Ganzi Tagong Temple

Ganzi Tagong Temple

Ganzi Tagong Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Sichuan Province.

Introduction to Ganzi Tagong Temple: Tagong Temple is a renowned Sakya sect monastery in the Tibetan region, holding a high status in Tibetan Buddhism, with majestic and magnificent architecture.

Legend has it that the main hall was built in 641 AD when Princess Wencheng passed through this area on her way to marry King Songtsen Gampo of Tibet. The resplendent main hall enshrines a statue of Sakya Pandita, the founder of the Sakya sect. Beside the main hall, there is a dedicated shrine housing the “Tagong Jowo” (a Buddha statue of Shakyamuni wearing a golden crown), which was one of the three “Jowo” statues brought to Tibet by Princess Wencheng. These were gifted to the temple, giving this particular Buddha statue the power to guard the mountain and protect the nation. It is said that although devotees may not be able to make a pilgrimage to Lhasa to worship the Buddha, visiting Tagong to pay homage to the Jowo carries equally profound merit. Surrounding the temple are the Eastern White Stupa, Southern Yellow Stupa, Western Red Stupa, and Northern Green Stupa. Behind the temple lies a stupa forest composed of nearly a hundred stupas of various shapes, creating an awe-inspiring, solemn, and spectacular scene with distinctive ethnic and religious cultural characteristics. Every year on the 30th day of the sixth lunar month, a grand Buddhist ceremony is held to celebrate “Shakyamuni’s Victory over Mara.” Devotees from all over gather in Tagong to worship the Jowo, circumambulate the stupas, watch religious dances (cham), and more, in a three-day event of unprecedented scale. The temple remains filled with incense year-round, attracting endless streams of visitors, tourists, scholars, and pilgrims from both China and abroad.

Protected Area: East to the White Stupa of the Sacred Mountain, south to the wall foundation of civilian houses outside the main gate (Sichuan-Tibet Highway), west to the green belt outside the wall of civilian houses (riverbank), north to the “Prayer Wheel Path” outside the temple.

Construction Control Zone: Extends outward from the protected area to the four sacred mountains surrounding the temple.