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West Tibet.
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The Roof Of The World.
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In the thin air 6000 meters high
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a vast arid wasteland
as far as the eye can see.
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In this remote corner
of Western Tibet
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lie the ruins of
a mysterious kingdom.
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A kingdom whose army was feared
by all its neighbors.
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A kingdom which once dominated
the trade in gold,
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silk, and spices
between India and China.
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It was a kingdom
of fabulous wealth
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and great religious significance.
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Scholars argue
that without this kingdom,
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Tibetan Buddhism would have
withered and died centuries ago.
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Yet this spiritual
and commercial hub
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which prospered
for seven centuries
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vanished almost
without a trace in 1630.
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What happened to bring this
great civilization to an end?
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Was it the arrival of the first
ever westerners to visit Tibet?
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Or was it the intense rivalry
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between two brothers
fighting for power?
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Why was it completely abandoned?
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And what silent secrets
do these decapitated remains tell?
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To unravel this mystery,
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a Tibetan historian
and an American archaeologist
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travel to
the far reaches of Tibet.
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To these four hundred
year old ruins
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where they will discover
the answers to what happened
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to the extraordinary
Kingdom of Guge.
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Today this is
all that remains of Guge.
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Its capital city, Tsaparang.
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The grand vision of
the first kings of Guge
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is reflected
in this extraordinary city,
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literally carved
into the side of a mountain.
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Soaring to the heavens the height
of a modern 80-story skyscraper
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it is even today
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one of the largest
structures in Tibet.
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Along its narrow lanes
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you can almost hear
the echoes of the many people
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who toiled to gouge a city
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from this impenetrable
mount of clay.
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A labyrinth of tunnels and stairs
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leads vertically 300 meters
to the very top of the structure.
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The view is breathtaking
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But this is only a small part of
the once mighty Kingdom of Guge.
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At its height it was twice
the size of Great Britain.
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Experts believe that
somewhere here lies the answer
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to one of the most intriguing
archaeological enigmas in Asia.
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Who exactly built this
extraordinary structure?
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And what could have possibly led
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to the downfall
of this civilization?
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In its day,
Guge was the Florence of The East.
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At a time when Genghis
Khan's Mongols
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were advancing into
Central Asia and Europe
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and the Crusades were
being fought in Palestine,
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Guge was a flourishing
centre of commerce,
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art, religion and political power.
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It dominated a strategic
crossroads on the Silk Road
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between Central Asia and China,
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a crossroads for the numerous
caravans trading gold,
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silk, wool and spices.
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Guge was the centre of
sophisticated art and ideas
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a magnet for artisans
and intellectuals.
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It was at the heart of
a religious renaissance,
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and home to some of the greatest
Buddhist thinkers of its time.
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Yet having prospered
for 7 centuries,
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this magnificent Kingdom
disappeared in 1630
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leaving only
an enigmatic structure
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the very last remaining clue
to a lost civilization.
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These are the first ever
photographs of the Guge Kingdom.
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They were captured in 1933
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by Italian explorer
Giuseppe Tucci.
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Tucci was the first Westerner to
document these magnificent ruins.
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Tucci was awestruck
by what lay before him.
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He wrote...
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"In front of us
the whole hill side is
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covered with tremendous ruins;
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a dead city which seems
to be keeping vigil
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over a tormented waste of stone."
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Tucci's visit to the ruins of Guge
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unearthed no clues to its demise.
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That task would be left to
two modern-day experts on Tibet.
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American John Bellezza is
an explorer and archaeologist
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who has studied this region's
rich past for the last 20 years.
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Tibet is ringed by these
incredibly high snow mountains,
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it's a limpid country of
fantastic mountain ranges
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and broad rivers and pure lakes.
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Tibet is really
an inspirational land.
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The colors in Tibet,
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the quality of light,
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the ways the shadows are cast
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are unmatched anywhere else
our planet.
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Tibet is surrounded
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by the mighty mountain
ranges of the Himalaya.
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To the South
and West stands India.
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And to the North and East, China.
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The Kingdom of Guge occupied
the arid Western arm of Tibet.
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Tsaparang is a 5-day drive west
of the Tibetan capital of Lhasa.
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It is an arduous journey
across unpaved roads
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in some of the least inhabited
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and harshest landscapes
on the planet.
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The hardship
and harshness of nature
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has forged a unique spirit
in the people who live here.
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It's often said that Tibetans are
inherently a spiritual people.
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I think part of
it is the landscape.
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The Tibetan plateau
just is so high,
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you are so close to the heavens.
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The closest most people would
get to at this extreme altitude
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would be flying in an aeroplane.
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It is a harsh,
demanding environment.
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This is where Tsering Gyalpo
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a leading international authority
on Tibetan history
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was born and raised.
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This is his land
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and these are his people
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Tsering has brought
John Bellezza here
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to learn about
ancient tales and fables
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from his tribal elders
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The rule inside each tent
is the same for everyone.
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The left side of the tent
belongs to the women
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and the right side
belongs to the men.
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The area at the back of the tent
belongs to the older generation
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as a form of respect.
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Tsering has become a collector
of stories from Guge's past
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with the help of these elders.
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Oral legends passed down
from generation to generation
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provide one of the few sources
historians like Tsering have
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to piece together the rise
and fall of this lost kingdom.
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The tales are intriguing
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the constant struggle
for water in an arid,
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inhospitable plateau,
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the encounter with strangers
from the outside world
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Tsering and John
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embark on a quest to solve one
of Tibet's greatest mysteries.
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How did the mighty
kingdom of Guge flourish
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in the middle of a harsh desert?
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And what later caused
its dramatic collapse
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in the 17th century?
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Of all the stories
that shroud this lost city,
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there is one that is
most often told.
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It is an extraordinary legend
about a bitter power struggle
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between two brothers
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that eventually brought
this magnificent
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700-year-old kingdom
to a bloody end.
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One brother was
the last King of Guge.
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His name was Chodakpo
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and he was considered
both the religious
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and political ruler of the land.
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The other was the chief abbot of
one of Tibet's greatest monasteries.
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What is said to have begun
as an argument over authority,
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turned into
a bitter ongoing dispute
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fuelled by jealousy
and the thirst for power.
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This, it is speculated,
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is one plausible explanation
for the eventual demise of Guge.
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There are a lot of
stories out there
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about how the kingdom
of Guge ended.
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We know that all through
its history there were intrigues,
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there were times
when royalty were assassinated,
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the kings lost their positions,
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usurped by a brother
or half-brother
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so there were problems
all along the way.
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King Chodakpo came
from a long line of royalty
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who had ruled the Kingdom
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from the extraordinary
acropolis at Tsaparang.
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This unusual structure
was once a burgeoning metropolis,
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a city fortress.
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Today,
it's an archaeological bonanza
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for explorers like Bellezza.
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Tsaparang is a wonderful place
to... to wander about.
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It's like reliving your childhood
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exploring all
the nooks and crannies,
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seeing things for the first time,
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I mean you never know
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what you're going to discover
in the ruins.
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I mean It brings
the civilization alive,
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and its people and its beliefs.
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The heart of Chodakpo's city
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was a sophisticated
labyrinth of tunnels
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connecting the many caves
called pugos.
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But not all caves
were created equal.
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The base of the city complex
is where the poor,
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foot soldiers,
farmers and their families live.
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These laborers worked the fields,
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constructed public works
and served the rich.
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They were the foundation
of Chodakpo's kingdom.
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Out here
in the extreme harsh climate,
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a cave made quite
a comfortable home.
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The clay walls provided insulation
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from both the searing
heat of summer
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and the freezing cold of winter.
