Kadruk Monastery
{{Short description|Buddhist monastery in Shannan, Tibet, China}}{{AI-generated|date=March 2025}}
Kadruk Monastery ({{lang-zh|卡久寺}}; {{bo|t=དཀར་བཅུ་དགོན་པ།}}, Kadruk Gonpa), also known as Kadruk Tashi Lhunpo Hermitage ({{bo|t=བཀྲ་ཤིས་ལྷུན་གྲུབ་དགོན་པ}}།), is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery situated atop the mist-shrouded summit of Gyapugyen mountain in Lhozhag County, Shannan, Tibet Autonomous Region, China.{{cite web | title=洛扎景点 | website=山南市旅游发展局 | date=2017-08-01 | url=http://lyfzj.shannan.gov.cn/zjsn/jdjs/201708/t20170801_37172.html | access-date=2025-03-02}}
History
Established in 1570 CE, the monastery lies 75 kilometers from Lhozhag County at an elevation of 4,019 meters, surrounded by dense forests, snow-capped peaks, and deep valleys near the Bhutan border. Designated a Tibet Autonomous Region Cultural Relic Protection Unit in 2007, it holds significance as one of the Five Hidden Lands of Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche), who is said to have meditated here for seven years during the 8th century.{{cite book | title=中国风景名胜 | publisher=哈尔滨地图出版社 | series=华夏生态之旅系列图册 | year=2003 | isbn=978-7-80529-501-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E7cLAQAAMAAJ | language=zh | access-date=2025-03-02 | page=186}}
Originally a Nyingma school institution, Kadruk Monastery was founded by the tertön (treasure revealer) Rigdzin Ngodrup Gyelpo and expanded by the Fifth Dalai Lama in 1682. Its architectural complex, covering 2,691.62 square meters, features a main hall housing statues of Padmasambhava, Amitayus, Four-armed Avalokiteshvara, and the monastery's lineage masters. The site preserves over 100 ancient meditation caves carved into cliffs, along with sacred relics such as Padmasambhava's footprints and ritual objects. A perilous cliffside plank pathway leads to secluded hermitages in the valley below, a pilgrimage route symbolizing spiritual devotion.{{cite book | title=中國西藏 | publisher=《中國西藏》编辑部 | issue=第 1–6 號 | year=2008 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A3w2AQAAIAAJ | language=zh | access-date=2025-03-02 | page=50}}
Ecology
The monastery is enveloped by primeval forests, alpine meadows, and rhododendron groves, with elevation gradients fostering biodiversity. The area hosts rare species like the Himalayan monal (lophophorus impejanus) and medicinal plants such as high-altitude Codonopsis. Microclimates create ethereal fog banks that shroud the monastery, earning it the moniker "Cloud Temple."{{cite web | title=西藏洛扎：云边的卡久寺-新华网 | website= 新华网西藏 - 西藏新闻,西藏热点,政情,舆情 | date=2023-07-01 | url=http://www.xz.xinhuanet.com/20230701/a0d90175f4184317991fc3297aedff4b/c.html | language=zh | ref={{sfnref| 新华网西藏 - 西藏新闻,西藏热点,政情,舆情 |2023}} | access-date=2025-03-02}} Nearby, the Three Sacred Lakes—Dorje Drölma Tso, Yungdrung Tso, and Dorje Yudrön Tso—reflect tricolored hues (black, white, blue) and are central to annual circumambulation rituals by monks.{{cite book | author=《西藏百科全书》总编辑委员会 | title=西藏百科全书 | publisher=西藏人民出版社 | year=2009 | isbn=978-7-223-01900-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BSsyAQAAIAAJ | language=zh | access-date=2025-03-02 | page=274}}{{cite web | title=卡久寺：隐藏在山南的隐修圣地 | website=古寺_网易订阅 | date=2021-01-26 | url=https://www.163.com/dy/article/G199KMER05454HBF.html | language=zh | access-date=2025-03-02}}
Kadruk Monastery is integral to the 12-year Zhari Pilgrimage during the Monkey Year, drawing devotees who complete their circumambulation of Mount Kailash here. Its fusion of spiritual heritage, dramatic landscapes, and ecological richness epitomizes Tibet's sacred geography, offering a sanctuary where nature and devotion intertwine.{{cite book | title=中国民族 | publisher=民族团结杂志社 | issue=第 1–12 號 | year=2007 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vuw1AQAAIAAJ | language=zh | access-date=2025-03-02 | page=54}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Shannan Prefecture-level city}}
{{coord missing|Tibet}}