Tibetan Gesar Colored Stone Carvings

Tibetan Gesar Colored Stone Carvings

Tibetan Gesar Colored Stone Carvings are a national intangible cultural heritage.

　　Tibetan Gesar Colored Stone Carvings are a cultural relic of the Gesar tradition, primarily distributed across Seda, Shiqu, and Danba counties in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. The carvings in Seda County are the most representative. Seda is located in northwestern Sichuan and is said to have once been inhabited by the senior tribes of the Ling Kingdom, as well as being the hometown of the Ling Kingdom’s celebrated generals Nyibendalya and Aben Buyibendada. As a result, the area has a profound accumulation of Gesar culture and is honored as the “Home of Gesar Art.” Over two centuries ago, Gesar colored stone carvings began to emerge on these grasslands.

　　The Gesar colored stone carvings depict the core content of the heroic epic “Gesar,” combining exquisite stone-carving techniques with traditional painting to recreate, in a unique artistic style, the historical scenes of King Gesar of Ling and his warriors benefiting the people, fearlessly fighting adversity, and battling bravely. The carvings are made from natural slate produced in Seda County. During production, the natural shapes of the stones are mostly preserved. The artists first sketch the compositions with lines, then carve using methods such as incising and scraping, with lines flowing like clouds and images appearing vivid and lifelike. After the carving is completed, the entire surface is coated with a layer of white pigment as a base, which is then painted once dry. The colors mainly include red, yellow, blue, white, black, and green—intermediate tones are generally not used. These colors carry specific symbolic meanings corresponding to various characters in the “Gesar Epic,” making them easily recognizable to local people. The transmission of Gesar stone carving skills is mainly through master-apprentice or family lineages, and the artists usually do not sign their works. There are currently 17 known inheritors, including figures such as Nyiqiu, Juerè, Zhaluo, and Qieqiong.

　　The Gesar colored stone carvings in Seda County are mainly preserved in Niduo Township, Seko Town, Nianlong Township, and Wengda Town. Among these, the carvings at the Yage Retreat in Wengda Village, Wengda Town, are the oldest. However, the most well-preserved, numerous, and largest collection is found in the Gesar stone carving complex in Puwu Village, Niduo Township. Its craftsmanship is not only representative within Seda County and Garzê Prefecture, but also stands out as highly typical among all regions where Gesar culture is practiced across China.

　　Niduo Township is situated on the banks of the Niqu River in the northwest of Seda County, at an altitude of 4,180 meters. The Gesar colored stone carvings here are housed on a large stone platform within a carved scripture wall surrounding the white stupa of Puyi Temple in Puwu Village. The platform has five levels and displays over a thousand Gesar colored stone carvings, forming a genealogical array. The more recent carvings were organized and created under the initiative of Ayaa, a renowned lama from Puwu Village. These carvings are grand in scale, majestic in presence, finely detailed, and made with carefully selected materials. They depict the past lives of King Gesar of Ling and thirty of his generals, eighty warriors, as well as the eighty great accomplished ones of India and a hundred deities of civil and martial virtue. Whether viewed in terms of the completeness of the character lineage or the continuity of the artisans’ skills, this collection of carvings is highly representative. The quantity of Gesar colored stone carvings in Niduo Township is abundant, and a relatively complete system of carving and painting craftsmanship has been established.

　　Since 2002, the Gesar colored stone carvings from Seda, Shiqu, and Danba in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture have been unveiled to the public, attracting significant attention from the academic community. Experts unanimously agree that these carvings not only provide a new means of transmitting Gesar culture but also fill a gap in the representation of Gesar culture within Tibetan stone carvings.

　　The Gesar colored stone carvings have been exposed to the elements for a long time, resulting in considerable natural damage due to the harsh cold of the plateau and intense ultraviolet radiation. In the 1960s, they suffered nearly devastating human-caused destruction, causing the related carving skills to be nearly lost. Since the 1980s, under the initiative and organization of Ayaa, the skills of Gesar colored stone carving have been revived. However, because creating these carvings requires artisans with very specific skill sets, and most current carvers are farmers, herders, or monks who engage in the craft part-time, the quality of the work is often “skilled but not refined” or “learned but not mastered.” Moreover, some artisans have abandoned the craft for other livelihoods. As a result, the Gesar colored stone carving tradition faces a crisis of inadequate succession and urgently needs support and protection.