Gongburi Monastery

　　Gongburi Monastery, also known as the "Forbidden City," is an ancient temple in Purang County. Legend has it that the Forbidden City was once the palace of the famous Prince Losang. The fairy Yinchao Lamu fell in love with the prince, but they were betrayed by a conspiracy. A sorcerer falsely claimed there were enemies to the north, luring Prince Losang into battle. At this critical moment, Yinchao Lamu ascended to the heavenly palace from here. When the prince returned victorious, he reunited with Yinchao Lamu in the heavens, overcame numerous obstacles, punished the evildoers, and finally achieved a happy reunion. This legend was later adapted into one of the Eight Great Tibetan Operas, "Prince Losang," which became widely known. As a result, Purang is also said to be the hometown of Prince Losang, and the Forbidden City is regarded as the residence of the princess. It gained great fame and became one of the important historical and religious sites in Purang County.

　　Carved into the mountainside with cave dwellings and a plank walkway built in front, Gongburi Monastery stands about 30 meters above the riverbank terrace. Additional staircases and paths along the mountainside provide access to the temple from the base. The monastery belongs to the Zhigong sect, founded by Lama Gyainga Döndrup Gyatso of Zhigong Monastery. The abbot is appointed by Zhigong Monastery, serving a term of three to five years.

　　The cave complex of Gongburi Monastery stretches 24.3 meters from west to east in a straight line, with cave heights ranging from 1.6 to 1.8 meters. It consists of several chambers including the Dukhang (assembly hall), Shenksa (abbot’s bedroom), Kanjur Lhakhang, and meditation rooms. The side facing the river is supported by wooden pillars with planks, forming a plank walkway. The Dukhang is 2 meters high and covers an area of 37.6 square meters (4.7 meters wide and 8 meters deep), with a relatively regular, slightly square layout. The walls are covered in murals: On the south wall, the western section near the entrance depicts the monastery’s protector deity, Rinchen Gya, riding a white lion, with snow-capped mountains above; at the junction of the west and south walls are paintings of Rinchen Gya’s mounted attendants, followed by a panoramic view of Zhigong Monastery (the mother monastery), the monastery’s history, Guru Rinpoche and his entourage, Amitabha Buddha, Amitayus Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha and his eight disciples, and the Sixteen Arhats; the north wall features Vajradhara and the reincarnation lineage of the Zhigong Kagyu sect, as well as the sect’s protector deity, Dorje Phagmo; the east wall depicts the Hundred Thousand Buddhas (Sangye Tongdruk) and smaller images of transformative buddhas. Additionally, the Shenksa is rectangular, measuring 17.64 square meters (4.2 meters long and 4.2 meters wide); the Kanjur Lhakhang is a horizontally elongated cave, covering 28 square meters (8 meters long and 3.5 meters wide), with no murals.

　　Originally a meditation cave, Gongburi Monastery gradually became a sacred site after the construction of the temple complex and the spread of associated myths.