two days drive past mount kailash lies the territory of the once vibrant kingdom of western tibet. this kingdom was formed by descendants of the early tibetan empire that once extended into chinese territory and across central asia. after the famed assassination of king langdarma that marked an end to a period of vigorous support for buddhism across the tibetan plateau, a branch of the royal family fled west and took their inclination towards buddhist teachings with them. it was a king of western tibet who extended the invitation to the indian pandit atisha, whose visit did much to reinvigorate the practice of buddhism in tibet.
tholing was a vibrant center for both scholarly and artistic engagement with buddhist ideas and images, many imported from nearby kashmir. the translation of a large portion of the tibetan canon from sanskrit was carried out within the buildings so clearly visible in these three satellite images of the tholing monastic complex. even today, tholing casts long shadows indeed for buddhism in tibet.
two days drive past mount kailash lies the territory of the once vibrant kingdom of western tibet. this kingdom was formed by descendants of the early tibetan empire that once extended into chinese territory and across central asia. after the famed assassination of king langdarma that marked an end to a period of vigorous support for buddhism across the tibetan plateau, a branch of the royal family fled west and took their inclination towards buddhist teachings with them. it was a king of western tibet who extended the invitation to the indian pandit atisha, whose visit did much to reinvigorate the practice of buddhism in tibet. 
tholing was a vibrant center for both scholarly and artistic engagement with buddhist ideas and images, many imported from nearby kashmir. the translation of a large portion of the tibetan canon from sanskrit was carried out within the buildings so clearly visible in these three satellite images of the tholing monastic complex. even today, tholing casts long shadows indeed for buddhism in tibet.
