The Ruins of Guge Kingdom

The Ruins of Guge Kingdom are in today Zhada County, Ngari Prefecture. Guge is said to be the highest ancient kingdom located on the ridge of Tibet. More than 1,000 years ago, a powerful kingdom with a splendid civilization was born in Ngari. It is the highest ancient kingdom located on the ridge of Tibet. Now the ruins cover an area of 200,000 square meters. The buildings follow the hill to the top in a rigid layout and an imposing manner. The 11-storey castle is more than 300-meter high including houses, caves, pagodas, blockhouses, defense works and tunnels.

There are a total number of 1,416 surviving pieces of architecture, including 879 caves, 445 houses, 60 blockhouses, 28 pagodas, and four tunnels, which lead in all directions inside the architectural group of the Ruins of Guge Kingdom. At the outer ring there are walls made of loess, which are decorated with many figures of Buddha, scriptures and incantations in Tibetan, and Sanskrit engraved on large cobbles. The houses within the ruins have wooden structures and level roofs.

The larger works of architecture include the Red Temple, the White Temple, the king palace and the meeting hall. The White Temple and the Red Temple are about the same size, covering 300 square meters. Within the temple there are 36 square pillars. The pillars and the ceiling are covered with colored drawings of patterns and figures of Buddha, and all the walls are covered with frescoes of different subjects.

The only path from the base of the hill to the palace halls on the hilltop is a man-made tunnel. The upper part of the Guge Castle holds the Winter Hall and Summer Hall, where the royal family lived. They are empty now. Only the frescos and wooden engravings in Tancheng Hall are well preserved. Guge colored paintings, frescos and sculptures are rich works of a high artistic level and immense research value.