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Climbing up the mountain
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also means climbing up
the social ladder.
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Living in caves halfway up
were merchants,
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the middle-class and monks.
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Further up,
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the mountain becomes
more fortress-like,
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protecting those of higher status.
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And at the very top
lived King Chodakpo,
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his family,
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the ministers and their retainers.
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The royal palace is located on the
summit of the Tsaparang formation.
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And it's really like being
in a penthouse.
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You have unobstructed views
360 degrees,
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you can see
the rest of the kingdom,
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the rest of the people below you.
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It really gives you
a sense of being in command
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and literally on top of the world.
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Being so high also made the palace
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a perfect strategic location.
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The sheer cliffs on three sides
and the steep summit
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made the citadel
virtually impregnable.
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From here the slopes
are very steep.
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Any invaders would find it
almost impossible to climb up.
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John Bellezza and Tsering Gyalpo
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believe that this is
where the mystery
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slowly begins to unfold.
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What stories could these
weathered walls tell?
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Perhaps an answer to a question
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that's stymied experts
for decades.
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How did the royals of Guge
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make their way to the top
of the acropolis?
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Certainly not the steep 30-minute
hike up the narrow,
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craggy paths used by commoners?
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Tsering thinks
he may have discovered
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a clue to this mystery.
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At the far end of
the royal complex
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is a wide-open space
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which for years experts assumed
was a reception hall for the king.
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But after analyzing
the soil composition there,
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Tsering found traces of
horsehair and manure.
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When you study the ground,
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you can discover
horse manure in the soil.
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For example,
this here is horse manure.
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Horse hair can actually be found
mixed in together with the manure.
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Some people believe that this
manure has sacred properties.
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But if indeed there was a stable
high on this mountain,
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the question still remains,
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how could these horses
have made their way
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00:16:13,876 --> 00:16:17,501
300 meters to
the top of the citadel?
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The answer may have revealed
itself after heavy rains.
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Soil erosion uncovered
the entrance to a dark tunnel,
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with a passageway
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that seemed to head down
towards the valley below.
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The royalty depended
on this passageway.
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It provided safe and secure access
to transport supplies from below.
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This secret tunnel would
eventually prove to be useful
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not just as transport
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but for the survival of
the entire kingdom.
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But perhaps the greatest
revelations on Guge
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were found here
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Within this nearly
inaccessible structure
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are clues that hint
at what life in Guge
252
00:17:09,084 --> 00:17:11,084
must have been like.
253
00:17:11,834 --> 00:17:14,459
This is the Red Temple.
254
00:17:15,001 --> 00:17:16,709
Behind these ancient doors,
255
00:17:16,917 --> 00:17:19,834
some of Buddhism's finest
murals tell a story
256
00:17:20,001 --> 00:17:23,792
of one of the greatest
civilizations in Asia
257
00:17:23,959 --> 00:17:25,167
one that in its heyday
258
00:17:25,376 --> 00:17:28,792
was unsurpassed
across the Himalayas.
259
00:17:31,001 --> 00:17:33,959
These murals,
document life in Guge
260
00:17:34,126 --> 00:17:38,584
and present a pictorial history
of this once great kingdom.
261
00:17:39,876 --> 00:17:42,209
The murals of Guge
are simply stunning.
262
00:17:42,417 --> 00:17:44,834
Not only are they great artwork,
263
00:17:45,001 --> 00:17:49,959
but they encapsulate
the experience of the kingdom,
264
00:17:50,167 --> 00:17:52,959
its culture, its people,
its society,
265
00:17:53,167 --> 00:17:54,626
the ways in which
they did business,
266
00:17:54,834 --> 00:17:56,959
the ways in which
they moved about and traded.
267
00:17:57,167 --> 00:18:00,876
These are all represented
in the murals.
268
00:18:01,042 --> 00:18:02,626
This is not merely artwork;
269
00:18:02,834 --> 00:18:05,834
this is history in visual form.
270
00:18:06,751 --> 00:18:08,959
Over the centuries
Tibet and its people
271
00:18:09,126 --> 00:18:12,042
have seen great upheavals.
272
00:18:13,251 --> 00:18:15,876
It began as a unified empire.
273
00:18:16,084 --> 00:18:17,626
Then around the year 850,
274
00:18:17,834 --> 00:18:19,251
the empire fell apart
275
00:18:19,459 --> 00:18:22,584
after a series of
brutal civil wars.
276
00:18:24,959 --> 00:18:27,584
What emerged from the battles
and the bloodshed
277
00:18:27,792 --> 00:18:31,376
was a separate kingdom - Guge.
278
00:18:35,751 --> 00:18:37,959
Guge flourished at
the geographical crossroads
279
00:18:38,167 --> 00:18:41,667
to some of the greatest
civilizations of the time.
280
00:18:47,792 --> 00:18:52,792
Tsaparang was the center of
trade For the Guge kingdom
281
00:18:52,959 --> 00:18:56,917
In the autumn and spring,
nomads would bring wool,
282
00:18:57,084 --> 00:19:00,626
skins and salt to trade
in Tsaparang.
283
00:19:00,834 --> 00:19:01,959
And in the summer,
284
00:19:02,126 --> 00:19:03,834
people from the south
side of the Himalaya
285
00:19:04,001 --> 00:19:05,917
would come down here to trade.
286
00:19:06,084 --> 00:19:07,751
Therefore the prosperity
of the Guge
287
00:19:07,959 --> 00:19:11,751
Kingdom depended on
all this trade.
288
00:19:11,959 --> 00:19:14,084
The king's wealth came
from gold mines.
289
00:19:14,292 --> 00:19:17,084
And this was supplemented by alms
given by pilgrims
290
00:19:17,292 --> 00:19:19,792
traveling through the Kingdom.
291
00:19:21,167 --> 00:19:22,917
None of these riches however
292
00:19:23,084 --> 00:19:26,042
could ensure what the Kingdom
needed most:
293
00:19:26,251 --> 00:19:27,376
water.
294
00:19:29,959 --> 00:19:33,501
Tsaparang lay amidst
a vast and arid desert.
295
00:19:34,126 --> 00:19:36,709
In order to guarantee
Guge's survival,
296
00:19:36,917 --> 00:19:39,667
the King was forced to spend
much of his resources
297
00:19:39,876 --> 00:19:41,876
transporting water to the city
298
00:19:42,042 --> 00:19:45,542
and to the farms
that it depended on.
299
00:19:45,751 --> 00:19:47,959
The ancient irrigation
canals, wells
300
00:19:48,167 --> 00:19:50,959
and even a 20 kilometer
long aqueduct
301
00:19:51,126 --> 00:19:53,084
stretching from the Sutlej River
302
00:19:53,292 --> 00:19:57,251
to the citadel can still
be seen amidst the ruins
303
00:19:57,834 --> 00:19:59,959
evidence of
the massive undertakings
304
00:20:00,167 --> 00:20:02,876
to keep this oasis alive.
305
00:20:07,751 --> 00:20:10,001
With their power
and livelihood secure,
306
00:20:10,209 --> 00:20:12,417
the royals proceeded
to live a life
307
00:20:12,626 --> 00:20:15,376
full of absolute opulence.
308
00:20:17,292 --> 00:20:20,417
The whim of the noble
elite in Guge
309
00:20:20,626 --> 00:20:24,959
to dress well goes beyond
our bounds in the modern period.
310
00:20:25,167 --> 00:20:26,959
These were people
who wore their clothes,
311
00:20:27,126 --> 00:20:31,376
their jewels with no sense
of guilt or regret.
