Last updated 2026-11-16 — Erlang Cave is located in the southwestern part of Tianjun County, approximately 23 kilometers from the county government seat. Its Tibetan name is "Guanjiao Zhihongkong." Legend has it that during the battle between King Gesar and the Hor people, Gesar’s general (his nephew) — Wuyedehe — was killed in combat. Overcome with grief, Gesar drew his sword and sliced off the top of a mountain to the north (now known as the Bald Mountain), then used his sword to carve out a cave. Inside this large cave, he recited the 108 volumes of the Kangyur scripture for his nephew over a period of 9 years and 9 days, eventually helping him attain enlightenment. Another legend says that when the Monkey King caused havoc in Heaven, he battled the deity Erlang Shen (Yang Jian) here, and the cave served as Erlang Shen’s hiding place — hence the name. Erlang Cave is situated within an independent, cone-shaped small hill. The base circumference of the hill is 400 meters, and its height is about 25 meters. The cave entrance faces west, and on both sides of the entrance there were originally 108 rectangular bluestone slabs, each measuring 1.5 meters long, 0.8 meters wide, and 0.8 meters high. These slabs were arranged to form a rectangular wall measuring 10 meters long, 6 meters wide, 4 meters high, and with a perimeter of 32 meters. The center of the wall had the main entrance leading into the cave, flanked by two symmetrical smaller doors. These 108 rectangular stone blocks symbolized the 108 volumes of the Kangyur scripture. Unfortunately, they were removed and repurposed as railway markers during the construction of a railway. In the 1970s, railway troops rebuilt the cave entrance using red bricks, creating a doorway 1.8 meters high and 0.9 meters wide. On the left slope near the entrance, they painted the three large red characters "Erlang Cave." The cave consists of a main chamber and a rear left side chamber integrated into one. The main chamber is further divided into a front section and a rear section. The walls are inlaid with naturally formed smooth white limestone in various irregular shapes such as rectangles, squares, and triangles, creating a diverse array of rock patterns. Erlang Cave is a naturally formed cavern and serves as a site where Tibetan Buddhist monks chant scriptures and worship. Many passing monks have stayed here to recite sutras and have left inscriptions in commemoration of Gesar and as expressions of faith in the Kangyur.