Anjue Si interior

interior2, originally uploaded by jiulong.

This is what you see inside the Buddhist lamasery of Anjue Si, in Kangding. I think it has a very similar feeling to the picture taken by Joseph Rock, shown above.

Anjue Si is known as Ngacho Gompa in Tibetan. It is a Gelugpa temple foudn ed in 1654 as a branch of Drepung monastery in Tibet. It used to have 100 monks and the present Dalai lama stayed here on his way to see mao in Beijing in the 1950s. The assembly hall contains images of Jowo Shakyamuni flanked by his students Shariputra and Maudglayayana; Padmasambhava and Tsongkhapa. Other images include Simhanada, Manjughosa, Vajrapani, White Tara and Green Tara. On the side walls are images of the protector deities Dorke Draken, and Shridevi and Dorje Drakden. The Maitreya Hall contains an image of Maitreya. {Info from Tibetan Footprint guide]

Kangding Buddhist effigy

interior3, originally uploaded by jiulong.

This rather creepy looking figure is to be seen in the Anjue Si monastery. That's at the top end of town, right next door to the Black Tent hotel.

Mt Kawakarpo, 2003

This is Mt Kawakarpo, also known as Meili Xueshan, near Deqin, in the ethnic Tibetan region of northwest Yunnan. It sits above the Mekong river.

It's interesting to compare this picture with the one taken from the same spot by Joseph Rock in 1924. The glacier seems to have receded somewhat, but otherwise the landscape is pretty similar.

Mt Kawakarpo, 1924

meili, originally uploaded by mutikonka1.

Or as Joseph Rock described it in his article "Through the Great River Trenches of Asia": Mount Kaakerpu, with a huge glacier descending to the Mekong.

The river flows down in its rocky trench at the foot of the mountain. The photograph was made from an elevation of 13,500 feet above sea level.

Mt Kawakarpo, near Deqin

kawakarpo 2, originally uploaded by mutikonka1.

This was the best view I could get of Mt Kawakarpo, from near the Feilai Si monastery, above Deqin.

If you look carefully at the bottom left you can see the trails at the base of the mountain leading to the hot springs of Xidang village. From the you trek south (ie left) to beautiful Yubeng.

Mt Kawakarpo

Kawakarpo, originally uploaded by mutikonka1.

The great mountain known as Kawakarpo, [Meili Xueshan to the Han], opposite the town of Deqin in north west Yunnan.

It's hard to get a clear day and I was lucky to get this much of a view by arriving early in the morning, thanks to a lift from a nice cop.

Miyetzimu - Mountain deity

Mountain deity, originally uploaded by mutikonka1.

The Tibetans around Deqin and along the Mekong venerate the mountain that dominates their locality. This is an effigy of the mountain deity Miyetzimu [one of the lesser peaks of the Kawakarpo range], as seen in the "Jungle Temple", below Deqin.

Buddhist statue, near Deqin

Buddhist statue, originally uploaded by mutikonka1.

Seen in the "Jungle Temple" on the banks of the river below Deqin, I don't know who or what this represents. Nice though.

The Mekong river, above Cizhong

mekong1, originally uploaded by mutikonka1.

This picture was taken in 2002 from the hills above the Catholic church at Cizhong. Looking northwards up the Mekong (known here as the Lancang Jiang) you can see the mountain of Kawakarpo on the horizon.

Mekong river, 1924

river2, originally uploaded by mutikonka1.

"The Hamlet of Londu On the Mekong"

This village which is shown as Nantao on some maps, is picturesquely situated on an alluvial fan between Weihsi and Atuntze. Beyond this point to the northward the scenery increases in grandeur. - J.F. Rock

Upper Mekong, near Deqin, 2002

mekong2, originally uploaded by mutikonka1.

As you head north up the Mekong from Weixi the landscape becomes grander and the population changes from Lisu to predominantly Tibetan - and a few Naxi.