312
00:20:31,584 --> 00:20:33,084
They reveled in beauty,
313
00:20:33,292 --> 00:20:35,417
they reveled in opulence.
314
00:20:35,626 --> 00:20:38,459
Not only did they
wear their beauty,
315
00:20:38,667 --> 00:20:41,792
they lived amidst it too
in their houses,
316
00:20:41,959 --> 00:20:42,917
the way they decorated them
317
00:20:43,084 --> 00:20:46,251
with the greatest artworks
of the times.
318
00:20:49,126 --> 00:20:50,334
In this banquet room,
319
00:20:50,542 --> 00:20:54,501
Chodakpo and his queen would have
enjoyed many social occasions,
320
00:20:54,709 --> 00:20:57,959
entertained by song and dance.
321
00:21:06,042 --> 00:21:09,959
Guge's armory held the finest
weaponry of the time.
322
00:21:10,126 --> 00:21:12,834
Its sword smiths used
sophisticated techniques
323
00:21:13,001 --> 00:21:15,209
to craft superior steel alloys,
324
00:21:15,417 --> 00:21:18,959
making their swords
much sought-after.
325
00:21:21,667 --> 00:21:23,209
But Guge's wealth and power
326
00:21:23,417 --> 00:21:27,167
also attractd the attention
of envious neighbors
327
00:21:27,376 --> 00:21:29,959
who launched frequent attacks
on the kingdom.
328
00:21:30,959 --> 00:21:33,834
Eventually one such
neighbor would discover
329
00:21:34,001 --> 00:21:35,876
a weakness to capitalize on
330
00:21:36,042 --> 00:21:39,959
and Guge's fate
would be sealed forever.
331
00:21:44,042 --> 00:21:46,292
Just 30 kilometers away
down the valley
332
00:21:46,501 --> 00:21:48,834
from the palace at Tsaparang
333
00:21:49,042 --> 00:21:51,626
is the monastery of Tholing.
334
00:21:51,834 --> 00:21:53,959
Today, it is a modest structure,
335
00:21:54,167 --> 00:21:56,751
an eighth of its original size.
336
00:21:56,959 --> 00:21:58,209
But at its peak,
337
00:21:58,417 --> 00:22:00,959
Tholing housed more than 900 monks
338
00:22:01,126 --> 00:22:04,001
and was the largest of
Guge's monasteries
339
00:22:04,209 --> 00:22:06,459
both in size and influence
340
00:22:06,667 --> 00:22:10,126
a power base akin to the Vatican.
341
00:22:10,334 --> 00:22:14,292
Pilgrims flocked to Tholing
and with them came wealth,
342
00:22:14,501 --> 00:22:16,876
which they gave to the monastery.
343
00:22:17,042 --> 00:22:19,709
At the centre of
this spiritual power base,
344
00:22:19,917 --> 00:22:20,959
was the Chief Abbot
345
00:22:21,167 --> 00:22:23,542
King Chodakpo's brother.
346
00:22:23,751 --> 00:22:26,584
Tholing had great power
over the people of Tibet,
347
00:22:26,792 --> 00:22:28,751
Central Asia
and the sub-continents.
348
00:22:28,959 --> 00:22:33,292
It was the greatest religious
center par excellence of its time
349
00:22:33,501 --> 00:22:37,042
and that gave it
the moral authority,
350
00:22:37,251 --> 00:22:41,584
intellectual power
and political prestige
351
00:22:41,792 --> 00:22:45,626
that no other institutions
of the time had.
352
00:22:49,792 --> 00:22:51,917
Even before the rise of Guge,
353
00:22:52,084 --> 00:22:54,917
Buddhism had long-established
roots in Tibet.
354
00:22:55,084 --> 00:22:57,876
But civil war
in Central Tibet would fragment
355
00:22:58,042 --> 00:23:01,001
and dilute Buddhism's role
in society.
356
00:23:02,167 --> 00:23:03,876
From the wake of these upheavals,
357
00:23:04,042 --> 00:23:05,959
it was the early kings of Guge
358
00:23:06,126 --> 00:23:09,792
that championed Buddhism
in Western Tibet.
359
00:23:12,084 --> 00:23:14,334
According to Tsering Gyalpo,
360
00:23:14,542 --> 00:23:16,292
the third King, Yeshe Od,
361
00:23:16,501 --> 00:23:18,292
convened a Buddhist council,
362
00:23:18,501 --> 00:23:21,917
the great prayer festival of 1076.
363
00:23:22,084 --> 00:23:27,167
He invited great Buddhist thinkers
from Tibet and beyond to attend.
364
00:23:29,709 --> 00:23:32,042
His aim was to strengthen
Tibetan Buddhism
365
00:23:32,251 --> 00:23:35,126
and to propagate its philosophies.
366
00:23:36,001 --> 00:23:39,959
Yeshe Od's initiative
was to prove successful.
367
00:23:42,251 --> 00:23:45,459
Amazingly well preserved
centuries old murals
368
00:23:45,667 --> 00:23:48,209
speak of this religious convention
369
00:23:48,459 --> 00:23:52,209
a spiritual gathering
which planted the first seeds
370
00:23:52,417 --> 00:23:55,917
from which
Tibetan Buddhism was reborn.
371
00:23:58,167 --> 00:23:59,417
From that point onward,
372
00:23:59,626 --> 00:24:01,584
Guge became the spiritual
373
00:24:01,792 --> 00:24:04,501
and cultural heart
of Tibetan Buddhism.
374
00:24:07,001 --> 00:24:09,167
The King enticed some
of the greatest Buddhist
375
00:24:09,376 --> 00:24:11,126
leaders of his time.
376
00:24:11,334 --> 00:24:14,417
Not unlike headhunting CEOs today,
377
00:24:14,626 --> 00:24:17,251
he offered them
riches beyond their dreams
378
00:24:17,459 --> 00:24:21,501
if they would only move
to his kingdom.
379
00:24:21,709 --> 00:24:25,334
Guge was at the centre of
a religious renaissance
380
00:24:25,542 --> 00:24:29,876
one that was about to
get even more intense.
381
00:24:33,626 --> 00:24:34,876
From the 11th century,
382
00:24:35,042 --> 00:24:36,751
Kashmir, part of Ladakh
383
00:24:36,959 --> 00:24:40,917
and much of northeast India
were been converted to Islam.
384
00:24:41,084 --> 00:24:42,751
For the next 300 years,
385
00:24:42,959 --> 00:24:46,376
Islam spread throughout
most of the Indian sub continent.
386
00:24:46,584 --> 00:24:47,876
As the Muslims advanced,
387
00:24:48,042 --> 00:24:52,001
they sacked Buddhist temples
and persecuted the devout.
388
00:24:52,209 --> 00:24:56,876
Artists, scholars
and monks fled in fear.
389
00:24:57,042 --> 00:24:59,167
And it was Guge that they fled to.
390
00:24:59,376 --> 00:25:02,376
Because here they found sanctuary.
391
00:25:02,792 --> 00:25:06,251
Buddhism flourished in Guge,
for two reasons.
392
00:25:06,459 --> 00:25:10,417
One was the fulfillment of
the dream of the Tibetan emperors,
393
00:25:10,626 --> 00:25:15,001
the other was the need of
the intellectual community in India
394
00:25:15,209 --> 00:25:17,959
to find a safe and secure home.
395
00:25:18,167 --> 00:25:20,584
Guge was able to cater to both.
396
00:25:21,001 --> 00:25:23,584
And with these
devotees came artisans
397
00:25:23,792 --> 00:25:26,626
leading to
an explosion of creativity.
