Yumbu Lagang
The Yumbu Lagang is a 1982 reconstruction of what was reputed to be the oldest dwelling place in Tibet (the previous building was completely destroyed during the Cultural Revolution) . It is situated about 12km from Tsetang, on a ridge above the Yarlung Valley, home of the first kings of Tibet. The ridge is said to resemble the hind leg of a mother deer, hence the name Yumbu (Mother Deer) Lagang (=LhaKhang, God-House, i.e. chapel). It is associated with the semi-mythical first king, Nyatri Tsenpo (~127 BC). Legends have Buddhist texts arriving here in the fifth century; either miraculously falling on the roof, or being brought from India by the sage Buddharaksita. The texts were not understood until five reigns later, when Songsten Gampo embraced Buddhism for Tibet. The previous building may date from his time, with subsequent extensions culminating in addition of the gold roof by the Fifth Dalai Lama. The lower chapel is a shrine in honour of the ancient kings. The central figure is a Shakyamuni Buddha in the form Jowo Norbu Sampel, with images of various kings and ministers. The upper chapel includes a gilded sandalwood Avalokiteshvara, a replica of the one originally here, in the same style as one in the Potala, as well as images of Shakyamuni, Amitayus and Padmasambhava. The murals depict some of the (mythical) events of early Tibetan Buddhist history.
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