Gugur Kingdom: An Elegy for the Medieval Dynasty of Tibet

Author: Huo Wei
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-01-01
Features: In the letter he sent to me, he revealed an important piece of information: a year ago, he had led a tour group to a Bon monastery near the Gangdise Mountains called Guluja Monastery. On the back mountain of the monastery, the ruins of an artificial structure, seemingly built with adobe bricks, were discovered. The letter also included a photograph he had taken. At that time, when Chinese media were sensationalizing the so-called "discovery of over 100 pyramids by Russian scientists in Gangdise," he and I, who had worked in the area for many years, merely dismissed such fantasies with a smile. However, in his letter, he firmly believed that the ruins of the artificial structure he had seen could be the true "pyramid-like architecture." To prove his point, he soon sent me a copy of a travel diary written by a Western tourist. In the diary, the tourist recounted a miraculous experience at Guluja Monastery: "That night, I fell asleep in the monastery and dreamed of a giant phoenix circling down from the sky, with dazzling golden light shining before my eyes. The next morning, following the divine guidance in my dream, I came to the back mountain of the monastery and suddenly noticed a copper phoenix emerging from the soil beside a mound. Though small, it was exactly the same as the phoenix I had dreamed of."
After reading this material, I consulted the map of the Tibet Autonomous Region and carefully analyzed it. I was instantly struck by an idea. The monastery mentioned by Mr. Iida is located on the western side of the Gangdise Mountains, and if you ride a horse, it is about a day's journey away. More importantly, the name of the location marked on the map as the monastery is "Qulong," which, when compared to the records in literature, is clearly a different translation of the same name. The ruins of the artificial structure that Mr. Iida had seen were indeed credible from the photo, as the foundation built with adobe bricks was clearly visible. As for the copper phoenix discovered by the tourist, it is true that such artifacts have been unearthed in Tibet in the past. The Tibetans call them "sky iron," meaning objects that fell from the heavens. From an archaeological perspective, they are likely relics from Tibet's early metal age, which falls within the broader category of the "Xiongnu period." This period coincides with the era in which the Xiongnu capital is said to have been located. All of this aligns closely with the records in literature about the Xiongnu capital. From this moment on, my resolve to conduct an on-site investigation of the ancient ruins was firmly set.
In July 2001, Sichuan University and the Tibet Autonomous Region Cultural Relics Bureau formed a joint team for the seventh archaeological survey of the Pumi and Dongga sites within the Guge Kingdom. I finally had the opportunity to visit this ancient city in person, accompanied by Associate Professor Li Yongxian of Sichuan University's Department of Archaeology and Xia Gewangduo of the Tibet Autonomous Region Museum. Xia Gewangduo, a graduate of Sichuan University's Department of Archaeology, has now become a key figure in the museum's research department.
On the morning of July 24, we set off from Zada County and drove for about five hours to Menshi, where we rested briefly before heading to Guluja Monastery. After a two-hour journey, we arrived at the monastery. The monks warmly guided us into the main hall. Guluja Monastery is a Bon and Buddhist monastery that was destroyed early on, with its wooden Buddha crowns carved into leaves. It exhibits the typical 13th-century Buddhist art style of western Tibet, heavily influenced by Buddhist art from the Dardic region. The decorative patterns around the niches of the wooden and clay Buddha statues represent different styles and artistic traditions from various eras. The monastery has recently been rebuilt.
Inside the main hall's porch, there are two prayer wheels, which rotate in opposite directions according to the rituals of Bon and Buddhism. A circumambulation path surrounds the hall, indicating an ancient architectural layout. Outside the main hall, there is a repository for the Tibetan Buddhist scriptures, the Kangyur and the Tengyur. On the northern cliffs of the monastery, there are numerous caves densely packed like beehives, most of which have collapsed. The remaining caves are covered in thick layers of soot, suggesting they were used long ago. The monks led us along a winding path to one of the better-preserved caves, informing us with certainty, "This cave has a history of 3,000 years and was the meditation site of early Bon masters, known as Yongzhong Rinchenba B." One young monk even wrote down the Tibetan name of the cave in neat, beautiful script for me.