398
00:25:26,834 --> 00:25:29,709
Frescoes hidden across
the ancient Guge ruins
399
00:25:29,917 --> 00:25:32,542
offer us a glimpse
of these heady times
400
00:25:32,751 --> 00:25:36,126
not unlike Medici Florence
during the Renaissance.
401
00:25:36,709 --> 00:25:39,209
Foreign artists
from across the Buddhist world
402
00:25:39,417 --> 00:25:42,167
brought their own
distinctive style of art
403
00:25:42,376 --> 00:25:44,376
and here influenced each other,
404
00:25:44,584 --> 00:25:47,167
copying and fusing styles
405
00:25:47,376 --> 00:25:51,792
ultimately creating
an entirely new direction in art
406
00:25:51,959 --> 00:25:53,501
the Guge school.
407
00:25:53,709 --> 00:25:56,959
For me one of the stunning things
about these murals
408
00:25:57,126 --> 00:25:59,751
is the sheer diversity
409
00:25:59,959 --> 00:26:03,084
they hold in terms
of human culture;
410
00:26:03,292 --> 00:26:06,959
they depict people
from all over the Buddhist world.
411
00:26:07,126 --> 00:26:10,959
All of the cultures
within the orbit of Guge,
412
00:26:11,126 --> 00:26:13,876
are there on these murals,
413
00:26:15,626 --> 00:26:18,501
The dry mountain air
and remoteness of this area
414
00:26:18,709 --> 00:26:24,126
have helped make these murals
some of the best preserved in Asia.
415
00:26:24,334 --> 00:26:27,917
It is argued that the Guge
Kingdom's commitment to Buddhism
416
00:26:28,084 --> 00:26:30,084
and the influx of
refugee-followers,
417
00:26:30,292 --> 00:26:32,917
was such a powerful force,
418
00:26:33,084 --> 00:26:37,084
Tibetan Buddhism may never
have survived without it.
419
00:26:38,167 --> 00:26:40,084
Today Buddhism is still
420
00:26:40,292 --> 00:26:43,917
an integral part of
everyday life in Tibet.
421
00:26:44,376 --> 00:26:46,001
It is an ancestral gift
422
00:26:46,209 --> 00:26:49,667
that permeates
all levels of society,
423
00:26:53,709 --> 00:26:57,501
Tibetans still flock
to Guge even today.
424
00:26:57,709 --> 00:26:59,417
Not so much for the temples
425
00:26:59,626 --> 00:27:03,126
as for the wondrous peak
towering over Tsaparang
426
00:27:03,334 --> 00:27:05,917
the sacred Mt. Kailash.
427
00:27:10,167 --> 00:27:12,542
These pilgrims are
a reminder of the thousands
428
00:27:12,751 --> 00:27:14,792
who have come to Guge before them.
429
00:27:14,959 --> 00:27:18,167
They are living
proof of a deeper reason
430
00:27:18,376 --> 00:27:21,542
for this most unique
journey in life.
431
00:27:24,626 --> 00:27:27,292
We are from Shigatse,
three days' drive away.
432
00:27:27,501 --> 00:27:29,292
So you've come from Shigatse,
on a pilgrimage!
433
00:27:29,501 --> 00:27:34,167
Yes, this year I will spend two days
circumambulating Mount Kailash.
434
00:27:34,376 --> 00:27:37,167
How long would it
normally take you?
435
00:27:37,376 --> 00:27:40,167
Two days if I go quickly.
436
00:27:40,376 --> 00:27:43,792
How far will you get
after one day?
437
00:27:43,959 --> 00:27:47,834
How far will we get?
438
00:27:48,001 --> 00:27:50,001
We will reach Seripug.
439
00:27:50,209 --> 00:27:54,542
Ahh, the village of Seripug.
440
00:28:04,126 --> 00:28:06,834
Pilgrims like the one Tsering
has come across here,
441
00:28:07,001 --> 00:28:10,501
are on a trek around
the perimeter of a sacred site
442
00:28:10,709 --> 00:28:13,751
in a ritual known as 'Kora'.
443
00:28:15,084 --> 00:28:17,667
Some pilgrims will even
go to profound lengths
444
00:28:17,876 --> 00:28:21,042
to demonstrate their faith
through prostration.
445
00:28:22,959 --> 00:28:24,501
A devotee may take years
446
00:28:24,709 --> 00:28:27,501
to travel hundreds of miles
in this manner.
447
00:28:29,084 --> 00:28:32,459
The Tibetans had this
deep abiding interest
448
00:28:32,667 --> 00:28:35,626
in understanding
the nature of human existence:
449
00:28:35,834 --> 00:28:37,542
why are humans born,
450
00:28:37,751 --> 00:28:40,292
where they come from
and where did they go.
451
00:28:40,501 --> 00:28:42,376
First through
their native traditions
452
00:28:42,584 --> 00:28:47,376
and later on through
the medium of Buddhism,
453
00:28:47,584 --> 00:28:51,876
Tibetans explored
the nature of human existence,
454
00:28:52,042 --> 00:28:55,042
what it means to be a human being.
455
00:28:57,876 --> 00:28:59,834
At the height of
Tholing's influence,
456
00:29:00,001 --> 00:29:05,209
it amassed considerable wealth
from donations made by pilgrims.
457
00:29:06,167 --> 00:29:08,042
By King Chodakpo's reign,
458
00:29:08,251 --> 00:29:10,959
legend has it that
Tholing's influence
459
00:29:11,167 --> 00:29:13,334
and wealth was so great
460
00:29:13,542 --> 00:29:17,959
it began to overshadow the
practical needs of the Kingdom.
461
00:29:19,084 --> 00:29:21,334
Guge relied on
a large pool of labor
462
00:29:21,542 --> 00:29:23,417
to work the irrigation schemes,
463
00:29:23,626 --> 00:29:26,667
grow the barley,
and raise the herds.
464
00:29:27,459 --> 00:29:30,959
But as more and more men
flocked to the monasteries
465
00:29:31,126 --> 00:29:34,876
King Chodakpo saw
his human resources dwindle
466
00:29:35,042 --> 00:29:37,917
and the economy began to suffer.
467
00:29:41,126 --> 00:29:42,709
By 1630,
468
00:29:42,917 --> 00:29:44,876
relations between
the King and his brother
469
00:29:45,042 --> 00:29:47,751
had reached an all time low.
470
00:29:47,959 --> 00:29:50,001
A bitter dispute
broke out between them
471
00:29:50,209 --> 00:29:54,917
a power struggle between
the monastery and the monarchy,
472
00:29:55,084 --> 00:29:58,084
between religion and state.
473
00:30:00,084 --> 00:30:01,917
In the midst of this tension
474
00:30:02,084 --> 00:30:04,667
all that was needed
was a tiny spark
475
00:30:04,876 --> 00:30:09,209
to bring about the beginning
of the end for Guge.
476
00:30:12,251 --> 00:30:13,334
For centuries,
477
00:30:13,542 --> 00:30:15,417
the abandoned ruins of Guge
478
00:30:15,626 --> 00:30:17,626
and the Kingdom that
once flourished here
479
00:30:17,834 --> 00:30:21,834
remained a mystery
and virtually unknown to the West.
480
00:30:22,001 --> 00:30:25,792
Its remote location in the arid
highlands of Western Tibet
481
00:30:25,959 --> 00:30:28,917
kept it preserved almost intact.
482
00:30:33,417 --> 00:30:34,917
In 1957,
483
00:30:35,084 --> 00:30:38,167
China's People's Liberation Army
visited Tsaparang,
484
00:30:38,376 --> 00:30:43,167
giving us the first ever motion
pictures of the abandoned city.