This stretch is somewhere near Cizhong, I think. There are few bridges spaning the river and the most common way to cross is by the wire "flying fox" that most settlements have.

Mekong Tibetans, 1924

atunzman, originally uploaded by mutikonka1.

"The Tibetans of the Atuntze [Deqin] Valley are Friendly Folk"

The Mekong Tibetans, especially those living in the arid region beyond Atuntze, are stalwart and hard working. They dress lightly, even in winter tiime, for it is always warm in that dry trench. False hair or cotton thread is braided into their long queues, which are then threaded through a ring of elephant ivory and wound around the head. The lowering of the queue is a sign of greeting.

- J.F. Rock.

Mekong Tibetan man and baby, 2002

Man and baby, originally uploaded by mutikonka1.

This Tibetan man kindly invited us into his house along the road somewhere north of Cizhong. We had a lunch of rice, cabbage pork and chillis while watching him print prayer flags on the table. Later we went upstairs onto his roof to see some young monks who were performing a ceremony to bring good luck for the harvest.

Prayer cairn, 1924

cairn, originally uploaded by mutikonka1.

"A Land of Mechanical Prayer" -

In the Tibetan villages of Yunnan ... sacred Mani pyramids line the road in great piles. Some of the stones are many feet high and represent years of labour spent by lamas in carving and placing them.

- Joseph Rock.

Prayer cairn on the Mekong, 2002

cairn2, originally uploaded by mutikonka1.

These mani stones were on the road to Yubeng, down in the valley from Deqin, at the so called "Jungle temple".

Horse handler, 1925

horse, originally uploaded by jiulong.

This chap is looking after the horse of the zong guan (ruler) of Yongning, near Lugu Lake. Most of the items of clothing he is wearing are still in common use in some more remote parts of eastern Tibet. Certainly this style of hat has made a comeback, and you can see country gents wearing the boots. The capes - well, see below.

Horseman, Muti Konka, 2004

mafu, originally uploaded by jiulong.

This is one of our very capable Pumi horsemen, Dondrup, who accompanied us on the trip to Muti Konka in October 2004. They were real hardy types - able to bound along at altitudes of 4000 metres without even getting out of breath. And they drank industrial strength spirits throughout the day without getting even glassy eyed. Perhaps the two are related...

Konkaling horsemen, 2002

three horsemen, originally uploaded by jiulong.

These Tibetans were offering their horses for hire at the Chonggu Si monastery, Yading, in May 2002. When Rock visited the place it was inhabited by people he described as "the scum of the outlaws", Tibetans who would rob and kill anyone - Tibetan or otherwise - who entered their realm. They were also devout pilgrims!

Here is an excerpt from Peter Goullart's book, the Forgotten Kingdom, on the subject:

North-west of Likiang and to the west of the Muli Kingdom there is an isolated mountain range called Konkkaling. It consists of three peaks, about 23,000 feet high. It had been discovered and photographed by Dr Joseph Rock, who used to make expeditions to Muli where the king was a great friend of his. These mountains are a veritable breeding place of the most ruthless brigands the world has ever known. To the west of these mountains there are two vast territories known as Hsiangchen and Tongwa. They are peopled with two Tibetan tribes whose members are professional robbers and cut-throats. So wild, untamable and treacherous are they that not even other Tibetans dare to venture into these areas. Although of an enormous size, rivalling some of the large European states, none of these areas has ever been visited by a European and probably will not be for a long time to come. There is no doubt that much of interest to explorers and scientists is concealed in these inaccessible and unmapped regions. There is, for instance, a great snow peak in the bend of the Yalung River in Hsiangchen, called Neito Cavalori. Those tew privileged explorers who have been lucky enough to contemplate it from a distance, compute its height at something like 28,000 feet, and it may yet prove a rival to Mount Everest.

