Khambula National Forest Park is located at Khambula township, Jianzha County, Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.
The park borders Hualong County to the east, Lijia Gorge Hydropower Station and the towering Mountain Shenbo to the south, Guide County to the west and Gongbozhana Peak and Mountain Chapubabao to the north.
The mighty Yellow River flows through the park from north to south. With an average altitude of 2,500m above sea level, the Park covers an area of 1,525,000 skm, among which forest and peaks take up more than 80%.
The average rainfall is between 450-490mm and the average annual temperature is 6℃-2.9℃. It's usually quiet with fresh air and an ideal place for sightseeing and summer resort vacations.
The park is 112km from Xining, capital city of the province, 37km from Marktown where the Jianzha County government is located and 75km from Lijia Gorge Hydropower Station. Buses to Xining from the station every other hour make the trip easy. One can cover the distance from the bus station to the Park either by bus or by boat. Once there, guests can enjoy natural food and lodging. The Park is high in the west and low in the east.
The landscape here matches the traditional ideal of having snow-capped peaks in the west, green forest in the east and some red peaks between the two.
In the park's beautiful valleys there are tiny rivers and fountains, colorful flowers, and lovely singing birds. One may use something like the color of sunset to describe the landform of the park. The peaks with various postures are like coral in the sea, vivid and picturesque.
Some resemble pillars, bottles, elephants, fingers, ancient castles and palaces, modern cities, a mother with a baby in her arms. Many others might remind some of teaching Lamas and meditating monks. Imagine yourself enjoying such grand scene.
Four monasteries are located in the park: Sang-na-darjie Monastery in the west, Tashi-namjie Monastery in the east, Tsa-chu Monastery and Samdan-chupal Monastery in the center. Around the four monasteries are the famous “Eighteen Peaks”, among which Namkha Peak, at 2,600m is very steep with only a narrow pathway leading up the mountain side.
Once on the top, among the clouds the exhilaration is incredible. From Namkha, one can easily find a smaller peak which takes the form of the Tibetan alphabetical letter. As time flies, the four monasteries and the eighteen peaks were named “A-chong-Namtsong”.
These peaks tower over lush trees and flower. Namkha peak is famous for the meditating caves where the three Tibetan scholars of the middle Ages stayed, their “stupas” (religious memorials) being kept on top.
Thus A-chong-Namtsong is important all over Tibet and ever in Mongolia. Among the 276 species of trees，cypress and birch grow well in the park, as well as rare medicinal herbs.
Apart from unforgettable scenery, the park is proud of its history as well. History records that Khambula is the source of the Revival of Tibetan Buddhism.
The full construction of the dam of the Lijia Gorge Hydropower Station, ranking as a nationwide important project, brings to the park the beauty of a large lake. The Eighteen Peaks range from west to east in the park.
The upper part has 6 peaks. They are Gabolayi, Gobao, Nebo, Waxiang, Chachi, Jomo and Jiasong. Out of the six, Jome and Chachi are legendary.
A legend goes that in the middle of the 12th Tibetan Rajong(Tibetan calendar), there lived an elderly nun in a hermitage on Jomo Peak. Her name was Yeshe Droma. One day, after her young prentice finished his water-carrying work, he surprisingly found the tutor was high up on an inaccessible rock. He couldn't help crying.
The nun asked him to take a pill she left at the cave gate and bring her beads. The prentice was told he could reach the tutor by doing so. He did so and got to the place where the nun was. Then the tutor explained the truth to him: “My body is impermanent like a rainbow, if you read sutras hard enough, we can see each other in Nirvana.” Thus, the peak was named Jomo, meaning a nun.
The Chachi Peak is equally worshipped. It is recorded in the Five Commandments that Deity Masang lives in A-chong-Namtsong, Goura Padmasambhava entitled this Deity to teach Dharma in Khambula. And Chachi Peak is his residence.
In the middle part are 6 peaks: Laxi, Ghongpo, Lanchang, Da, Deji and Le, and in the lower are the 6 peaks: Mubo, Nor, Xia, Ra, Semo and Sor. These 18 peaks surround Namtsong Monastery. Peak Le is the major one in the east, Ghongpo in the south, Chachi in the west and Deji in the north. Hence, they are the so-called “Four Guardians” of Namtsong.
Admission fee: RMB ￥ 20 per person |
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