Gyama Palace or Gyama Mingyur Ling in

Maizhokunggar County Maizhokunggar County or Meldro Gungkar County is a county of Lhasa and east of the main center of Chengguan, Tibet Autonomous Region. It has an area of with an average elevation of over . Most of the people are ethnic Tibetan and are engaged i ...

, 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 imperial expansion under the Yarlung dynasty heralded by its 33rd king, Songtsen Gampo, in the 7th century. The empire further expanded under the 38 ...

. His son,

Songtsen Gampo Songtsen Gampo (; 569–649? 650), also Songzan Ganbu (), was the 33rd Tibetan king and founder of the Tibetan Empire, and is traditionally credited with the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet, influenced by his Nepali consort Bhrikuti, of Nepal ...

, 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 (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level city, prefecture-level Lhasa (prefecture-level city), Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Regio ...

, where he built the

Potala Palace The Potala Palace is a ''dzong'' fortress in Lhasa, Tibet. It was the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas from 1649 to 1959, has been a museum since then, and a World Heritage Site since 1994. The palace is named after Mount Potalaka, the mythica ...

. 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 Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

(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