Batang Monastery Stupa

Batang Monastery Lama Stupa

The Batang Monastery Lama Stupa is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Batang Monastery – Stupas and Stone Sutras is located amidst green mountains and clear waters, one kilometer northeast of Rongmuda Township in Rangtang County. At first glance, it appears to be just a small Tibetan Buddhist Nyingma sect temple, but it has long been renowned for the 500,000 stone-carved Buddhist scriptures piled around the ancient temple. It is known for its grand collection of stone-carved sutras and the magnificent stupa complex. As a Nyingma sect monastery, it was built during the Yuan Dynasty, with existing stupa complexes and stone sutras from the Ming and Qing periods. The stupa group consists of 39 stupas, built respectively in the 46th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1618 AD),

the 17th year of the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty (1678 AD),

the 2nd year of the Xuantong era of the Qing Dynasty (1910 AD), and in modern times. The stupas house a large number of Buddhist scripture story murals from after the Ming Dynasty. The stupa group is spread across an area 46.5 meters long and 25 meters wide.

This stupa group was historically as renowned as the Jiaci Temple in Tibet and the Seda Temple stupa group in Garzê, and together they were known as the Three Great Stupa Groups of the Tibetan region.

In the center of the stupa group, well-preserved Ming and Qing Tibetan stone sutras are preserved, majestic and imposing. Their scale is also rare across Tibetan regions in China. The stone sutras are carved on both sides of irregular stone tablets, totaling over 500,000 pieces, piled within an area 46 meters long, 16 meters wide, and 9.2 meters high, and are neatly stacked in order. Among them, the "Gamrong" scripture carved in the 3rd year of the Zhengtong era of the Ming Dynasty (1438 AD) is placed in the center, taking eight years to complete. The "Kangyur" scripture, carved by the monk Renqing Dargye and placed around the outer perimeter, is stacked in a circular arrangement.

These stone sutras are considered to be the largest of their kind in the world. The walls feature numerous windows, each containing prominent stone sutra catalogs as well as stone carvings of deities such as Guanyin, Vajrapani, Manjushri, and Padmasambhava, along with stupas, the Eight Auspicious Symbols, and the Six-Syllable Mantra—exquisite religious artworks. The entire stone sutra collection is meticulously carved in Tibetan block print style on irregular stone slabs, with clear text, exquisite craftsmanship, and skilled engraving. Such a vast collection of stone sutras combines both commonality and individuality, forming a unified whole. Its rich content, grand scale, and sheer quantity are truly rare in the world, making it a remarkable spectacle on the northwestern Sichuan plateau.

The stone sutra project at the ancient Batang Monastery, with just the exposed walls alone measuring 15 meters long, 12 meters wide, and about 9 meters high, is the best-preserved and largest stone sutra wall in Aba Prefecture and even in Sichuan Province. It is not only rare in the Tibetan region, but among the seven discovered stone sutra piles in China today, it ranks at the top, holding high cultural and academic research value. Many researchers in fields such as Tibetan studies, ethnology, and art frequently come here to investigate and study, all marveling at what they find.

The massive stone scripture project at Bangtuo Ancient Temple features walls that extend over 15 meters in length, 12 meters in width, and about 9 meters in height above ground—making it the most well-preserved and grandest stone scripture wall in Aba Prefecture and even Sichuan Province. It is not only rare in Tibetan regions but also ranks first among the seven currently discovered stone scripture piles in China, holding significant cultural and academic research value. Researchers in fields such as Tibetan studies, ethnology, and art frequently come here to investigate and study, all of whom are left in awe.