485
00:30:46,542 --> 00:30:48,417
Amongst the heavily eroded ruins,
486
00:30:48,626 --> 00:30:50,959
they discovered intricate
religious objects,
487
00:30:51,167 --> 00:30:57,126
icons and murals telltale
signs of grandeur and opulence.
488
00:30:58,042 --> 00:31:01,626
But it was inside caves
deep within the city
489
00:31:01,834 --> 00:31:05,084
that the soldiers found
the most intriguing revelations:
490
00:31:05,292 --> 00:31:09,542
Amour, shields
and hundreds of arrows.
491
00:31:10,959 --> 00:31:12,959
And in one particular cave
492
00:31:13,167 --> 00:31:17,959
the Cave of the Dead they found
the most grisly of evidence:
493
00:31:18,126 --> 00:31:22,126
the remains of hundreds
of headless corpses.
494
00:31:23,126 --> 00:31:25,626
Whose macabre remains are these?
495
00:31:26,042 --> 00:31:28,042
And how did they get here?
496
00:31:29,167 --> 00:31:31,959
Perhaps answers to these questions
would shed some light
497
00:31:32,126 --> 00:31:35,417
on the mysterious
disappearance of Guge.
498
00:31:36,501 --> 00:31:38,876
But we would have to wait
another 20 years
499
00:31:39,042 --> 00:31:41,542
for that illumination.
500
00:31:41,751 --> 00:31:45,959
In 1985, a team from Xi'an
Archaeological Institute
501
00:31:46,126 --> 00:31:48,792
stumbled upon an intriguing clue.
502
00:31:48,959 --> 00:31:53,459
An ancient paper mask probably
used in a religious ceremony.
503
00:31:54,292 --> 00:31:56,292
It seemed quite ordinary at first,
504
00:31:56,501 --> 00:31:58,167
but when they turned it over,
505
00:31:58,376 --> 00:32:02,417
they found traces of
an unrecognizable Western script.
506
00:32:03,542 --> 00:32:05,501
Months of research
would reveal this
507
00:32:05,709 --> 00:32:08,584
to be a section of pages
from a Bible
508
00:32:08,792 --> 00:32:11,209
written in an ancient
from of Portuguese
509
00:32:11,417 --> 00:32:13,751
used by early Jesuits.
510
00:32:15,167 --> 00:32:17,959
But how could the pages of
an old Catholic Bible
511
00:32:18,126 --> 00:32:20,709
come to be part of
a Tibetan shaman's mask
512
00:32:20,917 --> 00:32:23,126
in the far reaches of Guge.
513
00:32:26,751 --> 00:32:28,209
In 1624,
514
00:32:28,417 --> 00:32:31,709
a Jesuit missionary
Father Antonio Andrade
515
00:32:31,917 --> 00:32:35,292
wrote a book highly
popular across Europe.
516
00:32:36,917 --> 00:32:41,251
In it he describes his visit to
an amazing country called Tibet.
517
00:32:41,459 --> 00:32:45,376
Father Andrade and his companion
trekked from their mission in Goa
518
00:32:45,584 --> 00:32:48,376
in Search of
a long forgotten Christian state
519
00:32:48,584 --> 00:32:50,334
called Shambhala.
520
00:32:51,042 --> 00:32:54,334
Instead, they discovered Guge.
521
00:33:00,834 --> 00:33:02,792
By this time, the story goes:
522
00:33:02,959 --> 00:33:05,167
tensions between Chodakpo
and his brother
523
00:33:05,376 --> 00:33:07,042
were at an all time high.
524
00:33:07,417 --> 00:33:10,209
And they were about to get worse.
525
00:33:11,084 --> 00:33:14,167
The King warmly welcomes Andrade.
526
00:33:14,376 --> 00:33:17,167
In his book Andrade writes:
527
00:33:17,376 --> 00:33:18,584
"As holy men.
528
00:33:18,792 --> 00:33:21,917
The king treated us with great
reverence and then explained,
529
00:33:22,084 --> 00:33:23,751
somewhat to my surprise,
530
00:33:23,959 --> 00:33:26,001
that he wished to
understand our faith.
531
00:33:27,042 --> 00:33:30,792
This was as welcome
as it was unexpected."
532
00:33:33,292 --> 00:33:35,584
Not only does Chodakpo
proclaim the pair
533
00:33:35,792 --> 00:33:37,876
to be his personal guests,
534
00:33:38,042 --> 00:33:40,917
he invites them to stay
and teach their beliefs,
535
00:33:41,084 --> 00:33:44,042
even ordering
the building of a chapel.
536
00:33:45,376 --> 00:33:49,626
Such behaviours would have
infuriated the Buddhists at Tholing.
537
00:33:49,834 --> 00:33:53,417
They saw the King's actions
as a betrayal against Buddhism.
538
00:33:53,626 --> 00:33:57,376
It was a move
that would not go unanswered.
539
00:33:57,584 --> 00:34:00,917
According to stories later
recorded by Andrade,
540
00:34:01,167 --> 00:34:04,459
what happened next was
an uprising against the King
541
00:34:04,667 --> 00:34:08,334
that would forever change
the course of Guge's history...
542
00:34:09,084 --> 00:34:10,959
Seeking to protect his stronghold,
543
00:34:11,126 --> 00:34:13,501
the Head Abbott sends
word to his supporters
544
00:34:13,709 --> 00:34:18,292
in the neighboring Kingdom of
Ladakh 500 kilometers away.
545
00:34:20,542 --> 00:34:22,709
Seizing this
long awaited opportunity,
546
00:34:22,917 --> 00:34:25,959
the Ladakhis marched
across the border of Guge,
547
00:34:26,126 --> 00:34:27,709
overcoming each fortress
548
00:34:27,917 --> 00:34:29,834
and embattlement in their path
549
00:34:30,001 --> 00:34:33,001
until they reached
the capital Tsaparang.
550
00:34:34,001 --> 00:34:35,001
By this time,
551
00:34:35,209 --> 00:34:38,959
Guge's economic and political
resources were strained.
552
00:34:39,167 --> 00:34:41,084
No reinforcements would be coming.
553
00:34:41,292 --> 00:34:45,376
And Tsaparang would have to face
the invaders on its own.
554
00:34:47,167 --> 00:34:51,042
But taking Tsaparang
would not be easy.
555
00:34:51,792 --> 00:34:53,792
The capital's Western
and Southern approaches
556
00:34:53,959 --> 00:34:58,042
are sheer vertical walls
virtually attack-proof.
557
00:34:58,251 --> 00:34:59,667
At the summit,
558
00:34:59,876 --> 00:35:02,792
the royal palace was protected
by a defensive wall
559
00:35:02,959 --> 00:35:05,084
running along its perimeter.
560
00:35:06,959 --> 00:35:09,542
The only possible approach
for the Ladakhi forces
561
00:35:09,751 --> 00:35:13,334
was up a gently sloping hill
on the north-east,
562
00:35:13,542 --> 00:35:17,584
but even this route was blocked
by a substantial wall.
563
00:35:19,876 --> 00:35:22,751
When the Ladakhi army
reached Tsaparang
564
00:35:22,959 --> 00:35:23,959
they were flush with victory.
565
00:35:24,167 --> 00:35:28,751
They had conquered
all the satellite fortresses.
566
00:35:28,959 --> 00:35:32,167
They were now primed
for the final battle.
567
00:35:57,376 --> 00:36:01,959
How this final battle began
is a matter of some uncertainty,
568
00:36:02,126 --> 00:36:03,376
but scholars believe
569
00:36:03,584 --> 00:36:07,417
the entrance to the city
was stormed by the Ladakhis.
