand blankets ... But later). Also in these parts there is a souvenir market and a small zoo with spotted deer and peacocks.

Against the backdrop of a mountain with a grotto "Coin-melting Furnace" (that's right, what a dragon without gold), cyclists ride over the abyss.

Tarzan's turn is on the bungee. The cost of the jump is 200 yuan from Tarzan, or about 2000 rubles.

From such a height, there must be beautiful views of the gorge.

Small Guilin, Moon Bay, Clock Mountain...

This happy path leads to the Pavilion of Dreams. It is necessary to check what people dream about there?

And from below, the bungee seemed high. But the magic ladder every half an hour opens up new and new heights for you.
They say there are as many steps in it as there are people in China.
"Who's talking?
Yes, everyone is talking!
- Who's everyone?!
- ..Well, everyone who got up! ..
- Who got up?
- ..Well, tourists..
- What tourists?!
- ..Well, I..."

Having risen to the pavilion of dreams, you sit down to catch your breath. This is where the image of the mythical Keeper of a thousand blankets appears to you! This woman, of course, is a fairy-tale character who carries behind her back a basket filled with a thousand blankets of various colors. And red, and blue, and green .. and affectionate ones are also there .. well, this, in fact, does not matter. This near-divine character walks one and a half billion steps to the Pavilion a thousand times a day, and the thousands of tourists who climbed into the Dream Pavilion fulfill their every wish! Absolutely any!!! Just imagine. But... It's 30 degrees in Beijing in July. And since for many millennia all the climbers have been making the same wish, the Keeper of a thousand blankets, reaching the top again and again, with one graceful trained stroke of the miraculous finger, the Mute Coolness snatches from the cold-tempered depths of her knapsack, glorified in epics, "Giving Life" - ice cream fruit ice on stick.
Pshhhhh...

The diamond temple has an exceptional atmosphere of thoughtfulness and pacifies the speed of tourists who are always late, incense.

Smile at the roof and the roof will smile at you.

Monastic Zoo.

Chinese rural sketch.

The Cave Temple of the Golden Dragon (Wat Tham Mankhon Thong), famous for its floating nun attraction and its interesting caves, is located about 8 kilometers south of the city. It can be reached by taking road 323 and then turning onto road 3429. The temple is easily accessible by bicycle or scooter, or by car. We have arrived here.

From the series "Thailand by car"

Temple Wat Tam Mankhon Thon

The temple is located on a hill, to which a beautiful staircase leads. At the foot of the hill, surrounded by Chinese pavilions, a fat white man sits and looks into the distance in surprise.

Not far from the stairs up to the temple sits such a fat, good-natured man

After getting to know him, go left and right from the stairs, there you will see the burial urns with the ashes of the dead

Under the mountain to the left of the stairs is a small cemetery

To be laid to rest next to the temple at the foot of the hill is considered an honorable deed in the continuation of a righteous life.

But back to the stairs, recently restored and very beautiful. Recall that the name of the temple mentions a dragon. But where is he? Look closely and at the top of the stairs you can see his head

Dragon at the entrance to the temple, and on top - an elongated turret

And here he is. Handsome, right?

Dragon's mouth hiding a long cave inside the rock

In the mouth of the dragon!

But now he looks completely harmless, this is evidenced by tubs of flowers next to his head.

We have to go inside him. Go around the stairs to the left of his head, bow to the statue of the Golden Buddha, and you will find yourself in a wide mouth!

It is finished with smooth tiles and it is pleasant to walk along it, looking at the seated Buddhas. The ceiling hangs over the floor and squeezes a little, hinders your movements. And indeed, as if the dragon swallowed you

Inside the cave in the main hall is cool

Let's hurry forward, falling into the throat.

And it is illuminated by the dragon with electric bulbs, and if you are generous, then be sure to pay for your comfort. After all, traveling inside a dragon in complete darkness is a dubious pleasure! Therefore, thank the hospitable dragon with a ringing coin or crispy paper!

And he has a throat!

The second room is well lit

Journey inside the dragon

There is even a small altar there and some wise old man is sitting there. He closely monitors who the dragon took inside him, and shows the way where you go next: go to the appendix, or straight to the stomach

small altar

One of the corridors ends with a very narrow niche into which a person cannot climb.

The dragon's stomach is what you need! Powerful stones, like millstones, are ready to grind any prey.

Narrow passage between rocks

After all, it is no wonder that the stomach of a dragon will be bigger than a thimble! And forces for games and growth are required oh so much! How to help him? There is only one answer: delicious touristus vulgaris! But, fortunately, the dragon either was in nirvana, or it’s just that he’s not up to us today, he turned out to be not hungry, and allowed to climb on his stomach completely safely. And you have to climb there like an acrobat: crouching, squatting, and almost crawling

Inside the cave in the far chambers is not very comfortable

Crawling out of their stomach into the intestines, get ready for physical exercises to stretch all muscle groups. The intestines turned out to be exemplary, but somehow I didn’t want to linger here, because the dragon could wake up at any moment!

Poor lighting drives faster forward

What is that sticking out? Bah, it's a metal ladder! According to which a whole and healthy researcher will get out of the dragon into the light of day. Who put it in the dragon's ass? But it's better not to think about it, but rather get out!

Exit from the cave - along a vertical metal staircase

went outside

And you will have to try hard, because the dragon rests his butt up, and therefore you have to try if you want to get out. We went out and immediately move away, suddenly someone else from the dragon will climb!

And outside it is so warm and comfortable, and even the refrigerator is right there. Maybe the dragon sometimes looks into it? And drinks water

Refrigerator for monks and a cooler for everyone

But these comrades look completely calm. After all, they know exactly the mode of work and rest of the dragon, as well as the schedule of its nutrition.

Locals also come to visit the Dragon

They told us that today he had already eaten, and therefore we worried in vain. So relax and see what else is there. For example, there is a Chinese pavilion

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