Bending down, we entered the cave, which was long and narrow, measuring four meters in length and two meters in width. Apart from the thick black soot on the walls, no early relics were found. The scrolls and thangkas inside the cave were all recent. Clearly, this was not the location Mr. Iida had shown me. Disappointed, I stepped out of the cave and glanced around. A slightly tongue-shaped cliff to the east caught my attention. I casually asked the monks about it, and the result was astonishing. The slope on the cliff was called "Qulong Gukar," which translates to "Silver City" in Tibetan. Together, they mean "Qulong Silver City." According to Bon legends, Qulong Silver City is the "sky pillar" that supports the horizon, preventing it from collapsing, and is also the birthplace and center of Bon. At its peak, the city is said to have been home to over a thousand people.
We immediately descended and hurried to Qulong Gukar. The path to the summit was extremely difficult, with collapsed trails and huge rocks scattered along the way. After an hour of arduous climbing, we finally reached the entrance to the summit. From the top, the view opened up, and the terrain became gentler. On the terraced slopes of the summit, we observed a large pit, dozens of meters in diameter. The monks told us it might have been a water storage pond in the castle. Continuing upward, we noticed that the slope was roughly north-south, slightly tongue-shaped, with steep cliffs on the east and west sides. Only a path on the southern side led to the summit. Along the edge of the cliffs, we saw fragments of walls built with adobe bricks. Broken pottery shards were scattered on the ground.
We scanned the ground while ascending. When the altitude meter reached 4,400 meters, a castle built with adobe bricks indeed appeared before us. Its facade was one I recognized well—it was the very ruin Mr. Iida had called "pyramid-like architecture" in his photograph. Since it was built on the summit, the layers of adobe bricks seemed tall from below, giving it a pyramid-like appearance. However, after actually reaching the summit, we found that most of the castle had collapsed, and the remaining walls were only about 4–5 meters high.
We began to observe, measure, and record the ruins of the castle. The foundation was reinforced with stones, while the walls were built with layers of adobe bricks, encircling the summit on all sides. Based on the area within the walls, the castle's interior was estimated to be about one square kilometer. From the summit, we looked out and realized how extraordinary the terrain was. Below, the Quna River, Qaga River, and Xiangquan River converged and flowed southward like silver ribbons. Even more striking was that from this vantage point, the sacred mountain Kang Rinpoche could be seen clearly in the east.
Suddenly, I seemed to grasp a profound truth: if, as the literature records, this place was a sacred site for Bon, it truly had unique natural conditions. The summit was scattered with numerous relics, buried among the grass. Including the monks, we searched the area and, within less than an hour, collected pottery shards, iron armor pieces, ornaments, and stone grinding plates. The broken pottery fragments were mostly red and brown, with thick rims and handles. The decorative patterns were cord-marked, and there was also a polished red clay pottery with high firing temperature. The iron armor pieces were severely rusted, rectangular in shape, with circular holes for attachment. Among the ornaments, we found bone and glass beads, which had small holes. Two of the glass beads were only about one millimeter in diameter, exquisitely crafted. The most distinctive relics were the stone grinding plates and stone balls, likely used for processing grain. Over time, the surfaces of the grinding plates had deep grooves. There were also some grinding plates possibly used for grinding other materials, one of which had traces of red pigment.
Although we had not yet conducted formal archaeological excavations, the ruins and artifacts we found were enough to convince us that this was indeed an ancient site with a long history. My mind was once again filled with the passage from the literature: "The central Xiongnu capital was located a day's journey to the west of the Gangdise Mountains. There, at the meditation site of Zhaba Namkha, stood Qulong Silver City, the capital of the Xiongnu Kingdom, ruled by 18 kings." From a geographical perspective, as well as historical records and oral traditions, the focus of searching for the lost Xiongnu capital, "Qulong Silver City," had converged here. No wonder the monks of Guluja Monastery emphasized with unwavering conviction that this place had a history of 3,000 years, that it had been a meditation site for Bon masters, and that "Gukar" meant "Silver City."
As an archaeologist, my profession demands that I speak cautiously. But deep down, I had already come to believe that this was indeed the case. On the long path of searching for the lost Xiongnu civilization, we had taken a significant step forward. I hoped that one day soon, the secrets of the Xiongnu capital would be revealed, and the face of the ancient Xiongnu civilization, the foundation of the Guge Kingdom, would finally be uncovered.