570
00:36:44,209 --> 00:36:45,917
Breaking through the city gates,
571
00:36:46,084 --> 00:36:48,501
the Ladakhis overcame
Guge's resistance
572
00:36:48,709 --> 00:36:52,167
and took control of
the lower part of the citadel.
573
00:36:53,292 --> 00:36:56,626
But as they chased the retreating
soldiers and citizens of Guge
574
00:36:56,834 --> 00:36:59,959
up the passageways
and tunnels to its summit,
575
00:37:00,167 --> 00:37:03,501
the Ladakhis found themselves
sitting ducks.
576
00:37:03,709 --> 00:37:05,876
As they snaked towards the summit,
577
00:37:06,042 --> 00:37:08,376
these passageways narrowed.
578
00:37:08,584 --> 00:37:11,709
The Ladakhis had to pass through
them almost single file
579
00:37:11,917 --> 00:37:15,251
making them easy targets
for Guge's forces.
580
00:37:15,459 --> 00:37:17,209
After taking heavy losses,
581
00:37:17,417 --> 00:37:21,292
the Ladakhis retreated
to the lower ramparts to regroup.
582
00:37:21,501 --> 00:37:23,459
It became clear to the Ladakhis
583
00:37:23,667 --> 00:37:27,001
that a frontal assault
on the citadel would be impossible.
584
00:37:27,209 --> 00:37:30,334
Instead,
they chose to sit and wait.
585
00:37:30,542 --> 00:37:33,709
By surrounding the citadel
the Ladakhis were confident
586
00:37:33,917 --> 00:37:37,334
they had blocked all avenues of
escape and fresh supplies
587
00:37:37,542 --> 00:37:39,542
especially water.
588
00:37:39,751 --> 00:37:41,709
How long could Chodakpo
and his people
589
00:37:41,917 --> 00:37:44,709
hold out In this dry environment?
590
00:37:44,917 --> 00:37:46,626
But unknown to the Ladakhis,
591
00:37:46,834 --> 00:37:50,334
Guge might have had a trick
or two up its sleeve.
592
00:37:50,542 --> 00:37:53,209
Deep beneath the citadel lies
a network of caves
593
00:37:53,417 --> 00:37:58,751
that John Bellezza and Tsering
Gyalpo found to be most unusual.
594
00:37:58,959 --> 00:38:02,626
These were originally thought
to be a royal winter retreat.
595
00:38:02,834 --> 00:38:04,459
To escape the bitter
cold of winter,
596
00:38:04,667 --> 00:38:08,959
scholars believed the royal family
would have come here to keep warm.
597
00:38:10,126 --> 00:38:12,334
But as John and Tsering
explore further,
598
00:38:12,542 --> 00:38:15,751
they find evidence
that suggests these caves
599
00:38:15,959 --> 00:38:18,501
may have had some other purpose.
600
00:38:18,709 --> 00:38:23,417
There is no sign of
smoke in this cave.
601
00:38:23,626 --> 00:38:25,709
You're right.
602
00:38:25,917 --> 00:38:29,626
There is no evidence
of soot in this cave.
603
00:38:29,834 --> 00:38:31,251
I think that this cave
must have been used as
604
00:38:31,459 --> 00:38:34,084
a storeroom
or warehouse of some sort.
605
00:38:34,292 --> 00:38:37,542
Every cave connected to
this one is similar.
606
00:38:37,751 --> 00:38:40,959
I think these are
obviously not dwelings,
607
00:38:41,167 --> 00:38:43,876
but rather, rooms for storage.
608
00:38:44,042 --> 00:38:46,376
If this was being
used for lodging,
609
00:38:46,584 --> 00:38:48,084
there would be some kind of trace
from the smoke of a fire.
610
00:38:48,292 --> 00:38:50,126
Also there would be
a proper doorway,
611
00:38:50,334 --> 00:38:52,209
maybe a wooden one.
612
00:38:52,417 --> 00:38:56,751
The ceiling would
also be much higher
613
00:38:58,334 --> 00:38:59,959
Tsering reckons these caves
614
00:39:00,167 --> 00:39:03,251
could have stored food
and supplies to last a year.
615
00:39:04,376 --> 00:39:05,334
So in theory,
616
00:39:05,542 --> 00:39:08,376
Guge could have
held out for a while.
617
00:39:11,042 --> 00:39:13,626
Apparently these secret passages
618
00:39:13,834 --> 00:39:18,959
also allowed the besieged
people of Guge access to water.
619
00:39:20,917 --> 00:39:24,834
Some passages led to an exit
near the Sutlej River.
620
00:39:25,959 --> 00:39:27,751
With food and water available,
621
00:39:27,959 --> 00:39:31,126
Tsaparang held out
for close to a month
622
00:39:31,334 --> 00:39:35,334
before the Ladakhis
stepped up the offensive.
623
00:39:37,626 --> 00:39:39,959
By now the invaders had taken over
624
00:39:40,126 --> 00:39:42,792
the unprotected lower
sections of the citadel,
625
00:39:42,959 --> 00:39:46,251
and had gained had a crucial
bargaining chip in the process
626
00:39:46,459 --> 00:39:49,376
thousands of Guge prisoners.
627
00:39:52,667 --> 00:39:56,626
Half way up the citadel stands
a very peculiar stone partition,
628
00:39:56,834 --> 00:40:00,334
unlike anything
else found in Tsaparang.
629
00:40:00,542 --> 00:40:02,376
The wall is very interesting.
630
00:40:02,584 --> 00:40:03,459
It's built of stone,
631
00:40:03,667 --> 00:40:05,501
while the other buildings were
632
00:40:05,709 --> 00:40:10,251
primarily built of
earth or mud brick.
633
00:40:10,459 --> 00:40:14,126
It doesn't have any obvious
habitational function;
634
00:40:14,334 --> 00:40:17,959
it doesn't have any obvious
defensive function.
635
00:40:18,167 --> 00:40:20,167
So why was the wall there?
636
00:40:21,167 --> 00:40:24,542
If storming the citadel through
the tunnels was impossible,
637
00:40:24,751 --> 00:40:28,584
then the only other option would
be to build a siege tower
638
00:40:30,042 --> 00:40:32,542
and by the most ruthless of means
639
00:40:32,751 --> 00:40:35,751
on the backs of
captured Guge prisoners.
640
00:40:37,042 --> 00:40:39,959
The royal precinct was
virtually unassailable.
641
00:40:40,126 --> 00:40:43,917
The Ladakhi army reached
a shelf beneath the sheer summit.
642
00:40:44,084 --> 00:40:48,126
They were stuck here
for close to a month
643
00:40:48,334 --> 00:40:50,751
so they began to
build a siege tower
644
00:40:50,959 --> 00:40:53,667
with pressed Guge labor.
645
00:40:53,876 --> 00:40:55,917
They had to bring stones
from a black mountain
646
00:40:56,084 --> 00:40:58,876
from the far side
of the Sutlej River.
647
00:41:01,126 --> 00:41:02,917
As the siege tower rose,
648
00:41:03,084 --> 00:41:06,292
it claimed the lives
of many Guge slaves.
649
00:41:07,292 --> 00:41:11,292
Ancient stories tell of how the
slaves were beaten so mercilessly
650
00:41:11,501 --> 00:41:14,626
that their organs showed
through their flesh.
651
00:41:18,542 --> 00:41:20,959
But building a 100-meter
structure of this kind
652
00:41:21,126 --> 00:41:24,917
would have been a near impossible
engineering feat for its time.
