The entrance hall (sgo khang) includes murals from 996
that show influences from Central Asia, especially in
the representation of human figures. The main hall
(Gtsug lag khang), which was renovated in 1042, is di-
vided by rows of pillars into three naves with a cir-
cumambulation route at its end. The walls show a
Sarvavid-Vairocana mandala; the main figures are af-
fixed as sculptures to the walls and are surrounded by
paintings. The wooden portals are framed by panels of
sculptures with scenes from S ́akyamuni’s life, proba-
bly executed by Kashmiri artists. There are also re-
markable painted portraits of royal patrons, nobles,
and monks with their names added. Several other
chapels are dedicated to different deities.
The group of temples at Tholing (Mtho lding), the
religious center of the kingdom of Gu ge, was founded
at the end of the tenth century by Ye shes ’od and Rin
chen bzang po, who served as the first abbot. The lay-
out was modeled after the Tibetan monastery BSAM YAS
(SAMYE). The rectangular outer walls surround a row
of small chapels. The greatest building in the center,
dedicated by Ye shes ’od, is accentuated with stupas over
its four corners, resulting in a pyramidal effect, the
arrangement of which, together with the interior deco-
ration, represents a Vajradhatu mandala. The masonry
structure is Tibetan; the Chinese-style copper roofs were
added during the fifteenth century. There are several
other buildings, including a congregation hall (’Du
khang). The hall for initiations (Gser khang) has three
stories representing the three bodies of a buddha and a
mandala-like plan with chapels; the wooden columns
are in Central Asian style and are similar to the wooden
portal of the White Temple (Lha khang dkar po).The surviving murals in the temples at Tsaparang
(Rtsa pa brang), only ten kilometers from Tholing, and
the later capital of Gu ge, were painted during the fif-
teenth and sixteenth centuries and are related to those
of Gyantse (Rgyal rtse). The White Temple had twenty-
two stucco statues affixed to its walls; these were de-
stroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Remaining
murals show scenes from S ́akyamuni’s life. The Red
Temple (Lha khang dmar po), built during the fif-
teenth century, has murals with tathagatas executed
about two centuries later.HIMALAYAS, BUDDHISTART INThe temple and other buildings of the religious compound at Alchi in Ladakh, India. © Craig Lovell/Corbis. Reproduced by permission.