CHIU GOMPA PHUG

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

There is a meditation cave associated with Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava at Chiu (Chhu, Chu, Jiu) Gompa. SITUATION 1949: The donkhang (dharamshala, pilgrims rest house), the caves (–>Ganga Chu Phug), the kund (pool) with hot water, and the Chiu or Jiu Gompa lie above the right (northern?) bank of (the stream) Ganga Chu: It is nearly 2 furlongs [400 m] steep ascent [from the dry channel of Ganga Chu / Tag tsangpo connecting Manasarovar with Rakshas Tal] to the Chiu or Jiu Gompa, situated on a pyramidical hill, roosting like a bird (PRANAVANANDA 1949: 47, 124). SITUATION 1957: HUMMEL (1957: 626) refers to PRANAVANANDA (1949) and positions Chiu Gompa near N30°44': E081°42'. CULTURAL HISTORY 1728: In a cave hollowed out of the live rock … [Padmasambhava] is said to have lived for some time in absolute solitude, self-mortification, and continual religious meditation. The cave is now a temple consecrated to him, where dwells a Lamá with a few monks who serve the temple. Besides visiting te cave, to which they always bring offerings, the Thibetan walk mostly devoutly round the base of the mountain … (DESIDERI 1728 book 1, chapter 10 in FILIPPI 1937: 83-84). There are more -desiderata- with DESIDERI (s.a.01, s.a.02, 1728), FILIPPI (1930, 1937, 1995), FREYRE (1717), PUINI (1904). 1906: The Dokpas are the dirtiest of all the dirty tribes who live in Tibet, and their Gompa at Jiu, which we visited, built by excavating the rocks, was the filthiest place conceivable, while the attendants were begrimed with a coating of black that plainly showed they had never in their lives come into contact with soap or water (SHERRING 1906: 268, illustrations of the gompa hill on pages 270, 271). 1909: Sven Anders Hedin had put up his camp no. 219 at Chiu-gompa for several days but does not mention any caves (HEDIN 1909-1912a, 1909-1912b, 1991, II: 159ss, III: 187ss). 1936: Chiu Gompa is built over a cave associated with Guru Rinpoche (TUCCI 1936a, 1937). 1949: The chief image in the chenkang is Padmasambhava, situated in a cave (PRANAVANANDA 1949: 130, note 3). 1990: SNELLING (1990: 280-281) refers to TUCCI (1936, 1937).