653
00:41:25,084 --> 00:41:28,667
Instead, experts believe
the Ladakhi siege tower
654
00:41:28,876 --> 00:41:32,751
was a psychological
rather than physical gambit
655
00:41:36,126 --> 00:41:40,001
how long could King Chodakpo
bear to watch the daily torture
656
00:41:40,209 --> 00:41:43,126
and suffering of
his captured subjects?
657
00:41:44,709 --> 00:41:47,334
As legend has it,
658
00:41:47,542 --> 00:41:51,917
the last king, Chodakpo
seeing the great suffering
659
00:41:52,084 --> 00:41:55,001
that his people were enduring
building this wall without food
660
00:41:55,209 --> 00:42:01,209
and as they died as they succumbed
to the pressures of construction.
661
00:42:01,417 --> 00:42:04,959
He saw the great sufferings
that his people were undergoing.
662
00:42:06,084 --> 00:42:07,334
And he had great pity,
663
00:42:07,542 --> 00:42:12,417
the king of Guge and he decided,
664
00:42:12,626 --> 00:42:14,959
it must have been
a difficult decision
665
00:42:15,167 --> 00:42:17,667
but he decided
in the end to surrender.
666
00:42:19,959 --> 00:42:21,126
According to legend,
667
00:42:21,334 --> 00:42:23,626
in the final hour of Guge,
668
00:42:23,834 --> 00:42:25,459
King Chodakpo and his retinue
669
00:42:25,667 --> 00:42:28,876
made their poignant descent
from summit to base,
670
00:42:29,042 --> 00:42:31,376
even bearing gifts of
gold and silver
671
00:42:31,584 --> 00:42:33,501
to appease the invaders.
672
00:42:34,209 --> 00:42:36,959
But the reception
they received from the Ladhakis
673
00:42:37,167 --> 00:42:40,001
is surrounded in controversy.
674
00:42:41,501 --> 00:42:42,917
In one fell swoop,
675
00:42:43,084 --> 00:42:46,626
the 700-year-old kingdom of Guge
had been conquered.
676
00:42:46,834 --> 00:42:49,001
But what happened
after the King surrendered
677
00:42:49,209 --> 00:42:51,667
is still shrouded in mystery.
678
00:42:55,042 --> 00:42:58,209
John Bellezza and Tsering Gyalpo
have their own ideas
679
00:42:58,417 --> 00:43:02,959
ideas that take them
to the infamous Cave of the Dead.
680
00:43:04,501 --> 00:43:06,084
Could the bodies
that the Chinese Army
681
00:43:06,292 --> 00:43:08,001
saw more than 50 years ago
682
00:43:08,209 --> 00:43:11,334
be the corpses of
the last royals of Guge?
683
00:43:11,542 --> 00:43:12,792
The only answer
684
00:43:12,959 --> 00:43:16,542
is the overwhelming
stench of more recent decay.
685
00:43:16,751 --> 00:43:18,876
The cave, unfortunately,
686
00:43:19,042 --> 00:43:21,334
has once again
become a burial site.
687
00:43:21,542 --> 00:43:22,501
And in recent years,
688
00:43:22,709 --> 00:43:27,084
remains of Tibetans have
once again been deposited that.
689
00:43:27,292 --> 00:43:31,751
And this is actually complicating
the archaeology of determining
690
00:43:31,959 --> 00:43:33,501
what was really there originally,
691
00:43:33,709 --> 00:43:35,417
or what's come after.
692
00:43:38,084 --> 00:43:41,084
In Tibet,
the dead received a "sky burial".
693
00:43:41,292 --> 00:43:44,792
This means corpses are
"carried away by birds."
694
00:43:44,959 --> 00:43:47,084
Skilled morticians
cut up the dead body
695
00:43:47,292 --> 00:43:51,167
to encourage eagles
and vultures to consume the flesh.
696
00:43:52,042 --> 00:43:55,042
Local tales suggest
that at one time
697
00:43:55,251 --> 00:43:59,084
the cave may have held
as many as 400 skeletons.
698
00:43:59,459 --> 00:44:01,251
But over time, bandits,
699
00:44:01,459 --> 00:44:03,917
scholars and the curious
have taken much,
700
00:44:04,084 --> 00:44:06,792
leaving but a few remains.
701
00:44:08,459 --> 00:44:12,626
Tibetan rituals of the dead
forbid any possible DNA studies.
702
00:44:12,834 --> 00:44:15,626
But John Bellezza believes
this could very well be
703
00:44:15,834 --> 00:44:19,167
the resting place of
the last King of Guge.
704
00:44:20,376 --> 00:44:22,042
There is some evidence
that lends credence
705
00:44:22,251 --> 00:44:24,126
to the idea that indeed
706
00:44:24,334 --> 00:44:27,417
the corpses in the cave were
those of the royal family of Guge.
707
00:44:27,626 --> 00:44:30,917
Most of them seem to
have been beheaded,
708
00:44:31,084 --> 00:44:32,959
to have undergone execution
709
00:44:33,126 --> 00:44:35,251
so that probably would
not have been the case
710
00:44:35,459 --> 00:44:36,501
for the common soldier
711
00:44:36,709 --> 00:44:40,209
who would have fallen
on the battleground.
712
00:44:43,417 --> 00:44:45,417
John's theory supports one legend
713
00:44:45,626 --> 00:44:49,167
that tells of a brutal
and merciless execution.
714
00:44:49,834 --> 00:44:51,917
After having surrendered
his Kingdom,
715
00:44:52,084 --> 00:44:55,417
the King and his ministers
were beheaded on the spot.
716
00:44:56,376 --> 00:45:00,167
The royal women also
met an equally gruesome end.
717
00:45:04,209 --> 00:45:07,001
There is a poem that purportedly
tells of the Massacre.
718
00:45:07,209 --> 00:45:10,001
It describes
how the royal women were taken
719
00:45:10,209 --> 00:45:13,084
and thrown from
the palace ramparts.
720
00:45:14,626 --> 00:45:17,709
To the people below
these brightly dressed princesses
721
00:45:17,917 --> 00:45:21,126
"looked like spring flowers
falling from heaven"
722
00:45:22,167 --> 00:45:23,501
The Ladakhi soldiers
723
00:45:23,709 --> 00:45:27,834
yelled and shouted to see
more and more flowers!
724
00:45:37,792 --> 00:45:38,959
As for the Abbott,
725
00:45:39,167 --> 00:45:42,542
he met his doom
at the end of a Ladakhi sword.
726
00:45:42,792 --> 00:45:45,292
Treachery was repaid by treachery
727
00:45:45,501 --> 00:45:48,959
as he was double-crossed
by his supposed allies.
728
00:45:50,917 --> 00:45:53,251
But a mystery still remains.
729
00:45:53,459 --> 00:45:57,001
Why was Tsaparang
entirely abandoned?
730
00:45:58,334 --> 00:46:00,167
According to local legend,
731
00:46:00,376 --> 00:46:03,126
an aqueduct was built
by the last king of Guge
732
00:46:03,334 --> 00:46:07,417
to bring water from the sacred
snow mountain, 80 kilometers away.
733
00:46:07,626 --> 00:46:10,209
The aqueduct crossed
through sacred territory
734
00:46:10,417 --> 00:46:12,959
so the local deities became
angry with the king.
735
00:46:13,167 --> 00:46:14,751
They cursed him,
736
00:46:14,959 --> 00:46:19,167
and it is said that this was
the reason for his defeat.
