Gyama Palace or Gyama Mingyur Ling in

Maizhokunggar County Maizhokunggar County or Meldro Gungkar County is a Counties of the People's Republic of China, county of Lhasa (prefecture-level city), Lhasa and east of the main center of Chengguan District, Lhasa, Chengguan, Tibet Autonomous Region. It has an ...

, Lhasa, Tibet, now ruined, was built by

Namri Songtsen Namri Songtsen (), also known as "Namri Löntsen" () (died 618) was according to tradition, the 32nd King of Tibet of the Yarlung dynasty. (Reign: 570 – 618) During his 48 years of reign, he expanded his kingdom to rule the central part of the ...

in the 6th century as the new capital of the expanding

Tibetan Empire The Tibetan Empire (,) was an empire centered on the Tibetan Plateau, formed as a result of expansion under the Yarlung dynasty heralded by its 33rd king, Songtsen Gampo, in the 7th century. It expanded further under the 38th king, Trisong De ...

. His son,

Songtsen Gampo Songtsen Gampo (Classical , pronounced ) (; (601–683 CE, reign 614-648) was the 33rd Tibetan king of the Yarlung dynasty and the founder of the Tibetan Empire. The first of three Dharma Kings of Tibet, he formally introduced Buddhism to Tib ...

, was born there but later moved the capital to Lhasa. The palace is now in ruins.

History

The ruined Gyama Palace lies in the Gyama Valley in the south of Maizhokunggar County, Lhasa. It was built by Namri Songtsen in the 6th century after he had gained control of the area from Supi. Songtsen Gampo, his son, was born in the palace. Songtsen Gampo unified the Tibetan plateau and established the

(629–846). He moved the capital of the kingdom to

Lhasa Lhasa, officially the Chengguan District of Lhasa City, is the inner urban district of Lhasa (city), Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region, Southwestern China. Lhasa is the second most populous urban area on the Tibetan Plateau after Xining ...

, where he built the

Potala Palace Potala Palace ( Tibetan: པོ་ཏ་ལ་ཕོ་བྲང Chinese: 布达拉宫) is the name of a museum in Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in China, built in the ''dzong''-style. It was previously a palace of t ...

. The transfer took place in 633 AD.

Location

The traces of the mountainside palace indicate that Gyama Palace was an impressive complex. Three more recent white pagodas mark Songtsen Gampo's birthplace. Gyama was the site of fierce battles against the Mongolian

Güshi Khan Güshi Khan (1582 – 14 January 1655) was a Khoshut prince and founder of the Khoshut Khanate, who supplanted the Tumed descendants of Altan Khan as the main benefactor of the Dalai Lama and the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. In 1637, Güsh ...

, who had been invited to Tibet by the Gelug sect. Beside the palace there are ruins of various fortifications from the Yuan (1271–1368) and

Ming The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of China ruled by the Han people, t ...

(1368–1644) dynasties. 35 million yuan were spent between June 2008 and June 2010 to develop the Gyama scenic spot. It covers 470 mu, with an architectural complex that covers .

References

Sources

* * * {{refend Buildings and structures completed in the 6th century Buildings and structures in Lhasa Maizhokunggar County Palaces in Tibet