Tagong Grassland

Tagong Grassland

Tagong Grassland is a cultural tourism attraction.

In Tibetan, "Tagong" means "a place beloved by the Bodhisattva." Located 113 kilometers northwest of Kangding City on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at an altitude of 3,730 meters, it is traversed by the Sichuan-Tibet Highway. The area is home to the famous Sakya sect temple in Tibetan regions—Tagong Monastery, which holds a high status in Tibetan Buddhism and boasts magnificent architecture.

Tagong Monastery on the grassland is one of the renowned temples in Tibetan Buddhism and also a sacred site for Tibetan pilgrims in the Kham region. Every year on August 1st, a horse racing festival is held here, drawing large crowds and filling the grassland with tents. The monastery also hosts grand Buddhist ceremonies and cham dances annually, with its walls adorned with thangka paintings that showcase the exceptional artistry of the monks and local craftsmen. Tibetan relief carvings, painted sculptures, murals, butter sculptures, as well as the uniquely shaped stupas form a distinctive ensemble of ethnic and religious cultural heritage.

Covering an area of 712.37 square kilometers, Tagong Grassland features gentle undulations, vast expanses, lush grass, and abundant livestock. In late spring and early summer, the grassland is bathed in bright sunlight with green pastures stretching as far as the eye can see. Tents dot the pastures, emitting the rich aroma of milk and tea, while herders lead their cattle and sheep across the land.

Tagong Grassland is the most famous grassland in Garzê Prefecture. Towering snow-capped mountains, vast green meadows, and the resplendent Tagong Monastery together present a stunning highland landscape. In summer and autumn, the grassland bursts with colorful wildflowers, clear streams flow gently, and herds of livestock, tents, temples, and stupa forests intertwine to create a breathtakingly vibrant scene...

Tagong Monastery is a well-known Sakya sect (Sakya school, or "Flower School") temple in Garzê Prefecture. After the reform and opening-up period, with the implementation of the Party’s religious policies, the temple underwent several renovations and now stands majestically. It mainly consists of the following parts: First, the main hall, which combines Han and Tibetan architectural styles—the lower part features traditional Tibetan stone walls, while the upper part has a classic Chinese hip-and-gable roof. The hall enshrines statues of Buddha Shakyamuni and Sakya master Sakya Pandita. Second, the mandatory chapel found in all temples, which houses solemn deities. Third, the "Jowo Buddha" hall, which enshrines three 12-year-old statues of Shakyamuni believed to have been brought to Tibet by Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty. These statues are important cultural relics and treasures of the monastery, highly revered by worshippers in Garzê Prefecture. Fourth, the stupa hall, which primarily enshrines the "Zhituo" Stupa (known in Chinese as the Achievement Stupa).

Legend has it that the stupa contains a highly potent sandalwood staff, making it another treasured relic of the monastery. Fifth is the prayer wheel corridor. There are two prayer wheel corridors in the temple: one is a small corridor encircling the stupa hall, and the other is a large one encircling the entire temple complex, including the stupa forest. Devotees from the area and pilgrims from afar can be seen walking clockwise around the corridors throughout the day and night, chanting mantras and spinning prayer wheels. Sixth are the monk quarters ("Zhakong"), with two uniquely designed Tibetan "Bengkung"-style buildings constructed on either side of the main hall, serving as residences for the monks. Seventh is the Padmasambhava Hall, located to the front right of the temple and facing the stupa hall, which enshrines the statue of Guru Padmasambhava. Eighth, in the lama residence building on the right side of the main hall, a newly cast, over ten-meter-high gilded statue of the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara has been erected, hailed as a “unique marvel of Kham.” The statue is exquisitely crafted and vividly shaped. From June 6th to 17th each year during the grand religious festival, cham dance performances are held, attracting a continuous stream of visitors.

Since the "Zhituo" Stupa enshrined in the stupa hall is shrouded in legend and is said to be the foundation upon which the temple was built, the temple was named after it—"Zhituo Sangzhulin," meaning "the Temple of Liberation through Insight." It is likely for this reason that many eminent monks, scholars, and patrons came to build stupas here, forming a stupa forest with over 100 stupas on a piece of open land to the left of the temple. Among them, the most famous are the White Stupa in the east, the Yellow Stupa in the south, the Red Stupa in the west, and the Green Stupa in the north. The stupa forest is majestic, solemn, and spectacular.

Behind Tagong Monastery, three grassy hills are lined up in sequence. Their surfaces are adorned with triangular and square prayer flag formations made of mani flags, fluttering in the wind and adding to the mystique of the hills. The scene is striking and magnificent. These are the Three Guardian Mountains of the Tibetan Buddhist Tantric tradition. The sacred mountains complement the grassland, and against the backdrop of blue skies and white clouds, Tagong Grassland becomes even more beautiful.