It was these Tongwa and Hsiangchen brigands who always lay in wait for the rich caravans coming from Lhasa. Of course all Tibetan caravan men were heavily armed, and when the caravan was big enough these rascals did not dare to attack them. It was when the caravan was small or poorly armed that their chance came. Madame Alexandra David Neel nevertheless describes the Tibetan bandits as 'Les Brigands-Gentilhommes' in her book. I have known this great lady since 1939, when I met her in Tachienlu, and have a profound respect for her. She is certainly one of the greatest travellers the world has known, and I am glad she received such fortunate mercy from these robbers, who even showed a certain gallantry towards her because she was a helpless woman and a detsuma (Reverend Abbess) to boot. Personally I would rather deal with a Chinese or a Nakhi robber than a Tibetan one. A Chinese or a Nakhi robber seldom kills his victim. He robs you but he does it with a degree of finesse and delicacy, and at least leaves you your underwear to enable you to reach the nearest village with a modicum of decency. He usually forbears to search a lady, and may even listen to her protests about taking away certain items of her toilette. Not so with the Tibetan robbers. Their motto is 'Dead men tell no tales'. They shoot first and then look for anything of value on the dead man's person or in his baggage. I once heard an interesting story of how one of these Tongwa shot a man walking in the distance, only to discover afterwards that it was his own father.

I am prepared to admit that the Tibetan brigands of some other tribes may be 'gentlemen' to some degree but, from what I heard from reliable Tibetan and Nakhi friends, the Tongwa and Hsiangchen cannot be idealized by any stretch of imagination. They are so avaricious and unprincipled that even the bonds of friendship mean nothing to them, and there have been cases when a man has killed a bosom friend for the sake of a couple of rupees in his belt. Everybody in Tongwa and Hsiangchen robs, steals and kills: lamas and trapas, merchants and serfs, men and women: even children learn the trade at a tender age. It is not a question of whether this Tongwa or that Hsiangchen is a robber, but whether the man is a Tongwa or Hsiangchen.

When the caravan has been plundered and witnesses eliminated or scattered, the goods, arms and animals are taken to the robbers' lair. There the merchandise is carefully repacked and reloaded and, lo and behold, the robber chief, resplendently dressed, enters Likiang as a peaceful and affluent merchant, at the head of a sizable caravan. No questions are asked and no explanations are vouchsafed. Of course rumours do travel, and travel fast; but rumours are rumours and proofs are proofs. The bogus merchant knows that the people know and the people know that he knows what they know, but everything proceeds according to form. The merchant sells his goods, gives generous parties right and left and acquires merit by rich donations to the local lamaseries.

How to get to Muti Konka and the Yalong Canyon

map, originally uploaded by mutikonka.

If you've read my earlier posts where I described my trip to Muti Konka, you might be wondering exactly where it is. (Or you might not give a toss). I didn't use a GPS - just this old map based on Joseph Rock's hand-drawn map, from 1929. Some of the names of the major towns have changed - like Tatsienlu-Kangding - but I found it to be very accurate for smaller settlements.
One drawback is that it has no relief info - and thus it gives little idea of the absolutely enormous scale of the landscape. For example, it is just a centimetre between Muli and Mutikonka, but the trip will take you more than a week of descent and climbing up the steep milehigh sides of the canyon.

Muli Buddha 1924

mulibuddha, originally uploaded by jiulong.

In 1924, Muli was the centre of a semi independent Buddhist kingdom, and this statue was the centrepiece of the main temple building at Muli.

"Before I left the lamas took me to an enormous chapel wherein sat enthroned the statue of a gigantic Buddha, 50 feet in height, made of bronze and covered in gilt and golden bands."

"Owing to lack of space I had to be content with photographing the [10-foot long] Buddha's head from the upper gallery, where monks were busy making silk hats for the king's entourage."

In the 1950s, when the Muli monastery was destroyed, the golden statue was carted off and melted down. A replacement has been installed but it is nothing like as grand.