737
00:46:21,251 --> 00:46:22,667
From the top of the citadel
738
00:46:22,876 --> 00:46:26,417
you can still see the imprint
left by the ancient aqueduct
739
00:46:26,626 --> 00:46:29,001
following the contours
of the hill.
740
00:46:29,709 --> 00:46:32,001
Even the legend
Tsering Gyalpo speaks of
741
00:46:32,209 --> 00:46:34,209
has a basis in science.
742
00:46:34,959 --> 00:46:39,292
Guge is in the shadow of three of
the world's largest mountain ranges,
743
00:46:39,501 --> 00:46:41,001
the Himalayas,
744
00:46:41,209 --> 00:46:44,459
the Karakoram and the Kunlun.
745
00:46:47,126 --> 00:46:49,959
Research shows that
the climate in West Tibet
746
00:46:50,126 --> 00:46:53,584
has been steadily changing
over the past millennia.
747
00:46:54,126 --> 00:46:56,126
And that Man has been
on the losing end
748
00:46:56,334 --> 00:46:59,584
of an age-old battle with Nature.
749
00:47:01,792 --> 00:47:03,751
Areas that were once moist
750
00:47:03,959 --> 00:47:06,042
and relatively lush are now dry
751
00:47:06,251 --> 00:47:07,751
and have become deserts.
752
00:47:07,959 --> 00:47:11,626
And in Guge this process is
all the more intensified
753
00:47:11,834 --> 00:47:13,917
because it's located
in a rain shadow
754
00:47:14,084 --> 00:47:17,709
of Asia's greatest
mountain ranges.
755
00:47:17,917 --> 00:47:22,042
Evidence of this ongoing force
known as desertification
756
00:47:22,251 --> 00:47:27,834
comes from satellite photographs of
once arable fields now abandoned.
757
00:47:29,001 --> 00:47:31,959
But not all of them moved away.
758
00:47:32,126 --> 00:47:34,001
In the middle of
the desert-like conditions
759
00:47:34,209 --> 00:47:36,584
that surround modern Tsaparang,
760
00:47:36,959 --> 00:47:41,459
there are still a few places with
enough moisture to grow barley.
761
00:47:41,667 --> 00:47:44,501
The fall of the Guge kingdom
might not have been triggered
762
00:47:44,709 --> 00:47:47,917
by just one major
military campaign,
763
00:47:48,084 --> 00:47:49,709
but rather from a long term
764
00:47:49,917 --> 00:47:53,209
sustained assault from
Mother Nature herself.
765
00:47:54,959 --> 00:47:55,834
Even today,
766
00:47:56,001 --> 00:47:58,959
400 years after
the fall of the citadel,
767
00:47:59,126 --> 00:48:02,376
nature is still battling
with the remaining few farmers
768
00:48:02,584 --> 00:48:06,126
struggling to eke out
an existence from the land.
769
00:48:06,542 --> 00:48:07,959
The farmers explain to John
770
00:48:08,126 --> 00:48:10,792
that they have been trying to
grow barley in these fields.
771
00:48:10,959 --> 00:48:12,417
During the time of
the Guge Kingdom,
772
00:48:12,626 --> 00:48:15,834
the water level was
much higher than it is now.
773
00:48:16,001 --> 00:48:18,917
The lack of water has now driven
them to the lower areas
774
00:48:19,084 --> 00:48:21,792
right next to the river.
775
00:48:21,959 --> 00:48:23,959
The demise of the Guge Kingdom
776
00:48:24,126 --> 00:48:26,792
was the end of
a line of Tibetan monarchs
777
00:48:26,959 --> 00:48:32,542
that stretched
from 1630 back to 200 years AD.
778
00:48:32,917 --> 00:48:35,959
But the legacy of Guge
lives on in festivities
779
00:48:36,167 --> 00:48:38,376
like this annual horse fair
780
00:48:41,001 --> 00:48:42,959
As they would have centuries ago,
781
00:48:43,167 --> 00:48:46,376
Buddhist monks are on hand
to bless the jockeys,
782
00:48:46,584 --> 00:48:49,751
wishing them a successful
and safe endeavor.
783
00:48:52,251 --> 00:48:56,376
Participants dip their fingers
into beer and flick it heavenward
784
00:48:56,584 --> 00:48:57,959
a sign of gratitude,
785
00:48:58,126 --> 00:49:00,959
and an offering to the divine.
786
00:49:07,376 --> 00:49:08,959
But it is when the races begin,
787
00:49:09,167 --> 00:49:13,126
that we are reminded of
the lineage of these hardy men.
788
00:49:16,001 --> 00:49:20,542
Cavalry skills passed down for
generations from father to son.
789
00:49:20,751 --> 00:49:25,209
Each the proud bearer of the
heritage of his warrior-ancestors.
790
00:49:37,209 --> 00:49:38,834
At a sacred prayer site
791
00:49:39,001 --> 00:49:41,959
Tsering Gyalpo,
a native of these parts,
792
00:49:42,126 --> 00:49:46,126
makes his offering to
these ancestors and the divine:
793
00:49:46,417 --> 00:49:48,542
This is my prayer
794
00:49:48,751 --> 00:49:50,251
I will make offerings
again and again
795
00:49:50,459 --> 00:49:53,876
and give thanks for the blessing
and protection provided me.
796
00:49:54,042 --> 00:49:57,959
My spirit offers eternal devotion.
797
00:50:00,209 --> 00:50:02,876
After the fall of
the last King of Guge,
798
00:50:03,042 --> 00:50:07,334
Tsaparang became an unpleasant
place for its citizens.
799
00:50:08,042 --> 00:50:10,917
The Ladakhis administered
the region for 50 years
800
00:50:11,084 --> 00:50:13,542
before being driven out
by the Tibetans
801
00:50:13,751 --> 00:50:15,751
and their Mongol allies.
802
00:50:16,501 --> 00:50:20,667
The Mongols did not take
well to the deep canyons
803
00:50:20,876 --> 00:50:23,584
and dry lands of Western Tibet.
804
00:50:23,792 --> 00:50:25,959
And they decided to
relocate the capital
805
00:50:26,126 --> 00:50:28,834
to higher more open grounds.
806
00:50:29,001 --> 00:50:33,042
With that relocation
of the capital of Western Tibet,
807
00:50:33,251 --> 00:50:37,001
Guge utterly falls
into ruins and decay,
808
00:50:37,209 --> 00:50:40,084
which has continued
till the very present day.
809
00:50:40,959 --> 00:50:44,292
After the defeat
and demise of Guge's last king,
810
00:50:44,501 --> 00:50:46,917
the reins of power were
eventually taken over
811
00:50:47,084 --> 00:50:49,959
by the spiritual leader
of another Buddhist sect
812
00:50:50,167 --> 00:50:52,126
the 5th Dalai Lama.
813
00:50:52,959 --> 00:50:55,167
Ironically, the king's brother
814
00:50:55,376 --> 00:50:57,959
the Abbot who fought
for a Buddhist state
815
00:50:58,126 --> 00:51:01,334
had won the final battle
after all.
816
00:51:04,167 --> 00:51:09,334
The ancient kings of Guge
had a vision of a land of dharma,
817
00:51:09,542 --> 00:51:11,251
of sacred holiness,
818
00:51:11,459 --> 00:51:13,667
which has left an indelible mark
819
00:51:13,876 --> 00:51:17,959
not only on Tsaparang
but on all of Tibet.
820
00:51:21,584 --> 00:51:25,001
Their gift of Buddhism remains
strong and deeply ingrained
821
00:51:25,209 --> 00:51:29,001
in the memory of what was
once a great kingdom
822
00:51:29,209 --> 00:51:32,376
the Kingdom of Guge.