29°14′33″N91°19′54″E / 29.24254°N 91.33171°E /29.24254; 91.33171Zatang Monastery (Chinese:扎塘寺), is a historicTibetan Buddhist monastery located inZhanang County,Shannan,Tibet Autonomous Region, China. Founded in the mid-15th century by theKagyu schoolmasterDondrup Rinchen, the temple has long been an important center of religious and cultural activity in the region.[1][2]
The monastery is renowned for its unique architectural style, blending traditional Tibetan design with elements influenced by the Kagyu school. Its main buildings include the assembly hall, the main temple housing statues of theBuddha Shakyamuni and other bodhisattvas, and a number of stupas dedicated to prominent lamas.[3] The walls and ceilings of the temple are adorned with murals depicting scenes fromBuddhist sutras and the lives of past lamas.[4]
In 1081, the Zatang Monastery was established, and in 1090,Dondrup Rinchen died at the age of 79 as a result of an error committed by his pupils during his treatment. The primary structure of Zatang Monastery is essentially finished, with Rinchen's two nephews continuing to finalize the remaining construction tasks. The Zatang Monastery was formally finished in 1093.[5][6]
In theSakya Dynasty, Zatang Monastery was transformed into theSakya School. The invasion of Tibet by theJunggar department of Mongolia resulted in significant destruction to the Zatang monastery. In the 1930s, the sixth hot Zhen live Buddha served as the regent of Tibet, overseeing a significant reconstruction of the Zatang monastery. The second and third floors of the main hall were entirely dismantled and reconstructed, and the individual columns on the first floor of the main hall were also replaced. In the 1940s, Tibetan officials fromKashgar dispatchedGangba Dongbo to the Zatang region to examine the temple's operations, enforce discipline, and expel monks with families and children from the monastery.[7]
Following the democratic reforms in Tibet during the 1950s, Zatang Monastery emerged as the headquarters of the People's Government of Zachen County. During theCultural Revolution, all auxiliary structures of Zatang Monastery were demolished; only the ground floor of the great hall remained, which served as the grain repository for Zacang County for an extended period. At the outset of 1995, the grain was removed from the center Buddha hall of the main hall, and the bottom level of the main hall commenced maintenance. Following 1995, the repair of Zatang Monastery commenced, including the preservation of the mural murals in the central Buddha hall. In 1996, Zatang Monastery was designated as aNational Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.[8]
