Lishan Megaliths

Lishan Megaliths

In Shiqu, there is another fascinating rocky landscape — the Lishan Megaliths. Countless bizarre rocks stand densely across the mountainside, displaying varying shades of reddish-brown. Some are as large as a building, others as small as a house; some resemble animals, others look like human figures. A few stand alone like solitary peaks, while more are stacked together like building blocks. Landscapes resembling wind-blown rocks and flying stones are common here, along with several caves and passages.

The edges of the rocks are mostly rounded, and their surfaces are covered with textures. The entire rock formation spans several square kilometers, arranged in seemingly irregular and scattered intervals. In this environment surrounded by low hills and grasslands, where do these massive rocks come from? Are they remnants of glaciers or volcanic lava? Formed naturally or shaped by external forces? Could they be yet another unsolved mystery on the geologically complex Qinghai-Tibet Plateau?

The local Tibetans regard it as a sacred mountain because they believe only divine power could create such a masterpiece. An existing Tibetan Buddhist scripture preserved at the Shiqu County Religious Affairs Bureau documents the legend of Lishan. The scripture refers to the mountain as the “Victorious Joy and Compassion Sacred Mountain,” a place where eminent monks such as Guanyin Bodhisattva and Padmasambhava practiced. A total of 80 great sages once meditated here. The stone formations on the mountain are divided into five sacred areas: east, west, south, north, and center. The east is the Heruka Sacred Site, the west is the Padmasambhava Sacred Site, the south is the Barda Sacred Site, the north is the Shambhala Bliss Sacred Site, and the center is the India Sacred Site. These various legends add to the mystique of Lishan, leaving its secrets even more elusive.