Guge Kingdom Ruins

　　  The ruins of the Guge Kingdom are located in Burang County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet. The total area of the ruins is about 720,000 square meters, making it one of the first group of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level in China. The current site stretches over 300 meters from the foothills to the mountaintop. It is covered with buildings and cave dwellings that blend in with the color of the earth, with only a few temples standing out. Most of the houses have collapsed roofs, leaving only rows of earthen walls. The outer perimeter of the site is fortified with city walls, and watchtowers are positioned at the four corners. The entire complex is built on a small earthen hill and is divided into three tiers—upper, middle, and lower—corresponding to the royal palace, temples, and residential areas, respectively. The Red Temple, White Temple, and Mandala Temple house exquisite carvings, statues, and murals. Important nearby ruins related to the Guge capital include Dongga, Daba, Piyang, and Xiangzi, all of which contain abundant cultural relics.

　　　　The predecessor of the Guge Kingdom can be traced back to the Xiangxiong Kingdom. The kingdom was established around the 9th century, shortly after the collapse of the Tibetan Empire, which had unified the Tibetan Plateau. It lasted until the 17th century, spanning 16 generations of hereditary kings. It was a local regime established by descendants of the Tibetan royal family in the western region of Ngari. At its height, its rule extended across the entire Ngari region. The Guge Kingdom was not only a continuation of the Tibetan royal lineage but also a place where Buddhism regained its footing following the fall of the Tibetan Empire, eventually flourishing anew. As such, the Guge Kingdom holds significant importance in Tibetan history.

　　　　During the reign of Langdarma, the last king of the Tibetan Empire, Buddhism was suppressed and monasteries destroyed, causing many monks to flee to Ngari. Ngari, situated on the western border, was heavily influenced by the Abbasid Caliphate and India, and being the birthplace of Bon religion, it became a melting pot for various ideologies and powers. In 843 AD, Langdarma was assassinated by a monk, leading to civil strife. Four years later, a popular uprising brought down the Tibetan Empire. This was followed by the emergence of seven large and small kingdoms, and Tibet entered a prolonged period of feudal fragmentation.

　　　　Langdarma’s two sons, Ohsong and Yudan, fought for the throne. Ohsong’s son, Pelkhortsen, was killed during a slave rebellion. Seeing the inevitable collapse, his son, Kyide Nyima Gon, fled with three ministers and more than 100 followers to Ngari, where he married the daughter of a local chieftain. Later, Kyide Nyima Gon divided Ngari into three parts and allocated them to his three sons, with the Guge Kingdom becoming the domain of his third son, Degu Gon.

　　　　In the mid-17th century, internal strife broke out in the Guge Kingdom. The king’s brother invited the Ladakhi army to attack the royal palace, leading to the overthrow of the kingdom. After the fall of Guge, it was incorporated into Ladakh (now part of Kashmir) for a time, before being reclaimed by the Tibetan government under the leadership of the 5th Dalai Lama.