Phyang Monastery

Phyang Monastery
Religion
Affiliation	Tibetan Buddhism
Sect	Drikung Kagyu
Festivals	Gang-Sngon Tsedup Festival- 28 and 29 of the fifth month Sacred dances -2nd -3rd of the 6th month
Leadership	drikung skyabgon chetsang rinpoche (head teacher) Skyabje Toldan Rinpoche (rein. head lama)
Location
Location	Fiang, Leh district, Ladakh, India
34°11′11″N 77°29′22″E / 34.18639°N 77.48944°E / 34.18639; 77.48944
Architecture
Founder	chosje dharma kunga takpa

Phyang Monastery, Phyang (or Phiyang) Gompa is a Buddhist monastery located in Fiang village, just 15 or 16 kilometres west of Leh in Ladakh, northern India. It was established in 1515.

Name

The local name of Phyang Monastery is "Gangon Tashi Chodzong" (Ladakhi: སྒང་སྔོན་བཀྲ་ཤིས་ཆོས་རྫོང། ; sgang sngon bkra shis chos rdzong). The name is derived from Gang Ngonpo (སྒང་སྔོན་པོ་) which means blue mountain, referring to the hill behind the monastery.

History

There are a couple of divergent traditions regarding its founding.

"The site where the monastery now stands was once a part of the numerous monastic properties, offered during the time of Dharmaraja Jamyang Namgial to Chosje Damma Kunga. The hill of Phyang served as the venue of a monastery, known as Tashi Chozong, established in the year 1515. A monastic community was introduced to the monastery and with this started, the first establishment of the Digung teachings in Ladakh."^[1]

Others say that it was founded by king Tashi Namgyal, whose reign has been established from independent sources to have been in the third quarter of the sixteenth century. There are a number of chronological difficulties in establishing events in Ladakh at this period and it is assumed that some names have been omitted from the Chronicle either from mistakes in memory or tradition, or a deliberate attempt to eradicate some events which were thought better forgotten.^[2]

The monastery is one of the earliest monasteries in Ladakh belonging to the Drikung Kagyu, Dri-gung-pa or Drigungpa school, one of eight schools derived from the teachings of Phakmadrupa Dorje Gyelpo (1110-1170 CE).^[3][4] There are many Drikung monasteries in Ladakh: three main and more than thirty branch monasteries.

After the monastery was built, it specialised in Drigung teachings. The special protector of monastery is Achi Choki Dolma Aphyi Choskyi Sdrolma.The current reincarnation of Skyabje Toldan Rinpoche is the head lama.^[1]

Description

Phyang does not contain several numricoala di portio contains numerous sacred shrines inside the monastery, ^{[clarification needed]} frescoes dating from the royal period, and a 900-year-old museum which has an extensive collection of idols including a number of fine Kashmiri bronzes probably dating to the 14th century, thangkas, Chinese, Tibetan and Mongolian firearms and weapons.^[1][5]

The Gang-Sngon Tsedup Festival is held annually from 17th day to 19th day of the first month of the Tibetan calendar. On the 2nd and 3rd day of the 6th month of the Tibetan calendar Phyang serves as a venue for sacred dances.^[1]

• 
  Entrance
• 
  Door in the monastery
• 
  Interior
• 
  Fresco inside the monastery

See also

• List of buddhist monasteries in Ladakh
• Geography of Ladakh
• Tourism in Ladakh

References

State symbolsHistory

Pre-Independent India	Maryul Namgyal dynasty of Ladakh Tibet–Ladakh–Mughal war Treaty of Tingmosgang Dogra–Tibetan War Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir
Post-Independent India	1947–1948 India-Pakistan War 1948 military operations in Ladakh 1971 battle of Turtuk 2010 Ladakh floods 2019 Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh reorganisation
Conflicts	Demchok conflict India–China conflict India–Pakistan conflict Kashmir conflict Siachen conflict

AdministrationGeography

General	Four types of Himalayan ranges Geology of the Himalaya
Ranges	Baltoro Muztagh Ladakh Range Saltoro Mountains Zanskar Range Kailash Range
Plateau	Depsang Plains More plains Sirijap Teram Shehr Plateau
Valleys	Leh Rupshu Salt Valley Mushkoh Valley Padum Shyok Suru Valley Nubra Zanskar Aryan valley
Glaciers	Chumik Glacier Drang-Drung Glacier Machoi Glacier Parkachik Glacier Shafat Glacier Siachen Glacier
Lakes	Tso Moriri Pangong Tso
Rivers	Sutlej Beas Ravi Shyok Chenab Drass River Indus Zanskar Tsarap Doda Yapola Suru River Markha Galwan Chip Chap
Passes	Bilafond La Chang la Fotu La Gyong La Indira Col Karakoram Pass Khardung La Kongka Pass Lachulung La Taglang La Marsimik La Namika La Pensi La Rezang La Rimo Sasser Pass Sia La Shingo La Spanggur Gap Zoji La
Mountain peaks	Bana Top Chumik Kangri Ghent Kangri Gurung Hill India Saddle K12 Saltoro Kangri Sherpi Kangri Tiger Saddle

Human
settlementsCulture

General	Music of Ladakh
Languages	Ladakhi Purgi Balti Zangskari Changthang Brokskat
Festivals	Bono-na festival

Tourism and
wildlife

Wildlife	Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary Hemis National Park Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary
Tourism	Khurnak Fort Ladakh Marathon Shanti Stupa, Ladakh Siachen Base Camp
Indo-Tibetan Buddhist monasteries	Alchi Bardan Basgo Chemrey Diskit Hanle Hemis Hundur Korzok Karsha Lamayuru Likir Lingshed Mashro/Matho Monastery Mulbekh Namgyal Tsemo Phugtal Phyang Rangdum Rizong Sani Sankar Saspul Shey Monastery Spituk Stakna Stok Stongdey Takthok Thikse Tserkarmo Tonde Wanla Zangla Zongkul

Transport

Airports	Kargil Airport Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport (Leh) Military AGLs
Roads	Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road India-China Border Roads Leh–Manali Highway NH1 Leh–Kargil–Srinagar Highway Nimmu–Padum–Darcha road (under construction) Sasoma–Saser La Road
Railway	Bhanupli–Leh line (Planned) Srinagar–Leh line (Planned)

Infrastructure

General	Indian Astronomical Observatory
Dams and hydroelectric project	Chutak Dumkhar Salal
Education	Central Institute of Buddhist Studies Defence Institute of High Altitude Research Druk White Lotus School Eliezer Joldan Memorial College Leh, Ladakh Government Degree College, Kargil Phuktal Monastic School Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh University of Ladakh

See also

Borders	Line of Actual Control Line of Control Actual Ground Position Line
Other	Curious BRO roadsigns