雍布拉康

Yumbulakhang is located on the summit of Mount Tashi Tsiri, on the east bank of the Yarlung River in the Naidong District of Shannan Prefecture, Tibet. It derives its name from the mountain’s resemblance to a female deer lying on its side, with the palace built precisely on the “deer’s” hind leg (“Yumbul” means female deer, “Lhakang” means “temple”). It is the first palace in Tibetan history, originally built in the 2nd century BCE as the royal palace of Nechi, the first Tsampo of the Yarlung tribe. Later, Songtsen Gampo constructed halls on both sides of the palace, transforming it from a royal residence into a combination of a Buddhist shrine and a monastery, and he and Princess Wencheng used it as their summer retreat. After weathering more than two thousand years of history, the palace suffered severe damage during the “Cultural Revolution” but was restored to its original appearance in 1982. The entire complex consists of a watchtower-style structure at the eastern end, a central hall, and monks’ quarters on the south side. Though modest in scale, it stands majestically atop the mountain, exuding extraordinary grandeur. From the palace, one can look down upon Tibet’s first farmland and the ruins of its first village below the mountain; it is an unmissable spiritual landmark for exploring the origins of Tibetan culture.